Any tips on how to stop binge/emotional eating?

julchandy25 · July 2018

I’m a serial starter here on MFP... I’ve had success in the past (lost nearly 30 lbs at one point) but then, of course life happened. I went through some scenarios in life that really hurt me... and emotionally and spiritually I was a wreck. I ended up gaining the 30 lbs I lost plus and extra 50 due to my emotional eating. Food became my crutch; I would just eat all the junk food I could get my hands on. Even when the pounds started piling on, I just felt so upset with myself that I simply continued eating in response to the feelings of despair I felt. I so want to get out of this hole I’m in, but every time I start to lose a little bit of weight, I’d just fall back into old habits. Is there anyone else who went through something similar and overcame it? Id appreciate any tips you an give me! Thanks in advance 🙂

kommodevaran · July 2018

I don't have any tips, because you'll have to go deeper than just tips. It's work, you have to learn how to take care of yourself as an adult, and that's hard if you never had love and discipline portioned out at appropriate times as a child. If you need professional help, get it. At any rate, you have to stop using food as a crutch, stop letting emotions control your actions, and start finding other outlets for emotions. You need a way of eating that works with your life, not something you can do as long as life is on hold. I have found simple calorie counting, as offered free by MFP, a great help to create the necessary emotional distance; seeing food represented by numbers, made it less threatening, I stopped worrying about making the "wrong" choices, and I started to feel safe around food, and truly enjoy eating, instead of eating as fast as possible before anyone could stop me, or before I realised what I was doing.

ecoughlin2014 · July 2018

I've had problems with emotional eating in the past and only recently have I discovered that having control over my health is more important to me now than having control over what I put in my mouth. I guess you have to reach the point where the pain from emotional eating (gaining weight, poor health) is greater than the pain (sadness, depression, anxiety, boredom, etc) that makes you eat emotionally. Usually the thing that causes the most pain is the thing that causes change. Does that make sense? Emotional eating is my biggest obstacle to losing weight and I am just starting my weight loss program here on MFP so I can't claim any great success yet. Hope the little bit of light I have on this will help.

peggym4640 · July 2018

Therapy has been the key to my weight loss. I worked specifically with a therapist that had experience with eating disorders. Getting help understanding my feelings, feeling them and finding other coping mechanisms (than food) has been a big help. I don't binge/emotionally eat like I used to and I don't miss it. I've found a way to process my emotions without the aid of food as a crutch. It's been painful and difficult sometimes but having my mental, physical and spiritual health is priceless. I wish you the best.

Any tips on how to stop binge/emotional eating?

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