Stress sabotage

squishymissay · January 2021

I just need to vent. Every time I think I’m getting serious and working at me, some sort of family member has an emergency that I stress eat over.

AwesomeSquirrel · January 2021

That sounds challenging. I know it’s not easy to do but I would try to find a quiet moment to check in with your emotional boundaries and see whether you unduly invested in/thrown into your family members’ emergencies. If you find that to be the case you can work over time to set clearer boundaries both your interactions and what you take away emotionally from them. That can reduce your stress response and this stress eating.

You may also be able to cultivate a new coping mechanism for stress by defining some other activity as your first port of call. I’m partial to walking and running since they will also remove me from the situation, but
others do colouring books or take a bath or do 10 minutes of yoga.

Hang in there!

hcn676 · January 2021

I totally feel you, as stress eating is also my only enemy. Whenever that comes up, a walk or doing any kinds of sports helps me to overcome the urge to eat. It can be anything from running to swimming or even just hitting some weights, doing a free youtube pilates class. Also, any hobby can help, which can completely fill your brain. Besides sports, eg, I make soaps and bath fizzies for friends and family :-) Wish you the best!!! Keep on to your goals!!!

KimberlinaB · January 2021

This is tricky, I totally do the same thing. I had sick kids home with me everyday in December while I was also working from home. I had Christmas baking done up in my freezer and ate an entire pan of fudge in like 3 days. I was easily consuming 3000+ calories a day and ended up gaining 17 lbs in a month and a half.

I gave myself a deadline to get all my cravings out of my system, and chose to handle myself with kindness.
I decided I was starting fresh as of January, and also cut out alcohol since I would go drinking with my boyfriend almost every weekend and would make poor food choices then as well.

Make goals and hold yourself accountable. Even if your goal is to walk 20 minutes a day, it still counts.
Plan a strategy for if something does go wrong and you need a healthy way to cope. My plan is working out, it helps me a ton with my own mental health. Do you have a hobby you can distract yourself with? I always tell myself "I'm not actually hungry" which helps sometimes too.

Good luck. You can do this!

brenn24179 · January 2021

I remind myself food is not pain medication. I had rather be slim and stressed than fat and stressed. Eating will just add 1 more problem. Overeating causes stress, doesnt take it away. Then I go for a run.

YOUCDT · January 2021

Thank You for all the tips. Our lives are crazy right now. Im going to try them all.

1poundatax · January 2021

A simple thing that often (not always) helps me is to ask myself "will eating this solve my problem?" Often it is enough to stop me from eating when I am stressed.

Grimmibean · January 2021

A suggestion: Try writing about it afterwards: What stressed you? How did that feel? What was your reaction? (e.g. overeating) what was the result from this short term (Relief for example) what are the results longterm? What would have been helpful instead? Coping mechanisms don"t vanish overnight, but slowly looking at them and analyzing what led to it helps me be more analytical and prepared.

girlwithcurls2 · January 2021

The other thing I do is to log it before I eat it. Sometimes I even log things before I want them, knowing I will want them later (sweets after lunch or dinner, alcoholic drinks, etc). Just seeing it logged is often a deterrent. I realize that some of what I want is just not aligned with my goals right now. Then later, I get to delete whatever it was, or replace it with something that gives me more bang for my caloric buck.

DarlaJL82 · January 2021

girlwithcurls2 wrote: »

The other thing I do is to log it before I eat it. Sometimes I even log things before I want them, knowing I will want them later (sweets after lunch or dinner, alcoholic drinks, etc). Just seeing it logged is often a deterrent. I realize that some of what I want is just not aligned with my goals right now. Then later, I get to delete whatever it was, or replace it with something that gives me more bang for my caloric buck.

I do this also. It works well for balancing those treats with my calorie and nutrient goal. You can also do it with your exercise. That way when you don't quite feel like exercising you can see how it's going to affect your daily goal and it gives you a little bit more motivation to start that exercise

Sand_TIger · January 2021

I feel you! Deep breathing (at least three full, deep breaths) and a warming, soothing, non calorie herbal tea can help. Or green tea. The hot liquid soothes the body and soul, the aroma invites relaxation, and if you have something like chamomile (or a chamomile blend like chamomile vanilla) it has natural relaxation properties too. Another thing to do when you're feeling stressed is share a warm hug.

VegeKelly · January 2021

Oh man, I have the exact opposite problem right now... I unfortunately have no advice for you here, just want to say hang in there. Being self-aware is a great start. Be kind to yourself!

Stress sabotage

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