what kind of eating is this?

Emotional eating is what this sounds like. You are using food to comfort your feelings. Try finding a different outlet (taking a walk/exercise, talking with someone, taking up a hobby) so when you feel this coming on you have another way to deal with it. We all do it, but when you are noticing this is a problem and it is hindering your weight loss then it is time to deal with it.

Also if you are having cravings your calorie intake may be set too low. Aim for a goal of 0.5-1 pound loss per week if you aren't set at that already. This may also be the cause of your cravings if you are limiting yourself.

Regardless of what you call it, it is causing you some concern, so it can just be called "disordered eating". Only you can determine what this form of secret eating means, and how to deal with it. Perhaps summon as much self control as possible and look at it from the perspective of an addiction, and try the One Day At A Time approach, where you forego the chocolate completely, for as long as you can. And if you do indulge, make sure its the smallest amount that will satisfy you. Chocolate in and of itself isnt harmful unless you have an allergy or something, and it can be easily worked into a healthy eating pattern on a daily basis, but your description of your relationship with it isnt consistent with that.

Emotional eating means that you eat more when you feel strong emotions like sadness, anger, guilt, etc. If emotions are triggering you to eat more, than yes it sounds like you're an emotional eater.

Binge eating means you're eating a large amount of food in a short period of time and don't feel in control of yourself at the time. It's not necessarily any one particular food or emotion that triggers it, but the important part of it is that you don't feel like you can stop yourself. What you're describing doesn't sound like binging to me.

If you need a label, it sounds more like secret eating to me. But, no matter what you call it, the important thing is that you either find a way to fit these foods into your day or work to alleviate the emotions through means other than eating. That's the tough part and I've never quite figured it out myself.

Have you tried substituting those things you crave/sneak for other options that may fill the void -- like greek yogurt, protein bars, Quest cravings, etc? May at least get the calories under control.

curvygirly911 wrote: »

Thank you so much for everyone's replies!! I agree that it is probably emotional eating and I have started to look for other substitutes that are healthier to replace with food. I am also going to start seeing a counsellor to work through some of the issues that cause me to mindlessly eat.

Hey great! I'm glad you're working on this.

First of all, I apologize in advance for this lengthy post. But I feel it necessary so here goes!

While I have never been a stress eater or emotional eater I have totally done the secret eating of tasty treats. I have done things like, buy a box of Little Debbie fudge rounds and eat the whole box on the way home, buy the BOGO king sized candy bars and eat both in the car on the way home, stash a jar of hot fudge or cake frosting and shove my face full of it any time I get the chance, stashing big bags of M&M's and sneaking handfuls as often as possible, buying a huge hunk of cake from the deli and inhaling it when I go to the store alone, Stashing pints of ice cream behind bags of vegetables in the freezer and again stuffing in my face when no one is around, when seasonal candies go on sale stocking up my secret stash to eat again in secret, buying a crap ton of candy for Christmas stockings or Easter baskets and eating it ALL and having to buy more (this one usually repeats several times before the actual holiday rolls around), and getting quite irritated at anyone who finds my stash. ESPECIALLY if they look like they have any business eating it. I DON"T like sharing my secret food. EVER.


***PHEW**** There. My dirty secrets are out for all to see and judge.

Now let's talk about things people say about this. "If you didn't deprive your self you wouldn't binge on junk!" LOL..... HAHA!!! Does it seem like I am really depriving myself? I have a carb problem. I am not a person who is able to partake of sensible portions of cake, ice cream or what ever. One slice of cake and I am off the wagon. It usually takes months to get back on the wagon. Think of a serious alcoholic and replace the alcohol with carbs. Especially brownies, cookies, ice cream etc... I have never "deprived" myself. I have never restricted my diet to any insane end.

I have though learned how to avoid catastrophe.

It took A LOT of doing on my part to get off of this secret gorging on sweets. I actually did have to go cold turkey. I know, I know. Some people think we should "allow treats within our calorie limits!"
Good lord. I wish I could erase that whole combination of words from existence. If I have a scoop of ice cream you can bet the rest of the carton is at risk for immediate consumption. Knowing this about my self I just don't eat it right away. I may wait until there is just a scoop left and eat that. Anyhoo, I had to give myself a rehabilitation period from ALL treats. No candy, cookies, chips, cake etc.... Also I lowered my over all carb intake. 30 g or less of carbs at any meal except dinner. This really did help my cravings and tendency to closet eat. Now after a couple of months I can carefully choose some sweet treat and only when I am full from an actual meal. Other wise it's on like Donkey Kong.

