My anxiety is causing me to eat unhealthier food.

Infernophoenix2018 · February 2018

This year i promise myself to loose 50lbs by the end of the year. But because of social anxiety, its causing me to eat junk food and now I felt more angry at myself.

kimny72 · February 2018

All you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit. Obviously, for your health you want to eat nutritious food, but stress eating some junk food every once and awhile isn't a deal breaker.

I find keeping single serving packs of treats around helps. And anything I really can't control myself with, I just don't keep in the house.

Hang in there!

kam26001 · February 2018

You should see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed therapist to help you deal with your social anxiety. Otherwise this is something that will fester and your daily life will continue to be disrupted. Your primary care doctor can help you get the ball rolling. GL

CattOfTheGarage · February 2018

Yes, do try and get the anxiety treated. See your doctor. There are a variety of treatments, including medication and cognitive behavioural therapy.

In the meantime, log what you ate - no excuses! - and tone down the anger with yourself, that will only further trigger your anxiety and create a vicious cycle. The anxious part of your brain already thinks everything is a life and death decision, try to stop doing that with food. It's just food.

fr33sia12 · February 2018

I know how you feel, last year I pretty much ate junk and comfort ate all year due to anxiety. But at the beginning of this year I decided to get help and am now doing cognitive behavioural therapy. I changed my diet and exercised more too and am on medication, but all this has helped me deal with my anxiety and change my diet to a healthy one. Diet can have an effect on your mental health (it does me anyway) so I knew once I got back on track it would contribute to a healthier mind too. The first step you need to take is to get the help for your anxiety and the rest can follow.

LivingtheLeanDream · February 2018

The good news is we're only in the second month of the year so you have plenty of time to make better choices that will lead to weight loss.

If you are struggling with junk food and can't eat just a little of it then you need to find ways to avoid it. There's nothing wrong with high calorie foods but the reality is that they use up too much of our daily calorie allowance and usually don't keep us feeling full either. Plan your meals ahead of time and keep things out of the house that you would reach for too readily might be an idea.

kommodevaran · February 2018

You're setting youself up for failure thinking like that. You are trying to control what you can't control, and don't control what you can control. You can't really promise yourself to lose weight. You lose weight when you over time eat less than you burn. You can promise yourself to eat less. Social anxiety might give you urges to eat when you're not hungry, but you choose to eat (or not eat). You can overeat any food, but calling your favorite comfort food, junk, makes your desire for it stronger.

My suggestion is to plan your meals, make them appealing and nutritious, and eating regularly. Make sure you're not keeping too large amounts of too tempting and easy to eat foods lying around.

victorious4ever · February 2018

Here's an idea. Instead of controlling your diet, how about you just log everything you eat and count your calories? Do this for about a month and you will start to get a good idea of how many calories are in your regular foods.

For example, I used to count my calories during the day but in the evenings I used to do a rough calculation in my head "I still have 700 calories left, one meal is around 450-500 calories so I certainly have room for dessert", and i would have a full meal, plus a slice or two of cake, and then some cashews peanuts and other nuts an hour or so later. Without realising, I was eating upwards of 1100 calories there thinking I am still within my limit.

Once you become aware of how many calories are in foods, you will start to go for lower calorie desserts / junk food, and then over the next few weeks you may decide to opt for an 80 calorie fruit instead of a 350 calorie slice of cake.

Let it be a gradual and natural process, try not to force it too much.

As for your social anxiety, let me tell you a secret. EVERYONE has social anxiety. We all just feel it on different levels.

If you find your friends are shaming you into eating rubbish food, then you need to drop those friends, get a decent pair of headphones, and haul your backside to the gym. I know some absolute fitness freaks who overcame their social anxiety through gym. They make it their passion, their life and that is all they talk about.

And lastly, do not be afraid of change my friend. I wish you best of luck!

beckisy31 · February 2018

I totally understand where your coming from, I had a breakdown in October last year and I have gained a lot of weight. Through my therapy and inner determination to fight my mental demons, I have joined a boot camp and I’m eating a low carb high protein diet. For the first time in a long time I feel good about myself. I no what it’s like to comfort it, to not want to leave the house, to have no self esteem, but you can do this you can change your eating and can look at yourself again in the mirror. You can feel good about yourself.
I think if you haven’t had therapy then do it, small steps is the key and don’t set yourself huge goals because when you don’t reach them that will knock your self confidence. Set yourself a realistic goal even So you can achieve it this will make you feel good...
This app is great because he helps you see exactly what your eating and the amount of calories your putting into your body, if you can’t go out get an excersise video to do in your home. When you think of eating something that is no good for you, remind yourself of the fact that is food isn’t going to make you feel good, it will increase your weight and self happiness.
You have a battle I no, but every battle we can win we just have to keep a strong focuse mind. know one can do this but you...after One week of healthy eating and a bit of excersise you will feel a lot better, your weight will drop in the scales! Believe in yourself you can do this.

h1udd · February 2018

I feel your anguish ... I also suffer from anxiety eating ... its annoying as I am working from home today, and at 5pm, I have to go pick my kid up from school .. even though I do this EVERYDAY, the nerves of going to do it means I have to fight the 200kcal snacking right before as the apprehension kicks in.

I have discovered logging is the best thing ever ... log everything, even if you have a really crap day, log it, look at it, see what you ate and how much it was. appreciate that today you went 300kcal over .. BUT then look at the weekly average .. .hmm, its still on target because you were 100kcal under for the previous days ... or tomorrow, dont have such a big lunch .. it cal all be evened out when you look at the trend

Trying to stick ridgedly to a set amount of calories was making me more anxious .. now I play the longer game and everyday is a different amount of calories based on what I am doing, is it a weekend, what i did the day before, what I am planning tomorrow .... its less stessfull, easing back and going with it

jgnatca · February 2018

Here’s a thought. The social anxiety is partly rooted in a sense of being out of control. Eating junk food is also swamped in a sense of being out of control. The two behaviours are reinforcing each other. My therapist twigged me on to a free resource that you can tap in to while you are figuring out where best to get help.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=48

For weight loss might I suggest small weekly goals that are phrased in the positive so you can reinforce good choices? For instance, instead of “no chips this week”, it might be, chose “chose a piece of fruit over chips eight out of ten times”.

Bellamo69 · February 2018

My family doctor gave a script for anxiety and It really helped me with my eating and getting out and doing more! Add me im very supportive!!! Talk with your doctor too.

My anxiety is causing me to eat unhealthier food.

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