Day one! Is anyone else out there an emotional eater?

I had never really labeled myself as one...and I think that I'm just slightly controlled by it...but in the past few weeks, I've made a point to pause just for a few seconds before putting anything into my mouth in order to analyze the motivation! It really does help if you just start doing it. I found that a lot of times I was either bored, stressed out, or just wanted to munch on something. If I decide I am actually hungry, I think about how hungry I am...if I just need a little snack, a drink, or a bigger amount of food. Try it!

Welcome, by the way, and good luck on your journey!

I am a VERY big emotional eater. Anything triggors it and I have no will power!! I want to get past this hurdle....but I'm not sure how?!

psh i the queen of emotional eating. but what ive found is you need to train yourself to find comfort in something else. finding comfort in food can never ever be an option. it will not happen over night but small changes will add up to big results.

I'm an everything eater. Something good, bad, sad, amazing, super cool, depressing, whatever, happens and I turn to food. I FINALLY got a job yesterday, so I ate a bag of potato chips and an entire container of dip. I still feel sick, so I'm hoping I finally learned my lesson. lol. Wow.

Someone told me to journal each time before I put something in my mouth the answer to the questions I'm going to list below...I'm not really big on journaling and alot of times I don't have time to write down all the answers. If you like to do that though, go for it.... but I have been asking myself the following questions each time I think I'm hungry:

1. Am I really hungry? Is my body showing any real signs of hunger? In other words, is my stomach growling, am I weak or tired or dizzy feeling (low blood sugar indicator), has it been at least 3 hours since I last ate? If the answer to these is yes, then I grab a HEALTHY snack. If not, time for the next question just to make myself more aware of my triggers....

2. Am I depressed, anxious or bored? I have found that alot of times (especially at work) it's because I've gotten into too much of a rut and am bored with what I am doing. If that's the case I try to get up and go for a quick walk around the building. If I'm anxious or depressed I try to find a friend to talk to about what's bugging me instead of going to the candy jar....the walk works for this too

So far it has really helped me out to stop and ask these questions. The other thing I really try to do now is not eat just because it's time to eat. If I'm not hungry - I don't eat, that helps prevent slipping into the bad habit of eating for emotional reasons.

So far so good - I've lost right around 30 pounds since I started my diet (3 since joining MFP 2 weeks ago) and can really see a difference in my eating habbits. Just a forewarning though.... it took time! Don't beat yourself up if you slip up at first... just pick yourself back up and keep on going! You can do it!!!

Thanks everyone for your ideas on what works for you. I will definitely try pausing and thinking before I start a food fest. The problem I experience sometimes that I get in a food fog....my head is somewhere else totally preoccupied with some other thought. So, I'm almost not even present in the moment to have a clear rational thought before my binge. So here's what I'm going to do... I'll post a sign inside my fridge and the cabinet to snap me back to "reality" and remind me to re-evaluate the snack. I'll let you guys know if it worked.

Like your idea of a sign. I am the same way. Last night I was SO upset and I ate 4 mini snicker ice cream bars (360 calories!) without even thinking...there was NO way I was going to stop and ask myself some questions.....my mind was going a hunderd miles and hour...but the sign would help stop me (I hope)...I am not going to beat myself up about it...I had a great workout yesterday and a double planned for today so hopefully it won't counter act all the good I have been doing the past two week.s

Good luck on your journey!

I am so like you Gypsyrose! I do the same thing. I had suffered years ago with bulemia. I went to counseling and when she told me to start keeping a food log and also logging my emotions, I quit counseling. I think I just didn't want to have to face what caused me to do this harmful thing.

Oh, I am very much an emotional eater. What is so sad is I eat whether happy or sad emotions. Can't stand it! I wish I weren't and not sure how to conquer it exactly. Maybe counseling? But, that takes money and time that I can't take off work. If anyone has the secret formula for conquering it, please tell me.

The secret, if you don't have time and money to go to counseling, is to learn to counsel yourself. The most effective way to do that is to a) learn what your triggers are b) make a plan of something specific you can do to help change your behavior (small steps work best) c) positive self-talk--make a list of things you like about yourself, include encouragers like "Food does not control me." "Eating is a choice." etc. Make this about one page long, and post it somewhere where you will see it every day. Read it out loud at least once per day. Three times is best. (I'm a counselor in training, and these are some of the tips they give us to keep OURSELVES healthy enough to help others.)

Im new here too, I just started yesterday! I am such an emotional eater and I hate it! But this website is awesome and im really hopeing to stick with it for a long time.

It's my day 2, and I'm SUCH an emotional eater. When I'm happy I have no problem losing weight or dieting, but as soon as i get sad or depressed or something in my life isn't going how i want it. I just stop caring, and I turn to food to drown out my problems....It's like my life may be ****ty right now, but this food tastes great atleast. Wish I knew how to break this way of thinking. Good Luck!

This is something I struggle with, too. Depending on my emotions, I will either eat too much or go to the other extreme and not eat at all. Neither are healthy for me. A friend of mine is an addiction counselor. From what I've learned from him, addiction isn't really the problem but rather the symptom of something else (why you became addicted in the first place). I think emotional eating is like that. Recently I've tried to become more introspective and learn more about what's going on inside my head and heart. I believe I'll be able to resist unhealthy urges and make better choices so that I can really take care of myself and live the life I want. Best of luck in your journey!

I struggle too but find the 2 main things to remember are planning is key, so you know you have nice healthy tasty meals to eat, plus snacks, but that when they time comes when you feel like your emotions are taking hold you stop to think about them....someone once told me of HALT the four main reasons we eat - HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONLEY, TIRED....maybe its one of these and you need to take a different actions. Drink some water it may be thirst. But most of all use your online resources to speak to people before you take that first bite!! xx

Thanks for posting the HALT acronym. I hadn't heard that before, but I think that'll be useful. I listened to Dr. Colbert's audiobook a few months ago, and one of the things he said was really interesting. He said that most people confuse hunger with appetite. Hunger, according to him, is a physiological/biological need for food. Appetite, on the other hand, is a psychological desire for food. Dr. Colbert said that most people eat when their appetite is talking to them instead of their hunger.