Anyone else starting slow, dealing with emotional & habitual over-eating? [anxiety & depression cw]

chscin wrote: »

Hi All,
Kae612,
you inspired me to respond. I am over 50 and read what you wrote. I have been an emotional eater all my life. Food and I have a bond like no other (humor here). I love to shop for it, prepare it, cook it and eat it. While I am considered by the numbers obese (5'3" 230lb), I do not feel obese (maybe that is part of an issue, haha), but a man that was trying to help me at one point urged me to be "comfortable in my own skin", and that stuck in my brain. Unfortunately I battle the ailments that come with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, edema, fatty liver, just to name a few. I had a congenital birth defect that took 35 years and open heart surgery to fix, but as a result I was able to have a child which is my blessing and a part of my drive to be fit and healthy. The problem is, as I believe many will agree with me, is that when you feed your emotions it is a bigger challenge to fix. Besides, the real issue is finding what is truly the drive that allows me to not always make the best choices. No, I am not a therapist. Yes, I could probably utilize their services, but at the end of the day, the one thing I truly know is that the answers are within me. I self talk myself through many things. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I do not. Another friend I have has been wonderful at helping to build up my self esteem and many times that is what gets me through. So, my MFP friend, the advice I offer is the following:
1. Stop beating yourself up for any challenges you do not succeed at. Let the negative go.
2. Accentuate the positive. Surround yourself with positive uplifting people that want you to succeed.
3. Find a motivator, whether it be a friend, a relative, or anything that will keep you on track. Staying the track is one of the biggest challenges. It is easy to get off track and make excuses and stay there. DON'T, you deserve better for yourself.
4. Of course, small short term goals are the best. They are attainable and put a feather in your cap, so to speak.
5. Know that there is no cookie cutter plan for anyone. What may work for some does not work for all and there are over a million different wonderful methods that work, just not all of them for you. Find what works for you and do it. I learned years ago that, while I enjoy excising, it does not make me lose weight. It does, however, keep my other conditions in check and that is a huge bonus. Food choices are what put the weight on or allow me to drop.
6. Surgery, pills, etc are not the fix. Yes, they will assist, but if you don't change your brain, it is not permanent. I speak from what I have seen in friends, relatives and myself.
7. Just because you think you are making the wrong food choices or overeating your calories, do not let that stop you from logging in to MFP. In fact, use it to your advantage to identify your triggers or show your progress when you succeed. We all have a bad day or days. The wise know to pick themselves up and move forward. Life will pass you by quick enough.
8. Don't be afraid to enlist friends, family or coworkers to assist in helping you be a better version of you. People who truly care for you will support, ask what they can do to help. My best friend and I both battle the weight issue. She is my motivator sometimes and I am hers at times. When we dine out I encourage her to share 1 meal and maybe something else. It is win-win for both of us.
I probably could go on and on but then I sound like a preacher and I do not need to preach to the choir.
You know what to do.
You can do it (maybe with a little help from your friends .
Just do it!
You have the choice.....be part of the solution or part of the problem

louisepaul16 wrote: »

I was diagnosed with compulsive overeating disorder (or binge eating disorder) a few years ago. And my god I can pile away some food when I go on a binge (think 2 pizzas, a family sized bag of chips, chocolate, a whole pint of ice cream then some candy as well....) it’s shocking and one day I added up my calories after a mammoth binge and it was almost 6,000 I had consumed over the course of a few hours. When people say “oh I binged on cookies at the weekend....I had like 4 when I only should have had one..” I’m like “4 packs!?” Because those were my binges. I totally understand. I was at a healthy weight in 2013 (2lbs off anyway...) and I’ve gained it all back most of it in the last year. Feel free to add me as a friend. I do understand how difficult it is to get started after a bad couple
Of days.....