Why in the world would I ever have "food issues?" It could be psychological I guess. Growing up my mother didn't allow us many treats. We were NOT allowed to touch the refrigerator and we for doggone sure had better NOT even think about getting any food to eat with out express permission and then you had better get ONLY what was specified in the amount specified. A slice of bread was the most common snack. When my mother woke us up for school in the morning she would pour a bowl of cereal and add milk, then wake us up. By the time we stood in line for the bathroom (we only had one bathroom) and got to the table the cereal was a nasty slimy mess. If I refused to eat it she would try shoving it down my throat with a spoon. I gagged and had to hold back the vomit. She would say, "eat it or wear it!" Well I didn't want to do either, but she usually dumped it over my head. So wear It I shall I guess. At dinner she would heap my plate full of something gross like chicken pot pie. It just looked like a pile of snot littered with peas and carrots. I could NOT choke that mess down if you held me at gun point. She always made me sit there for HOURS telling me I couldn't get up until I ate all of it. BLEGH! So anyhoo, my mother used food to torture me, didn't allow us any treats for the most part with the occasional exception. And in general she was a tyrant. I firmly believe all of this comes into play with me.

It's good you are figuring this out. And taking steps to manage it. Sometimes I think it's a normal reaction that if someone is criticizing something, and as a result making something off limits, it makes it even more appealing to want it, and to sneak off and have it. Like being a kid and doing things you weren't allowed to do. Or when you first realized you could do what you wanted and no one could stop you. Not saying it's healthy to be in that mindset and do secret eating. I agree about finding moderation with using food in that way and filling that desire with other options that bring you pleasure and enjoyment. Whatever that may be. Going for a walk while listening to music. Or other things that you enjoy and boost your dopamine. Or trying different teas from a tea shop.

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »

. If I refused to eat it she would try shoving it down my throat with a spoon. I gagged and had to hold back the vomit. She would say, "eat it or wear it!" Well I didn't want to do either, but she usually dumped it over my head.

I just wanted to comment that this was not right and I am sorry you went through it. I'm a parent, I know how frustrating mealtimes can be and we all lose our temper sometimes, but if this was an established pattern then you were being mistreated and it was wrong. Especially when you were set up for failure with the soggy cereal (good grief, I couldn't eat that and I'm an adult!). Again, so sorry, and well done for tackling the food issues it has left you with.

OP, we all eat emotionally sometimes, it's no biggie. There are some good tips here for tackling it, but ultimately the best way is to tackle the underlying emotion. You mention you get harassed by your family over your weight, which is horrible and counterproductive. Is there any way you can tackle this, eg. by confronting someone, setting boundaries etc?

Thank you. I hope maybe sharing can help someone somewhere. I never gave some of that a lot of thought until another person in my life mentioned similar (what I think of as) food punishments. I think we all have a "man behind the curtain" who need to be found and stopped. I hope the OP is able to get to the bottom of what is driving the eating.

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »

. If I refused to eat it she would try shoving it down my throat with a spoon. I gagged and had to hold back the vomit. She would say, "eat it or wear it!" Well I didn't want to do either, but she usually dumped it over my head.

I just wanted to comment that this was not right and I am sorry you went through it. I'm a parent, I know how frustrating mealtimes can be and we all lose our temper sometimes, but if this was an established pattern then you were being mistreated and it was wrong. Especially when you were set up for failure with the soggy cereal (good grief, I couldn't eat that and I'm an adult!). Again, so sorry, and well done for tackling the food issues it has left you with.

OP, we all eat emotionally sometimes, it's no biggie. There are some good tips here for tackling it, but ultimately the best way is to tackle the underlying emotion. You mention you get harassed by your family over your weight, which is horrible and counterproductive. Is there any way you can tackle this, eg. by confronting someone, setting boundaries etc?

Thank you. I hope maybe sharing can help someone somewhere. I never gave some of that a lot of thought until another person in my life mentioned similar (what I think of as) food punishments. I think we all have a "man behind the curtain" who need to be found and stopped. I hope the OP is able to get to the bottom of what is driving the eating.

I'm sorry you went through that. I did as well. Thank you for sharing.