emotional eater

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Hi everyone. I am new to MFP and I am looking for people who get where I am. I have always been overweight, but after college I got lazy and kept putting the weight on. Then I finally got the job I wanted and finally convinced myself to lose weight. I lost 50 lbs a year anf a half ago. Things wete going very well in life but then I lost my job. Depression and stress kicked in, and a year and a half later, I gained back those 50 lbs plus 10. I have to get back on my diet. Any little words of encouragement will help. So far I have seen some great people on this site. I hope it helps me stick to it this time!

Replies

  • trill0042
    trill0042 Posts: 110 Member
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    I am the exact same way when it comes to food. I eat when I'm happy, when I'm depressed, when I'm stressed, when I'm bored.... You get the idea. It's a very hard habit to overcome.
  • KendaVSG
    KendaVSG Posts: 147
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    Welcome! I hope life is looking up for you. I recommend just setting small reasonable goals and making the choices that will help you to reach those goals.
  • cshelgol1
    cshelgol1 Posts: 29 Member
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    I think most people that struggle with their weight can agree to some emotional eating, Im the worse type of emotional eater because I eat when I am happy or sad. However I have recognized that and decided to become accountable for it.I have been doing great on MFP and I love this site, feel free to add me, and good eating (luck)!:smile:
  • yesiamaduck
    yesiamaduck Posts: 531 Member
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    I suffered depression around about December 2009 and it carried over until about June this year... when it stopped, during this time I had gained 100lbs! Similar thing had happened when I was in school and always down & constantly seeked food to get over stress, avoid situations and just in general try to escape my feelings and emotions! Luckily I've learnt to confront them since and have been a lot more stable, especially with the comfort eating which I haven't done for a while, and will love to have someone there whose been in a similar situation!
  • Navmachine
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    first of all, welcome to MFP!

    emotional eating is a hard habit to break at first. but stop for a moment before you eat something and ask yourself "what am i REALLY eating this for?" "am i feeling _____ (fill in the blank with anything like bored, guilty, depressed, etc)?" "am i really eating this because im hungry, and if so, is there a healthier option for me to eat instead, right now?" if you take the few seconds to reavulate how your feeling before you eat, you'll be able to not break your dicipline so easily, and start realizing the triggers to your bad eating habits.

    good luck to you, and your journey.
  • lisadavis21
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    Hey Welcome! I'm new to this as well with a little less than a month invested in this site..so far AWESOME! Even if you arent dieting, once you start seeing and realizing what your putting into your body, you think twice and even feel just better when you end the day eating around your calorie intake. I too am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm sad, bored, happy...lol. Yet this site has helped me realize the consequences when i eat whatever and sit around. I know hard times get us all, but you only feel worse when you look around and you havent managed to do anything but gain weight. My key things are not to call eating the recommended calorie intake a "diet". I eat what i want but now i have less or i workout hard to give myself extra calories so i can indulge in some other thing, but I NEVER go over. Once you see how one little snack takes too much away from you calories, you will think twice. Think positive! and always reach out..especially on this site. I know you will do great because we are humans, the most dedicated specie on earth. Good luck!
  • foodeeee
    foodeeee Posts: 50 Member
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    I recently started Prozac for depression. It has helped me sooooooo much with emotional eating. I saved about 700 cals today just from cutting out emotional eating.
  • sunnyzephyr
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    I am somewhat of an emotional eater. But lately everytime I feel down or stressed or angry, I work out. Its a much healthier way for me to get out my emotions. Plus, you can burn calories instead of ingest them!
  • swtgrl42
    swtgrl42 Posts: 100 Member
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    welcome! I also am an emotional eater. I have only been on here a short time, but tracking my calories has really helped me pay attention to how much I am eating and what choices I am making. friend request me if you like. good luck!
  • phanatic82
    phanatic82 Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I know what I have to do, I just have to keep convincing myself to get it done. Feel free to add me if you want!