Stopping emotional eating

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viola343
viola343 Posts: 62 Member
in Getting Started
waiting and hoping to stop emotional eating. I tend to only eat when i'm feeling a certain way this leads to binge eating. I would like to practice stomach eating. eat when hungry and maybe 3-6 times a day.
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  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    @Kommdevaran and @BZAH10. Yall's reply are great. I feel motivated. I forgot about having a plan. yes a plan and following through with that plan will help. Thank you guys.
  • anniemarie94
    anniemarie94 Posts: 10 Member
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    I've stopped emotional eating when I've started intermittent fasting. I was overeating junk food between meals, but now I eat 2 big meals a day (around 12am and 8pm) and that's all.
  • cakeordeath
    cakeordeath Posts: 229 Member
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    I have the hardest time not eating my feelings.
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    Hello. Another day and another battle. emotional eating is something that can be seasonal. I know i've gone through emotional eating during times of aloneness or when i'm job hunting or even when somebody or something has upset me. Yes, the truth, we have to recognize this triggers and develope a plan that can help us curve the monster that robs us of our joy every morning. I know one of my weakness is waiting to eat. So, I am planning on learning to eat 3-6 times a day and not just one big meal.... spread out my meals even if it is in small increments. Food does not have to always be the main hero in our lives. food does not have to be a reward...I know yesterday was a reward. i worked all day, then i went to the mall. it was nice. being around all the things you can look at and the smell and also getting in some steps in.. Remember becareful of your friends, because they can influence your healthy habits. make sure to have uplifting, motivating and positive firends. that celebrates you and your goals for yourself. and not your emotion.
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    Here is a popular link that i enjoy using. it has many articles about the issues we face as humans. Sometimes it just feels like there is a monster that wants us to hate ourselves. Anyways click on it.
    http://www.livestrong.com/
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Try acknowledging the feelings e.g im down, and nothings going to change that till im done being down. It wont be forever, just ride it out and accept it.

    Worked for me. I got down over something and spent the weekend mindlessly munching. Come monday im either over whatever it was or still down. The food didnt really make any difference.
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    for example, i'm going to say...hmmmm...I think i'm just being "fraustrated." I will face this feeling and not choose to eat instead." sometimes that "stuck" feeling makes you continue your pattern of eating. every time the emotion comes i just want to eat some more. some emotions can make you hungry
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    I hope this doesn't seem just silly to you, @viola343, but a simple trick I use sometimes is to put a piece of gum in my mouth instead of food, and think about why I want to eat when I am not hungry while I chew the gum. This might not work or even be a good idea for you, but I find that it buys me time. If I have access to the internet, I get on this site at the same time and post on one of the supportive threads about it, which also helps me.

    Sometimes all you need is a minute of extra time to gain the control you need to make a better choice. Of course there are other times when the urge to eat your emotions nags at you all day. It happens to me when I am anxious, tired, or bored.

    I think the advice above about having a plan is the key.
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    I also use hot water and spice to calm me down.
  • lapierrecyclist
    lapierrecyclist Posts: 153 Member
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    Some things that have been helpful for me in the past: have protein at every meal for a few days (hardboiled eggs, chicken, tuna, cheese), make peppermint tea for a snack, get a walk in every day, try journaling your feelings. Know that your feelings (and you) have value.
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    peppermint tea sounds great. yes, sometimes i bottle in my feelings and i don't react or remove myself until its too late.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    Peppermint tea is also a winner for me.
  • juanitagardner07
    juanitagardner07 Posts: 43 Member
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    Well, you have conquered the first step.... you realize what the problem is.. I too was an emotional eater and also a bored eater....I really do not think there is a "one size fits all" plan to this, but just learning what brings on the feeling of wanting to binge can help. What has helped me is every time I get that "feeling" I ask myself am I really hungry? Or am I bored and/ or emotional? Is eating this """" going to make anything better? YES, I pretty much talk to myself and then get up and do something.. ANYTHING just to get my mind off of it..
  • 02172009
    02172009 Posts: 31 Member
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    I'm an emotional eater as well please add me
  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    02172009 wrote: »
    I'm an emotional eater as well please add me
    . well you are added. Remember, have a plan when you start wanting to emotional eat. a piece of gum, carbonated water, fruit, cofee...the goal is to push that feeling away from you. anything that will help stop the "stuffing of the mouth." I always try to remember how i want to feel the next morning. even a glass of wine can help curve the anxiety. a glass of wine is better than a bag of potato chips and a bag of cookies. The point is Try to have a plan... when that emotion hits...I hope this help. remember, we can push past this issue and develop a healthy habit of eating and excersing. Also our culture has ALOT of food to offer us..and it gets HARD!!

  • viola343
    viola343 Posts: 62 Member
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    Yesterday night was a very late on...I also needed to have compassion...fight or flight can cause your stomach to get nasueas and upset. So yea, i had to run to the store really late at night...which i don't like doing. I wanted to beat myself up about it but i had to talk to myself and reminded myself that i was on track until something changed...anyways keep progressing and keep saying no to binge eating...cheers to a good morning.

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