People who used to eat emotionally - what did you do instead when you were stressed/sad?

I went for a walk. It really helps clear the mind.

Exercise.

Or go somewhere without food - like I wouldn't go to a grocery store or near my kitchen but I would go to a bookstore or outside or a library

What are you emotional about?

If you were going to put your coat on and go buy ice cream, put your coat on and go buy your self something you need or just go somewhere and stop getting so worked up over food.

I am not sure I would call this emotional eating? It just sounds like you are hangry for some reason.

Go window shopping. I love to do this. Focus on all the cool clothes you're going to get when you meet your goal.

This is going to sound silly, but also when I'm upset, I like to play Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction at top volume in my car and sing/shout along with ol' Axl Rose. IDK why this helps, but it always makes me feel better.

walks, video games, sleep, go to the gym, anything to keep me busy. I also keep remembering that the food didn't actually help. It has taken a LONG time to get through it and by no means do I feel cured, but I haven't had an emotional binge in a few months now. I have had a couple days I had a bit more of some treats than I would have liked, but I allowed for it and I really really enjoyed those treats when I didn't feel sick afterwards and didn't go over on my daily calorie log.
Just keep trying and each time you don't emotionally eat remember it is a victory. If you do give in, you aren't a failure, analyze why and ask if there is something else you could have done, forgive yourself, move on.

Videogames. It keeps both my hands and my brain busy.

I always had a pretty normal relationship with food, but when both my parents died after long chronic illness I became an emotional eater for a while and I became fat. Then I found myself some bereavement counselling and found a more appropriate way of managing my emotions. Now when I feel a bit frustrated I let it out during exercise.

It does help to get out and do something. I have a horse and enjoy spending time with her and riding really helps my mood, but winter months tend to put a damper on that. My depression tends to be worse in the winter. So I got a membership to the botanical garden that is luckily close to my home and when I need a good dose of green and growing things and flowers I go there and take a walk.I have found that my martial arts training helps a great deal to alleviate stress and provides a good outlet for tension. And of course talking is a huge help. Having someone you can talk to who will just listen is a valuable asset.

I always thought that people who said that they worked out to replace emotional eating were kind of hokey. My trainer was a huge help to me when I was frustrated with not making any progress because I was doing emotional eating, which offset any progress I made in the gym or the kitchen. He helped me come up with a plan for what to do when I was free to do what I wanted, and an alternate plan when I needed to stick in the house with my kid with mental illness and I wasn't comfortable leaving her. I stuck with it for a week or two, and my outlook is totally changed. Now I do very little emotional eating. If I can do what I want, I head to the gym for a hard workout, listening to music, to relieve my frustrations and then treat myself to the spa there afterwards. It is soooo relaxing. I am now at the point that it is my preferred method of stress relief and it is something I look forward to, and believe me, I never thought I would say that!!!

I literally run away from my problems. The more upset I am, the faster I run/bike, and by the time I get back, I've forgotten all about emotional eating. I used to joke that I should send my previous boss a thank you card for all the weight he made me lose -- I was running an awful lot right before I quit.