Any emotional eaters who have found healthier ways to deal with stress
iamsharica
Posts: 947 Member
If you use to be an emotional eater how did you overcome it? Any tips would help a lot. When I stress I start to eat a lot of junk food and now that I'm eating healthier, stress is a battle ground for me without junk food to cope (just keeping it real lol).
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I often struggle with emotional eating. I usually just try and occupy myself with something else, going for a walk often helps, not a vigorous calorie burning one, just a slow stroll.6
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I'm still struggling with this one. I've been an emotional eater all my life. I have been chewing a lot of gum recently, to try to distract myself3
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I've been trying some different approaches, going for a walk helps but sometimes the thought of 'having' to walk or not being able to walk right at the time that I want to adds to the stress lol.
Thing that helps me most is venting, just getting it out there what I'm stressing about so that I see it clearly.6 -
I don't think I developed a conscious plan, but I've tried to lose weight enough that I'm aware of potential trouble spots and on some level, I admitted a few things. Mostly, I eat from stress and boredom. I love salt. I will never be happy in a social gathering virtuously sticking to the vegetable platter; if I try, my resolve will either break at the gathering and I'll go for the cake, then feel guilty and eat even more to 'muffle' the stress... Or I'll go home and feel that because I was so 'good,' I can now have a PB&J sandwich with both the PB and the J oozing out from between the bread. This time,
1) I admitted that I wanted to have the occasional calorie-dense treat; that sometimes, I really do relax after having a cookie. And I was going to find a way to have one when I felt I needed it, and not go overboard. Because it's not the cookie that's the problem. It's the plate of cake and chips and jellybeans I have after it because I'm mad at myself for having the cookie, because I 'broke' my 'diet plan'. Once I started seeing the cookie as part of my plan, it got easier to control.
2) I bought a big bag of Skinny Pop popcorn and put 2 cups in a bowl. And logged it. At 80-86 calories for 2 cups, it satisfies my salt tooth, as well as absent-minded nibbling. (Measure and then keep bowl by me at computer and know that I can graze on it as much as I want. And if I want more? Log another 2 cups, get up, go measure it, and enjoy. But usually 2 are enough.)
3) Exercising more really has helped with stress and emotional upset.13 -
What I do is recognize that I emotionally eat and set myself up for success
1) Don't keep "bad food" in the house
2) Keep low calorie food to over indulge in (jello, sugar free Popsicle, sugar free fudge pops, popcorn, carrots, apples, ect)
3) But most importantly I try to recognize when it happens
We are imperfect people it is alright to slip up sometimes so the most important thing is to forgive yourdelf if you do mess up and move forward.
Can't change the past only the future
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As cliche as it sounds, I replaced emotional eating with exercise. I used to self medicate with food. Now I burn off anxiety and adrenaline with running, weight lifting, boot camps, social run clubs. It leaves me feeling a lot better. And then I work so hard, it becomes motivating to properly fuel my body the right way with the right nutrition, and see results and new muscles, that I don't want to undo any of the progress I made all week.5
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I have tried to find things that change how I feel for a little while. You're going to have feelings, but I like to postpone them until I can work them out at a less intense moment. So for me, I listen to music I love and just change my mood. I take a break from my feelings via my favorite empowering artists (Mary j blige, Jay z, erykah badu, Angie stone, Beyonce ) because when you sing along you are telling yourself *out loud* their empowering messages. Also, funny movies or videos because I can't hold up negative feelings while laughing. Or just do crap that makes eating impossible: whiten or fluoride your teeth so you can't put stuff in your mouth, but on a face mask so you have to hold off for 20 mins. Google "cbt skills" (cognitive behavioral therapy) and you will get a ton of therapeutic skills that you can check out. Some might work for you. If all else fails, listen to Mary J Blige's Work That. I find her medicinal!2
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Organized sports to keep my brain focused on better things.2
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I do three things:
1) I don't have anything bad in my house, as I know I'm too lazy to go and get it.
2) Drink green tea with spices, cinnamon or ginger does the trick. If after one or two cups I'm still craving food it means I'm hungry.
3) When I feel like giving in I watch YouTube videos of either people's journeys to lose weight, or health oriented videos to remind me why I'm doing it.
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I continue to struggle with emotional eating and to be honest I haven't completely learned how to curb it. But, I try to keep healthy food in the house and low cal snacks that can be my go to when I need a snack. I also try to distract myself with other tasks to divert my attention until the urge to snack is gone.2
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It's a struggle. I try to analyze WHY I am eating, and when really stressed, the fight or flight that kicks in leads to flight---as in, a walk, a swim, or something to clear my head.1
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The best thing (and worst thing) that happened was when my nephew told me I was stressed and "needed" to eat a burrito. It startled and shocked me into realizing that I was using a special meal treat to combat stress at work. From that day on, I don't eat because I "need" it to alleviate stress. I go and workout when I'm stressed and that does great things for my body and doesn't add calories. I try not to allow "need" to dictate what I eat. It still happens sometimes but I'm only human.
Good luck to everyone!3 -
Needed this post x2
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Solving this problem is the billion dollar question for me. Lets keep this thread going until a solution is found.2
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Regular exercise routine.
Saving calories at night for a snack.
Seeing a counselor once every two weeks.
I'm also going to try to start Journaling more.5 -
Heavy lifting4
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...and peanut butter5
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estherdragonbat wrote: »
1) I admitted that I wanted to have the occasional calorie-dense treat; that sometimes, I really do relax after having a cookie. And I was going to find a way to have one when I felt I needed it, and not go overboard. Because it's not the cookie that's the problem. It's the plate of cake and chips and jellybeans I have after it because I'm mad at myself for having the cookie, because I 'broke' my 'diet plan'. Once I started seeing the cookie as part of my plan, it got easier to control.
