Comfort eating when things go wrong in life...

I have been struggling with this my entire life. It wasn't until recently that I have been able to overcome this. I still could break, but I am on the right path for now.
I agree that you need to find someone to talk to and find a different way to deal with your stress. It is different for everyone.

I have completely given up sugar and am just not eating it at all. I am eating a clean diet (mostly vegetables, some fruit, fish, some spices to take care of my inflammation, some whole grains).

I am throwing myself into swimming and prayer. I have a few other things I do if it gets really bad.
The bottom line of not eating sugar gives me no choice but to not go there when I get stressed or feel bad. I don't eat a few cups of kale when I am stressed (blech).

I have had some very difficult times with one of my children and he went to residential treatment 5 years ago. I actually got diagnosed with MS right after he went into treatment.

Please find a positive way to deal with your stress. Find some good partners (doctor, therapist, someone from church, friends, exercise, activity).

Good luck.

I second Need2Exercise, address the root cause.

I'm a big believer in seeing professionals. If my foot hurts I go to the dr. If my tool set is lean I see a psychologist or life coach. Find a group, see a professional, they can help you with new "tools". Sometimes the right professional growth book will teach me a new tool (or remind me of an old one) but yours sounds like you might need more than a book to get started

Habits are hard to break though so here's another option for better not perfect. I often exchange bad food for better food. The good news is that the more healthy food I eat the more healthy food I crave. My best example: Mac n Cheese is no longer my comfort food, Farro is now.

Also, maybe when it happens try to only take a step off that wagon and not fall completely off. Not being able to finish at the gym is ok, maybe skip the takeaway though. Or vice versa, you really want that takeaway then that should be the reward after a full gym session.

I don't know....In the past I have used food to cope with stress. My sister still does. I have lost about 35 pounds sticking to a CICO system for the past 8 months. A couple of weeks ago I was stressing out so much and felt like I was getting no help and had no one to talk to. I had an eating day. I ate a bunch of crunchy stuff because I was mad and angry and hurt. I knew what I was doing. The next day I was back on track. I told myself it was going to be just the one day...until midnight. Is it possible to give yourself permission for the one day only? Or to give yourself permission to eat at maintenance for a period of time, until you can find a way to continue. I am sorry but speaking for myself, I needed to calm myself down that day, and I know there are other things I can do, and have done but when it gets to be too much I just might eat something crunchy and I don't want to feel bad about that.

Have you tried making your daughter part of you exercise routine? My son and I walked together quite a bit and talked. I found out many things that he just didn't discuss at the dinner table or in front of my husband. Sometimes a good long walk and talk can help both of you understand each other.

Emotional eating is definitely a struggle for a lot of people I understand completely. Have you spoken with a health professional about this? A therapist might be a good option.

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One of the things that helps me to replace a dysfunctional habit with a less dysfunctional one: After an incident I think about the triggers, brainstorm some alternate ways I could've handled it, and pick one to try next time. Then I write a little script and rehearse it in my head a few times (i.e., imagine the scenario going differently) so it starts to get grooved in mentally.

Then I just drop the line of thought - no guilt or drama. Next incidence, I try to run the new script. If it fails, I re-analyze, maybe pick a different strategy, maybe figure out how to reinforce the first one better. Rinse'n'repeat - usually, eventually something sticks. (I'm still struggling with potlucks & buffets, though ).

I've been told that a regular meditation practice helps some people with things like this, by sort of letting them create a space between an event and their reaction to it, where they can exercise better choices. I can't independently confirm that from experience, though.

I still comfort/emotionally eat, though I generally replace the higher calorie foods with lower calories ones (I'm on a flavored rice cake kick this year). I can replace the eating with a lot of other things, but sometimes I have to eat to release the stress as nothing else is working.

Hello,

I feel for you. I have 33/32yr children one still lives at home. But the one left still drives me crazy. However the lives at home refuses to help at all, for example she won't eat beef while my husband won't eat chicken, they both wanted roast dinner. My daughter came down stairs while I was prepping the veg etc gave me a list of what she wanted and walked off. My husband watched while I was doing it moaning at me not sitting down.
I put their tea on a plate and then walked out to go to the gym so I was not even eating (mine went in slow cooker for after the gym). On return from gym while finishing my tea made them custard to go with the apple pie.
That is just an example there are days when I get a text from her asking what is for tea or will I put something in the oven.
My husband expects his meal before I go to the gym and I tried to to go different times of the day but it did not work so evening is best to work in with them.
Yes there are times when I stress eat, pick etc there is always bisc cakes chocolate in the house. But most times keep busy just think it won't change , do I really want to cause an arguement that will go on all day cause more stress.

Good luck
Wendy

Yeah you should definitely not hide the body under the patio. That's an easy place for it to be found. I mean...uhh.
So yeah, I'm an emotional eater too. Nothing I would do more than sooth my soul with calorie dense foods (I'm looking at you cheeses ice cream and pasta). I have to catch myself when I find this happening and force myself to understand it's a bad choice and it is going to affect my loss. Or I try redirecting by getting on MFP and reading success stories, watching a movie, reading a book, going out for a drive, etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have to acknowledge it by logging it, but I find that if I obsess over how badly I have done that it's just a spiral effect of 'the heck with it' that will keep me going bad. Move on, mentally recommit to myself and keep doing the best I can.