I am a stress/boredom eater. It is a battle I wage constantly, and it has impacted my weight loss and maintenance on more than one occasion. I seem to especially crave carbs during such episodes. Not too much in terms of sweets.

Interesting question. I’ve never really considered that as a link. Maybe it’s because I tend to cause more agitation rather than suffer from it?

I think maybe the answer for me is that “routine” is an important part of managing my weight. Anything that disrupts the routine - agitation, unexpected change, disappointment, new food choices - can throw me off track.

Example?

I did my official weekly weigh-in last Wednesday. Our routine is to have baked fish from The Lobster Boat after I weigh in. When I call to order, they were closed for the week for renovations. I was agitated, and I was disoriented a bit. I had to decided what alternative we had. It took me a while to settle down and make a rational decision that balanced points and time.

Had I made the decision that came to mind first, dinner would have been about thirty points. I ended up with fifteen. But agitation did trigger the potential for a bad decision.

I'm a boredom eater more than an agitated eater. If I'm busy (even with something that is bothering me) then I have no problem avoiding the snacks. If I'm just sitting on the couch, then it's more of a challenge to avoid snacking.

I'm definitely an agitated eater! If I can catch myself on the way to the kitchen, I can pretty consistently head myself off and make a good choice. But once I get started ....