Overcoming Binge/Emotional/Bored Eating

https://realweightlossrealwomen.com/category/podcast/

This podcast and resources are really helpful. She uses cognitive behavioural approaches.

ReenieHJ wrote: »

Me. Me. Me. I've always struggled with emotional overeating and/or bingeing and am 2.5 months into a binge fest right now. Stress started it and I haven't been able to turn myself around again.....yet. For the past 3 years I've stayed within 5-10 lbs. of my preferred weight(more or less) but am now on the gaining trend and would love to 'just do it' again. My brain, I swear, has this on/off switch and I have to switch my self-control button back on. Every morning I find myself starting anew, then by noon my old habits return and I throw my hands in the air with defeated thinking.

I posted a plea for help/thoughts/support just a few days ago as well. People here are so nice and helpful. Ultimately, though, it's on us to do this, for ourselves.

Here's hoping you stick with it and stay strong!!

Link to Reenie's thread:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10847041/filling-emotional-hunger

I have two vulnerabilities. When I wake up I want an unhealthy 1,500 calorie breakfast. After dinner I want to snack. Relaxing with weed late at night doesn’t help. A cup of coffee takes care of the breakfast urge. But the night snacking is harder, even if I’m full from dinner. The only approach I’ve found that works is back-loading calories and exercising so I have 500+ after dinner. Then I’ll nuke a bag of skinny pop, have an apple and maybe a handful of almonds.

But I haven’t cracked the emotional driver, I’ve just learned to live with it.

ehju0901 wrote: »

I've found that when I get into those moods, I need to find something to do to occupy myself. A lot of times it is going for a walk, but now that we are getting into winter here, that will be a less likely option.

Last night I put on a cardio youtube video for a bit and then I played some Just Dance on the Nintendo Switch. Once I was done, I was tired enough for bed lol.

Obviously there is less daylight for walking in the winter, but the cold doesn't deter me a bit. In fact, walking at lunchtime in the winter helps me with SAD. I just keep adding layers and switching to increasingly warmer boots.

I used to struggle with this a lot in my early-mid twenties, and still do a bit at night. Mine started with extreme dieting, and ironically (or not, to many who know this struggle) bingeing would get worse anytime I restricted my diet, especially in a more extreme way. Mine also worsens with anxiety and stress. What has helped more recently, I think, is a couple of things:

One is getting over that mindset that I was or had to restrict myself in some way and telling myself that nothing is off limits, including time restrictions on eating. If I *really* want something I can have it, and I can be satisfied with a small portion or just a bite. I'll just remember to log it. What I have discovered, however, is that I'm way more prone to overeating and starting to get that "uncontrollable" feeling with eating at night. It is almost always salty, crunchy foods, even "healthy" ones. What I learned recently is that when we "stress eat," it's often not in the moment when we're experiencing the most stress, but kind of that stress letdown response. I hypothesize that the reason I tend to overeat the most at night is when I'm finally able to sit down and kind of "relax" for the day, and so that overeating is part of my stress letdown response. I suppose the healthy thing to do would be to incorporate some kind of meditation/mindfulness practice during that time, but I haven't quite done that yet. I also concur with others who have said it's always my body's way of trying to energize myself when I'm tired, so in theory really I should go to sleep. Ironically, the eating at night often disrupts my sleep, thus perpetuating the cycle.

The other thing that has helped me is getting back on an SSRI for anxiety and depression. Initially my cravings increased, but like most of the side effects it subsided. It's not my first time on one, but I don't think I truly realized how much/long I'd been living with low-level anxiety, probably since I was kid, honestly. I had therapy in the past (and maybe I need to try again) along with other things like eating well, exercising regularly, *trying* to get good sleep (which sleep problems are part of my anxiety), mindfulness practice and taking several supplements that are reported to actually help (theanine, ashwagandha, ST. John's Wort and CBD oil). It wasn't until I started taking Lexapro that I realized how much anxiety was impacting my life and that probably is some kind of brain chemistry thing with me. As I mentioned, I struggled with sleep and was waking up and staying up for a couple of hours at least once a week, but since Lexapro I rarely do that. I've also realized that anxiety is at least partly genetic in my case--I'm almost positive my Grandma had it (and back then we sadly used to "joke" at how much she worried), and now my 12-year old son has it. Anyway, the point of that story was to look at your history, and see if this is something that might resonate with you.