Stress Eating

gregoryhookstra
gregoryhookstra Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
My wife says I'm a stress eater and that's where I lose control over my food intake. Work can be stressful, but that's not an excuse to eat, but I think she's right. Personally, giving up most alcohol intake and replacing it with water has made huge strides in losing 20+ lbs over the past 2 1/2 months, in addition to avoiding snack foods like potato chips, tortilla chips/salsa. Halloween is coming, so there is candy all around the house. I have to tell my bride to hide that stuff or I'll scarf it down if I know it's there.

I traveled to Toronto recently, and everything was catered, so having to pick/choose carefully what I was eating became a focus. I'm traveling again in the near future, and we will be eating at restaurants for most of the upcoming trip, so again - having to watch the menu will be at the front of my mind. Travel seems to be the biggest obstacle to continue the weight loss journey.

Replies

  • nikkirowles5815
    nikkirowles5815 Posts: 4 Member
    I'm a stress eater too,mainly at work trying to curb the habit and given up alcohol again! Thanks for the inspiring post.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Sounds like you're dong great! Keep it up!
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    Stress, travel, job-related catering and restaurant food is my lethal combo. For Halloween, I try to buy candy I don't like. Peanut M&Ms, Whoppers, Jolly Ranchers, Mike & Ike's and/or sour anything can pretty much rot on the shelf before I'd be tempted.

    At catering, I've had some small success filling my plate with plain salad and then topping with the proffered protein and a small amount of the veg - which usually has tons of butter or oil added.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    If eating is your go-to coping mechanism for managing stress, then a key issue is to develop alternative, healthier options for coping.

    You can't just remove a key coping mechanism from your challenging life and expect everything to be okay. You stress eat for a reason. That reason needs to be appropriately managed, otherwise you're just adding stress to an already stressful situation.

    I don't have great advice for travel because I do IF, so I take advantage of convenient high calorie meals while traveling.

    However, back before IF, I used to always travel with Vega One meal replacements. I find it extremely filling, so that helped for all of the non-catered/restaurant meals.
  • terrynash3634
    terrynash3634 Posts: 4 Member
    Eating away from home can be such a challenge. Here are some strategies that have worked for me:
    Preview the restaurant menu if at all possible and decide in advance what you're going to order.
    Order first if you can to avoid being swayed/tempted by someone else's choices.
    Look at people's faces/eyes when chatting to avoid looking at all the food on the table (better not to see that tempting bread basket)
    If you can't preview the menu, go for simple 😋 avoid creamy, saucy, and heavy dishes. It's hard to go wrong with simple protein and baked potato
    Drink lots of water!
    Have the waiter clear your place as soon as you're satisfied. It's too easy to keep eating mindlessly. Remember the clean plate rule is a rule to be broken .
    Good luck on your journey!

Categories