5 Tools to Stop Emotional Eating!
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@christalbwise Do you just sniff it?1
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I stumbled upon this post yesterday. So helpful. I had just eaten a bunch of Boom Chicka Pop, so yummy, but I can't just eat a portion and then polish off the bag. I decided, after reading this thread, to stop when I am craving and wanting to eat junk, stop and think about what I am feeling. Am I happy, sad, bored, tired, stressed? Why am I feeling this? Then I made a goal to write down the feeling and my theory about why I am feeling that way. Then, I will reason through and not resort to candy or Boom Chicka Pop...(my main weakness--candy and any sugar).
Today, I packed tons of veggies for work. I am feeling a bit hungry and bored and a bit sad. Nothing cherry tomatoes won't help;)
Fingers crossed!3 -
I really liked the ideas on doing something I enjoy instead of eating. I'm trying to learn violin at age 75,
only for my enjoyment, not to play for anyone. (am a piano teacher). I could do this when I start wanting to snack.
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Great post. I printed it out and will keep a copy posted at work, at home and in my purse. So well written. Thanks.1
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I read a very good book: The Diet Trap - Judith Beck. This really helped me zero in "what" my issues are and how to deal with them. Very good.4
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Anyone that have any tips for angriness? Just realized it's one of my triggers.0
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Be Happy.
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So glad to be in the same boat. We're certainly not alone thats for sure1
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The more I acedmically research and learn about this topic, I can't help to understand that for many, including myself, "emotional" overeating is tied to brain chemistry. Interesting.3
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Hopefully,someone will reply to this.Anyone else get up and mindlessly eat in the middle of the night?I will wake up,when something i have been eating ,falls to the floor,or i start to choke.Sometimes i'm aware of what i'm doing but not always the case.0
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Kellielvsfam wrote: »Hopefully,someone will reply to this.Anyone else get up and mindlessly eat in the middle of the night?I will wake up,when something i have been eating ,falls to the floor,or i start to choke.Sometimes i'm aware of what i'm doing but not always the case.
Are you taking any meds to help you sleep? Some cause people to do odd things while sleeping. I have a friend who ordered off qvc when sleeping.2 -
this is such a helpful post. wow...
i think i will keep a diary of my food habits and moods. i never made the connection between my emotional issues and eating until recently. sometimes i catch myself feeling like i deserve a certain food as a reward. i need to find other ways to reward myself!1 -
@shakenbake57 .I've done this for years.The meds i'm currently on don't have the side affect listed.I used to take a med tjat had that side affect ..I once got up in the middle of the night and thought i grabbed the nutty bar box.I went to the living room ,sat down and proceeded to start digging in the box.Didn't find a nutty bar[in the exact box it was suppose to be in,lol].Next day,hubby asked me,what i nthe world i was doing the night before,i said.I don't know,truely not knowing.I guess ,i had grabbed the sandwich bag box,i had pulled all of them out of the box,threw on the floor and went back to bed.lol
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Thank you so much for sharing this again vivian kessler. I definitely have many triggers, day time I am OK but evenings is when everything goes to pot and I end up eating up to 1,800 calories in one sitting...0
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food followed by biscuits or whatever0
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This is a great post. I have read a lot of information on emotional and binge eating but this one is a really good succient way of putting the best ideas into practice. Really appreciate this.
Lately I've also been playing with the idea of pressing pause. When I have a craving and I am not biologically hungry, I set a timer on my phone. I tell myself I can eat after that if I still want to. Often by the time the timer goes off I have forgotten what it is for. It's surprising how much a huge craving can feel unbearable and then pass so quickly!3 -
This is great! Just what I need. One thing that jumped out at me in the article is, think of what you liked to do as a child....I immediately thought of swinging...I absolutely loved to swing when I was young. I started thinking of how fun it would be to put up a swing in our back yard and just go out there right before dinner and swing for a while! I am going to work on that! Thank you so much for this article.0
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#4 resonated with me. Allowing food to be what brings me joy. Although, it can, I need to reach for other things that do. And to do these things on a more frequent basis.1
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This is one of the best and most sensible posts I've seen relative to addressing emotional eating EVER. Thank you so much!0
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Emotional eating is a behavior that we have the power to change. The key to getting past destructive eating habits is learning how to nourish your body, mind and soul.