2) I bought a big bag of Skinny Pop popcorn and put 2 cups in a bowl. And logged it. At 80-86 calories for 2 cups, it satisfies my salt tooth, as well as absent-minded nibbling. (Measure and then keep bowl by me at computer and know that I can graze on it as much as I want. And if I want more? Log another 2 cups, get up, go measure it, and enjoy. But usually 2 are enough.)
This - absolutely. I do a lot of other things to prevent the mindless eating that others have posted - limit the amount of available junk in the house, portioning out snacks when I put groceries away, exercise and crochet to keep my hands and mind busy, and journalling or talking to a friend when I'm feeling very stressed or emotional - BUT, finding a way to really enjoy my favourite treats from time to time and never seeing them as forbidden has been a big thing for me. I put a cookie or two on a pretty plate plate, take it into another room and enjoy it, and if I want another one, I go get another one. And I log them. Same with other snacks or treats.
Make room for them in your life, and find ways to deal with the emotional side of the emotional eating. Ice cream tastes great, but banishing your demons is better.
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I currently struggle with this every single day. I have tried to many things but so far, I've had minimal success. I look forward to watching this thread for ideas 1
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I love this thread. I have done all of these things and then there are days when it just happens anyway and I just move one. Seems like any other addiction in that you take it one day at a time (or one minute/hour/tiny baby step at a time). Same with exercising (one step, lunge, pushup, job, weight) at a time. It's all baby steps. Thanks to everyone for sharing. This is a thread I read with great interest.2
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Running, of course. I also play disc golf (cheaper than regular golf). And be social. Outside. When the sun is out.3
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I do one mindful meal every day - meaning (I eat and try to minimize other distractions):
1) No tv/phone
2) Sit with nothing on my table except the lamp, food, and a glass of water
3) Put the fork/food down after each bite (and don't pick up the next bite yet)
4) Take a little sip of water after each bite, then take a breath and think: am I full yet?
I usually do this for breakfast and it has significantly increased my awareness of when I'm full, when I actually want to eat, and what food will make me happy when I'm done with it. Sometimes it's ice cream, but usually it's not anymore! This has helped me a TON, but if I stop doing it, I start drifting away into emotional eating throughout the day.4 -
This is what has kept me on the straight and narrow the last 210 days, with the exception of only a few cheat meals for VERY special occasions. Emotional eating started when I was a child. I literally tried to eat the pain, hurt and problems away and it became my lifelong companion. When stress comes flooding in and I want to just throw my hands up and eat thousands of calories in one binge, I make myself walk away to a quiet place where I can reason with myself. I always tell myself the following to make myself snap out of it:
1. I am not that hurt little girl anymore.
2. My life is different now.
3. I have a little boy and a husband that both depend on me and need me to be the best version of myself I can be. They deserve a happy Mommy/Wife.
4. They need me to stick around for a while.
5. The instant gratification I may get from this cheeseburger will be gone a minute after I eat it and I will spend way too long beating myself up and feeling defeated.
6. I look back on what I have accomplished so far and remind myself that I am a strong woman...tough as nails, and I CAN do this...I WILL FINISH THIS!
7. I drink a big glass of water and eat a nutritious snack.
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For me, there's nothing that helps relieve stress/stops me emotionally eating that's less harmful than overeating.2
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When I want to eat my feelings, I start with drinking some water. It helps calm my stomach and lets me know if I'm actually hungry or if I'm just having cravings. If I'm truly hungry (tummy doesn't settle down) then I head to the kitchen and chop up some fruit or veggies and dip to munch on (assuming it isn't meal time). If I'm not really hungry, I try to get busy doing something else. Homework, taking a walk, exercising, cleaning, etc... can all be great ways to help curb cravings.
It's OK to be hungry outside of meal times. Just try not to waste snacks on junk food. Sticking to fruits and veggies with dip has saved me a lot of calories and they can be SOOO yummy.
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I'm not an emotional eater or stress eater, but my job tends to be very stressful and life in general...regular exercise has helped greatly where stress is concerned.3
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I struggle with this as well.
(1) prepare for life's stresses they will happen. (death of a family member, job, finances etc) Find your coping skills before the stress hits.
(2) music is therapeutic. Find what will help process the stress/emotions that you are going through. Music for anger, sadness, grieving. Switch it into inspiring music to keep you positive.
(3) Take that playlist to your workout. Don't let anyone interrupt you. This is your time to invest and care for yourself.
(4) keep healthy options for sweet and salty cravings. If it's in my house I will go to that as a bad coping behavior.1 -
I'm going to echo a lot of the above advice - I got treatment for the underlying anxiety issues, the emotional eating went away. I developed a bunch of strategies for coping with stress that were actually useful and longer-lasting. Food makes you feel better for a few minutes, but walking/mediating/list-making/singing/whatever floats your boat stick for a whole lot longer.
If you do decide you want a treat and you're not just trying to avoid coping with your emotions, go out and get one. Don't keep it in the house.3 -
tinamarie6624 wrote: »The best thing (and worst thing) that happened was when my nephew told me I was stressed and "needed" to eat a burrito. It startled and shocked me into realizing that I was using a special meal treat to combat stress at work. From that day on, I don't eat because I "need" it to alleviate stress. I go and workout when I'm stressed and that does great things for my body and doesn't add calories. I try not to allow "need" to dictate what I eat. It still happens sometimes but I'm only human.
I can identify with this post. I too found I was "rewarding" myself with food or eating to ease stress until I realized how counter-productive it was to my health without which nothing else matters. So now I try to take the emotion out of my decision of what/when to eat. I have come to accept that my body is mine and I cannot expect anyone else to take responsibility for the care of it.
Great topic though op, best of luck to you!
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