I am emotional eating

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Lihle1201
Lihle1201 Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
I don't how to stop my emotions from affecting my journey. I eat well and stick to my target calories& run 3 times a week. I will see the results,but when I am sad or hurt I binge. I feel bad the next day & binge again . I try to pick myself up again but now it feels like a never ending cycle and I'm starting to believe I am going to fail.

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  • agemini6946
    agemini6946 Posts: 2 Member
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    Great advice Kimny72! Might I add that whenever possible, put some time and space between the impulse and the action. Ask yourself is this what I really want? And if the answer is yes, try to wait at least 15 minutes and go do one positive thing (like in Kimny's list). Add more time and space as you get good at the 15 minutes. Even if the delay is only a moment, that is success. Compulsive behaviors are learned and reinforced over time....we need to practice learning new behaviors; interrupting the mindlessness of stuffing our feelings with food even for a moment is a step in the right direction.

    Good luck, you are never alone in this pursuit. You are soothing your bad feelings with food and we need to figure out a better way to self-soothe and deal with our emotions without involving food.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,013 Member
    edited April 2020
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    ^^this! Maybe even set a timer and wait for it to beep. I also wonder if you could RESET what you “need” when emotional simply out of practice. If you could choose an alternative response, what would you choose? I like to make a hot mug of water. (No tea... just hot water... it’s my thing)
  • vogueandcoffee25
    vogueandcoffee25 Posts: 3 Member
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    Is there a particular food you gravitate towards? For me it has always been chocolate, so I find that if I don't have it in the house, I am unable to eat it.

  • Lihle1201
    Lihle1201 Posts: 5 Member
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    Chocolate and pastry. Thank you for the suggestion, I can't do water, instead I started coffee with fat Free milk. Biggest challenge now is boredom because of lockdown. I wish I could take a walk.
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
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    I'm the same,I have been overeating massively and eating my emotions. But enough is enough I'm going to log all my meals ahead,plan for extra treat on the weekend and try to stop eating after 8 pm as that's when I tend to overeat and instead do some reading, colouring anything to keep myself busy.
  • roxie2904
    roxie2904 Posts: 5 Member
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    Since watching the news when Covid 19 started, + lockdown & working from home, has seen me spiral out of control with emotional eating. I knew I shouldn't have been eating emotionally and found it difficult to stop.

    I eventually worked out that watching the news especially with the focus being on the latest death rates & reading WhatsApp messages from friends etc was & does not help my emotional wellbeing. I made a conscious decision to stop watch the news and have started to feel somewhat better, I've decided to I've MFP another try & try to focus my attention on getting healthier for my family.
  • blairstarnes
    blairstarnes Posts: 1 Member
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    Just to reiterate what’s been said above, delaying the binge/overeating session or slightly reducing them over time is a success! Recovery is not about never binging again.. it’s about reducing the activity over time. It’s hard to do, but after you binge its best to recognize it happened but then not feel ashamed about it. The more positive and loving you are to yourself, even if it feels like total bs sometimes, the better you’ll be in the long run. Also, a nutritionist once told be to not label things as “good” or “bad” foods. It’s simple but it’s another way to reduce the negativity surrounding food. Food shouldn’t be scary. If I want a more unhealthy snack I call it a “fun snack” and enjoy it. It’s important to enjoy it if you indulge in something and it doesn’t have to be a huge indulgence; you can continue to see results with “fun” snacks here and there! You can do this!
  • leelee_lani
    leelee_lani Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to hear we all struggle with similar issues and emotions and it gives me hope that I can overcome my own battles. There are some great pointers here that I hope I can remember the next time I have an urge to binge.

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