It doesn’t matter if you eat emotionally once a month, just on the weekends, or every single day. These tools will make it less likely that you fall susceptible to emotional eating and it‘s aftereffects.
Food should nourish, comfort, and delight us. Eating a meal can be a joyous and celebratory experience when these five steps are implemented.
1. KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS, Know Yourself - Know your triggers and your “stress times”. It is important that we separate ourselves from triggers and stressful situations before we sit down to eat. This tool is listed as number one for a reason: without this tool, all the others listed will be very difficult to implement with success.
Try to come up with a delightful way to separate the stress that you may have experienced throughout the day and your eating time. This is especially important prior to dinner, when overeating is most common.
Some great examples are: short walks, deep breathing, dancing to your favorite tunes, a hot bath with essential oils, yoga, or jumping on a mini trampoline. It could also be reading your favorite poetry, walking your dog, or cuddling with a pet, partner or child.
The fifteen to thirty minutes it takes to relax before eating will be well worth it.
If you have triggers, honor them. If you cannot watch a movie while eating without eating mindlessly, then don’t do it. If taking phone calls while preparing dinner puts you in a frantic state of mind, don’t take calls while you’re making dinner.
Remember that your behaviors are trying to tell you something, and that you must listen closely and honor them in order to heal and live the life of your dreams.
2. Don’t Compromise - Make sure that you love your food. Do not eat nori in your salad if you hate it simply because you need B12 and sea minerals. You can get those things from a supplement if you are deficient in B12 or certain minerals.
Many of us have completely lost touch with what we truly desire and enjoy in our meals. It’s time to get back to what delights us!
If you want chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, then you should eat them. There are high quality, whole grain options for everything, so there is no need to settle for a salad if what you are really desiring is something warm and fluffy with pure maple syrup drizzled on top. Always honor your desires, while also honoring your body and health.
3. Eat Whole, Organic Foods - Much of emotional eating is due to undernourishment from eating foods that are processed and lack nutrition. When we eat a whole foods diet rich in produce, our body will desire more of these healthy foods, not the junk! Even when we overindulge in whole foods, the negative effects are not nearly as devastating as they are when we settle for their processed counterparts.
4. Personal Pleasure as Priority - Sometimes we emotionally eat not because of stress, sadness, or food addiction, but because we have forgotten to fit pleasure into our day! The result of this is only having food to look forward to. My friends, this is unacceptable!
If you feel unsure of what brings you pleasure , think back to what brought you joy as a child. Incorporate that into your life as often as possible. This is a priority for your health. Never forget it.
5. Connect - It is very important to take time to connect with yourself every day. Meditation is a wonderful way to do this. Try it out and see how it changes your outlook. Another option would be to stretch to your favorite music, or utilize any of the other options given in tool number one.
When healthy eating, personal needs, pleasure, and connection are attended to, the need to eat emotionally begins to vanish. When we understand our body to be the temple that it is, we nourish it with nutritious foods and nourishing lifestyle practices that empower us. This transforms us into the amazing people that deep down we already know we are.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 😊👍2 -
I can eat healthy all day long but around 8.30 I start picking and it turns into a whole packet of biscuits of whatever. Can't just go to sleep coz my youngest is still awake til 9.30. Any ideas?0
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If you are leaving sugar behind because it is something that you have to have always, I think I would have to say that one would have to look at what brought them joy in the first place, before food. Many times a person could just feel bad about themselves because it is something hardwired into their person by an important person in their life that put them down in some way. Always pursue your dreams and do what you need to do to make the healthiest choices in joy.
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]Emotional eating is a behavior that we have the power to change. The key to getting past destructive eating habits is learning how to nourish your body, mind and soul.
It doesn’t matter if you eat emotionally once a month, just on the weekends, or every single day. These tools will make it less likely that you fall susceptible to emotional eating and it‘s aftereffects.
Food should nourish, comfort, and delight us. Eating a meal can be a joyous and celebratory experience when these five steps are implemented.
1. KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS, Know Yourself - Know your triggers and your “stress times”. It is important that we separate ourselves from triggers and stressful situations before we sit down to eat. This tool is listed as number one for a reason: without this tool, all the others listed will be very difficult to implement with success.
Try to come up with a delightful way to separate the stress that you may have experienced throughout the day and your eating time. This is especially important prior to dinner, when overeating is most common.
Some great examples are: short walks, deep breathing, dancing to your favorite tunes, a hot bath with essential oils, yoga, or jumping on a mini trampoline. It could also be reading your favorite poetry, walking your dog, or cuddling with a pet, partner or child.
The fifteen to thirty minutes it takes to relax before eating will be well worth it.
If you have triggers, honor them. If you cannot watch a movie while eating without eating mindlessly, then don’t do it. If taking phone calls while preparing dinner puts you in a frantic state of mind, don’t take calls while you’re making dinner.
Remember that your behaviors are trying to tell you something, and that you must listen closely and honor them in order to heal and live the life of your dreams.
2. Don’t Compromise - Make sure that you love your food. Do not eat nori in your salad if you hate it simply because you need B12 and sea minerals. You can get those things from a supplement if you are deficient in B12 or certain minerals.
Many of us have completely lost touch with what we truly desire and enjoy in our meals. It’s time to get back to what delights us!
If you want chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, then you should eat them. There are high quality, whole grain options for everything, so there is no need to settle for a salad if what you are really desiring is something warm and fluffy with pure maple syrup drizzled on top. Always honor your desires, while also honoring your body and health.
3. Eat Whole, Organic Foods - Much of emotional eating is due to undernourishment from eating foods that are processed and lack nutrition. When we eat a whole foods diet rich in produce, our body will desire more of these healthy foods, not the junk! Even when we overindulge in whole foods, the negative effects are not nearly as devastating as they are when we settle for their processed counterparts.
4. Personal Pleasure as Priority - Sometimes we emotionally eat not because of stress, sadness, or food addiction, but because we have forgotten to fit pleasure into our day! The result of this is only having food to look forward to. My friends, this is unacceptable!
If you feel unsure of what brings you pleasure , think back to what brought you joy as a child. Incorporate that into your life as often as possible. This is a priority for your health. Never forget it.
5. Connect - It is very important to take time to connect with yourself every day. Meditation is a wonderful way to do this. Try it out and see how it changes your outlook. Another option would be to stretch to your favorite music, or utilize any of the other options given in tool number one.
When healthy eating, personal needs, pleasure, and connection are attended to, the need to eat emotionally begins to vanish. When we understand our body to be the temple that it is, we nourish it with nutritious foods and nourishing lifestyle practices that empower us. This transforms us into the amazing people that deep down we already know we are.[/quote]
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I completely agree that cravings can come from your body trying to tell you what nutrients it needs. I had not been eating a balanced diet for a number of years...eating way too much fat or just way too much in general. Now that I am mindful of what I put in my body and am trying to balance what I eat, I find that I don't have as many cravings. In fact, I have to force myself to eat as many calories as my coach said I need to eat!
Your body will stop screaming at you if you give it what it needs!1 -
Grateful to have solid tools to put into place to overcome emotional eating.1
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Happy monday everyone0
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This is what I need...looking forward to the insight and support of others that understand.0
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Hi...
I saw yours groupe 'emotional eating' in MyFitnesse,so honestly, I'm suffer from it for about 3 years, and I cannot find the best solution ...
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Happy New Year
Looking forward to being more active in this group. A year ago or so I was very active and it helped me get over some rough spots.
Have new rough spots now but I'm here and writing about what's happening. I am having a tough time without my son during the holidays. He passed three years ago but it seems to be worse this year. I'll keep adding to my post and see if I can find others with rough spots to go over, too.3 -
Hi ladies!
I’m new to this group and just restarting MFP. I am definitely an emotional/stress eater! I relate to all of this, so much of what you’re all saying!! I need to put into practice the great suggestions offered here!! Thank you!!!
BTW If you could add me as a friend I would really appreciate the extra support!!2
