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Stress Eating

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Malgorzata79
Malgorzata79 Posts: 87 Member
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Hi - my name is Margaret. I am 33 years old and a mother of 3 kids (16,5,3). I am an emotional eater. Right now I have stress in my life - kids, school, finances, etc.

I feel like I want to eat an gyro with extra fries. I am been pretty good with controlling myself - but now I am feeling the cravings.

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  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 835 Member
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    Stress eating is a hard one to over come when it is a habit. I know for myself, when the going get tough, I get chips and salsa.

    You need to find other releases for the stress. For me I have a kick boxing bag in my living room, when my teenage is pulling his rebilous antics, I go and kick the bag a few times. Try different things to get out the emotions, Writting, brushing your teeth, doing some sprints. But do not calm the emotions with food. Save the food to feed your body when needed.
  • Malgorzata79
    Malgorzata79 Posts: 87 Member
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    Thanks for the advice Jen. I run a daycare at home - so I constantly with kids (mostly toddlers) and at times when it hits 5 pm - I am ready to stuff my face with irritation. On top of it I have a hormonal teenager that I have to deal with. GRRRRR.
  • darealmaven
    darealmaven Posts: 5 Member
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    What works for me is to get out / away. I took up running, but quite honestly anything that takes you away works. For me, stress eating is a ridiculously STRONG but temporary urge and if I can get 'away' for a few moments, the urge usually passes. The other thing that I do is find healthy substitutes. My sweet tooth and craving for chocolate and also for ice cream STINK! I found a healthy bar (after trying what seemed to be like hundreds) that worked for me. It is made by Jamba Juice and is a great substitute for me for ice cream. For my chocolate cravings, I have found that semisweet chocolate chips, allow me to satisfy that craving with minimal calories.
  • Prov31Lady
    Prov31Lady Posts: 14 Member
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    I have been trying to find something that works for me too. With all the stress I've had here lately, I could eat non-stop, so I know where you are coming from. I have a thing for all fast food, especially chinese food. Everyday I cook dinner for my family and it gets SO tempting to just have what they are having. Today I planned out my meals for the entire day ahead of time, because I knew I was cooking tacos for dinner tonight(OUCH!). I prepared each meal and snack ahead, so that I could grab it and keep moving, plus the baby keeps me running. I have four sons and a husband(that likes to eat LATE). So glad to know that I'm not alone now! Hang in there!!!
  • bast16711
    bast16711 Posts: 2
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    i have found that any type of exercise helps me beat my cravings. I am an emotional eater too. I also found that having some green tea with stevia helps me too. It calms me down and gives me something to put in my mouth without calories.
  • ExerGal99
    ExerGal99 Posts: 6 Member
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    I really find that exercise helps with my stress in general, but if you do in home day care, it might not be an option for you to get out for a walk. If you can take all the kids outside for a bit, or if you have a kid exercise video, maybe that would work.

    When I really just need to have something to chew on I do resort to sugar free gum. The minty flavor usually takes away the craving for actual food and the chewing actually provides some stress relief....

    Good luck!

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