Emotional Eater

There are a few support groups here on mfp : Overeaters Anonymous, OA and an Emotional Overeaters group as well.

Thanks, CJKopp, and I very much agree that just moving really helps. Even if it is standing to file paperwork or walking something down the hall or starting an activity (even something dull like folding laundry), really anything to stand up and divert my attention long enough to let the urge pass. Also accomplishing a task usually has its own little flicker of positive reinforcement.

I too have had the tendency to be an emotional eater. But since starting my journey to lose weight. I decided I had to change lots of different things. And one of the big ones was junk foods. So my new rule I put in place for my self, was if I broke down and had to have something to eat. It had to be a raw vegetable. Sounds goofy I know, but it has pretty much worked. I also no longer keep my go to chocolate or ice cream in the house. So if I really think I need it I would need to leave the house. Guess what I do not.
Also I went back to a craft, I had not done for years as a way to keep busy. Good Luck.

I, too, am an emotional eater. Therapy has helped a great deal on a macro level. The more I started to unwind the many feelings and experiences (anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, etc) the easier it was for me to not emotionally eat. In the moment, I do many of the things mentioned above, go for walk, drink water, talk to a friend/co-worker, try and identify the feelings and dissipate the energy. And my commitment to myself is to log everything. It helps reestablish the routine of healthy habits and forces me to take responsibility for my actions.

I fight the same battle with emotional eating. Agree with maureenkhilde about the raw vegetables. Might try loading some small baggies with some Broccoli, carrots and celery. When urge overtakes, grab a baggie of veggies from the fridge.

I completely understand- always been an emotional eater as well. That's how I ballooned up to 355 pounds; I was depressed and angry at my lot in life. Whenever I was down, I would binge on junk food and takeout. When I was feeling up, it was a feeling of celebration and "let's have burgers and cake" mindset. There was no in-between because those foods would often feed a vicious cycle: the bad foods tend to be high in carbs and sugar (amongst other things) which causes a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash. So I would eat these foods when I'm feeling low, get the temporary "high" only to crash again and need more "uppers" foods, and so on. A Princeton University scientist just did a study confirming that sugar is just as addictive as as drugs (https://www.princeton.edu/news/2008/12/10/sugar-can-be-addictive-princeton-scientist-says ). I'm not implying that we're all "drug addicts" per se (thank God we aren't) but the process is very similar.

So my recommendation is this: if you are having major sugar cravings that seem out of control, try upping your protein intake. I find that eating a high protein breakfast keeps me full until lunchtime. This really helps me fight off the sweet tooth, big time. Also whole grains are a great way to stabilize blood sugar- you won't get that spike and crash. Vegetables can also help you feel satiated, especially dark leafy greens- I like a good sauteed broccoli rabe or spinach with garlic.

If you feel like you absolutely have to have something sweet everyday, that's fine. You can always allot for it in your calories and meal plan. Like everyday at 2pm, I always feel like having something sweet with my favorite Stash decaf mint chocolate oolong tea. Mint is great for helping stave off a sweet tooth. With the tea, I'll either have an apple, a Fiber One 90 calorie brownie, a Chewy reduced sugar granola bar, or the aforementioned Powercrunch Choklat bar. Those are great because you get to have your chocolate and eat it too- 110 calories, low fat, low sugar and 5 grams of protein. And they're tasty!

The most important thing to overcome emotional eating is to not beat yourself up if you've had a bad day. It's going to take some experimentation to find what works for you. Be gentle and good to yourself; criticism never wins the battle, it only makes you feel even worse which gives more negative energy to the problem. The key here is to just forgive yourself and move forward. Fall down 9 times, get up 10. Just as long as you keep trying and keep at it, you will overcome your obstacles. It may not happen overnight, but that's okay- it's how we learn. The best thing you can do is try your best and you will eventually succeed.