There must be someone else here who does/did comfort eat or

naturallykat
naturallykat Posts: 118 Member
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Please help.

Does anyone else emotionally eat, or just eat a ton of food without even realising it until afterwards? Last night I got in from work, and because I was on the phone (getting stressed out by the phone call) I ate not only that but half a block of stilton cheese with celery! :noway: I was done before I realised how much I had eaten :frown:

So help please, how did you conquer your daemons with overeating? Or at least somebody give me comfort that I'm not alone in feeling like a failure trying to tackle it.

Replies

  • jaxinsmom
    jaxinsmom Posts: 3
    your aren't alone;) I have to be really conscious of how im feeling BEFORE I try to eat. I have to ask myself, are you REALLY hungry, and in need of nourishment, or are you just wanting to eat because you think it will make you feel better? LOL we just have to remember, life in general is a marathon, haha we are gonna have good 'miles' and bad ones too. Don't beat yourself up too badly, just try to learn from it;) Hope that helps.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    your aren't alone;) I have to be really conscious of how im feeling BEFORE I try to eat. I have to ask myself, are you REALLY hungry, and in need of nourishment, or are you just wanting to eat because you think it will make you feel better? LOL we just have to remember, life in general is a marathon, haha we are gonna have good 'miles' and bad ones too. Don't beat yourself up too badly, just try to learn from it;) Hope that helps.
  • LGOllie
    LGOllie Posts: 37 Member
    Are you kidding? That's all I have ever done. I eat for every occasion, comfort, stress, celebration.... , and these times I sure do not include celery! I guess that at this time I feel more in control using this site. I actually am feeling comfort, support, relief of stress by sharing with others and reading what others are going through too. I don't feel alone. I feel that I have friends who are struggling just like me with similar things. That helps. Reaching out like you just did really makes a difference. I also feel supported by prayer. I am praying for us and I know many others here are also. That matters too....a lot. We are human. So what if we make mistakes, but we can get back up and keep going.
  • rhodenizer
    rhodenizer Posts: 95 Member
    I am comfort eating right now as I go through a worry over my precious companion dog who may not recover from a sickness. Comfort eating helps take my mind off the moment.
  • monkeymouse74
    monkeymouse74 Posts: 288
    People are all a bit different, and by the sound of it, you dont go through the thought prosess as above until it's too late, so try writing down what happened each time it happens, make sure you add time, place, situation, feeling and thought. You will soon figure out what your first warning sign is. It could be a time when you're most valnerable (like after work, and before dinner), or it could be a feeling that setts you off (like anger because of the messy house you've just returned to and now have to clean after a long day at work). When you've identified your warning signs, it will be easier to be more mindfull or aware of your vulnerability at that time and not make choices without going through the thought process.
  • carole456
    carole456 Posts: 121 Member
    I could easily eat whole packets of biscuits without realising etc, I don't buy chocolate, sweets or chocolate biscuits for the house anymore, I know if they are in the cupboard I'll find a reason to eat them, I once found myself looking for cooking chocolate!! Looking back it's something I've struggled with for the past 20 years
  • monkeymouse74
    monkeymouse74 Posts: 288
    I am comfort eating right now as I go through a worry over my precious companion dog who may not recover from a sickness. Comfort eating helps take my mind off the moment.

    What helps me here is knowing there's nothing comfortable about being obese. So "Comfort" is not a true word for overindulging when upset. I used to use "comfort eating" as an excuse for allowing myself to binge. I truelly feel for you with your precious dog so ill, but would'nt it be better to make sure you're as healthy as possable for him/her when/if he comes home. That might be a better gift for your dog than comming home to a person who can't do all the things you'd like to with your dog because you're too big or too unfit to do it? I dont want to upset anyone, it's just that when you look at it with logic and not too much emotion, you CAN make a different choice.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    Are you kidding? That's all I have ever done. I eat for every occasion, comfort, stress, celebration.... , and these times I sure do not include celery! I guess that at this time I feel more in control using this site. I actually am feeling comfort, support, relief of stress by sharing with others and reading what others are going through too. I don't feel alone. I feel that I have friends who are struggling just like me with similar things. That helps. Reaching out like you just did really makes a difference. I also feel supported by prayer. I am praying for us and I know many others here are also. That matters too....a lot. We are human. So what if we make mistakes, but we can get back up and keep going.

    this!
    comfort, stress, celebration, bored, sleepy, hungry, and so one and so one
  • naturallykat
    naturallykat Posts: 118 Member
    Wow, lots of support here, thank you! :heart: ts funny, Its funny, I posted a while back wondering if anyone else was int he same boat and no replies... perhaps that was just the time of day I posed (from the windy UK) rather than becuase nobody else does the same?!

    I have given up chocolate for a whole year.. that's right, a year! I think I will keep cheese for a special occasion, as regardless of binges I always end up spending more calories on it than I actually want to.

    I have been Googling for advice on emotional eating, and together with you support from you guys I feel a lot more capable of tackling it :flowerforyou: Some of you might be interested to know what Google said, and I'll try to summarise:

    If you were your target weight, would you still want to eat the way you do now? If you would change anything then why? (that was all about getting you to shift focus onto eating to nourish and support your healthy body)

    Don't multi-task where eating is concerned - this I am totally guilty of :embarassed: In fact, I've just habitually brought my lunch to the computer now! Focus on the food, chew well and slow your eating right down. Always leave something on the plate, so that you feel more in control. Monitor how hungry you are.

    Find other mechanisms for coping with stress. This is my biggie that I don't think I've cracked yet. :ohwell: I am completing my degree, and have less than 6 months left which is going to be horribly stressful. I just cannot afford to say I'll wait 6 months until I tackle my stress eating, as I'm already at my heaviest ever! I get a physical feeling when I am stressed, in my solar plexus, and unfortunately for me trying to kick this habit, that feeling goes away when I eat. If I make a conscious effort not to comfort eat, it grows until it is unbearable, and no relaxation exercises or anything else I have tried seems to deal with it. i would love to hear from anybody with similar "symptoms".

    Take care everyone, especially to the person who is worrying about your dog friend right now. :flowerforyou: If anyone identifying with this thread would like to add me as a friend I would be very happy to support each other through kicking this habit for good.
  • rachelmarie2774
    rachelmarie2774 Posts: 26
    YES! I'm guilty of binging on random food especially when I'm under a lot of stress and have anxiety. MFP is helping me realize how out-of-control I've been and is keeping me on track.
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    i used to do that. I have started planning what I will eat for the week on Sunday nights. I go through and log everything I intend to eat until the next Sunday. All my meals and snacks. I noticed it helps keep me from cheating on my diet by eliminating eating crap because it is quick and convenient or because Im starving and am eating the first thing I find.
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