Emotional Eating

nicolepburgess91 · May 2017

Does anyone else have this problem? I'm doing good to refrain from giving in to the urge to eat more than I need to. But I'm wondering if there's any advice from people who feel emotionally empty and attempt to fill that emptiness with food.

Teallaquin · May 2017

I do the exact same thing; I just really love to eat! Every now and again I'll get a hankering for something, or I'll go through some emotional event, and I'll eat my feelings. Hell, just this past week I went through a break-up and while I can honestly say I didn't go out of my way to eat my emotions... I did happen to have a pint of Ben&Jerry's in the freezer (which I was going to pace myself by eating a serving at a time...).

It's hard to control yourself, but what I like to do is one of two things: Guzzle water instead, or pick something that's not calorically dense, like carrot sticks with a couple tablespoons of hummus or something. It's not as satisfying, if we're being honest, but it helps put something in your stomach so that there's less room for garbage.

veganbaum · May 2017

Haven't you previously posted about finding it difficult to meet your (already low) calorie goal? But now you're saying you are "refrain[ing] from giving in to the urge to eat more than I need to." You need to eat to your goal.

Perhaps if you eat to your goal, with satiating foods, this will help somewhat. I am not dismissing the emotional drive to eat, I can understand that. However, sometimes, for some people, eating a nutritious diet without an enormous deficit can help alleviate at least some of the emotional drive. For instance, when I'm really tired physically, emotionally, and mentally (which is often, I commute two hours a day and have a demanding job, intellectually and emotionally) I can feel the urge to buy a big piece of chocolate cake (probably between 400 and 500 calories) from Whole Foods on my way home. However, even if I'm tired in all those ways, if I have eaten well that day, I can overcome that urge. I have discovered this through much trial and error. Fueling myself adequately leaves me more fulfilled, and with more willpower in that moment to deny the emotional urge.

nicolepburgess91 · May 2017

veganbaum wrote: »

Haven't you previously posted about finding it difficult to meet your (already low) calorie goal? But now you're saying you are "refrain[ing] from giving in to the urge to eat more than I need to." You need to eat to your goal.

Just because I don't post every single change in my diet doesn't mean I haven't made changes to it. I have, since then, added smoothies to help meet my calorie goal daily. I found that drinking calories was easier for me.
And emotional days aren't exactly an every day occurence. This is just a particularly rough day and I want to eat pizza...with a side of fried chicken and loaded mashed potatoes with a gallon of moon pie ice cream for dessert.

Emotional Eating

Replies

Categories