Looking for emotional eaters to help support each other!

Going to try something new this time to get me started. I am a stress and emotional eater and the last three years have not been easy. As a result, I have gained around 30 lbs on top of the 50 lbs I was overweight to begin with. Now, I am the heaviest I have ever been and need to stop myself from continuing my up weight spiral. In the last three years, I have dealt with my mom going through lung cancer ( she is a survivor so far!), my dad coming to the end stages of parkinson's disease and dementia beginning and my husband being out of work twice.

I need help and support to not sooth my emotions without using food. If you are in a similar situation let me know! :smile:
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Replies

  • You can do it! I'm an emotional eater too -_- I know it's hard, but try this: don't deny yourself the food you crave. Instead, allow yourself a small portion daily or every few days. Eat it slowly and taste the flavors!! You'll be much more satisfied and won't have the guilt afterwards.
  • Also, exercise helps so much with stress! Try walking - it doesn't matter how slow. Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour a day - whatever you can fit in. You'll notice a difference!
  • lorarock
    lorarock Posts: 29
    i am a teacher, therefore I have about 6 weeks off to try to overcome the stress eater who stops daily for a bag of chips or cookies and eats them all by the time I arrive at home. I am logging all my food and trying to learn healthier ways to deal with the stress. Hopefully by the end of July I will have some new habits ingrained and be able to carry it on. Please count me in as a supporter.
  • I also have had several major life events in the last few years with weight gain as the outcome. I am an emotional eater and trying out alternatives to using food as a solution. With support, we can win. I have several sizes of clothes in my closet. Got rid of the 2 largest sizes a couple of years ago. My existing clothes are getting tighter and I refuse to buy a larger size again. I just joined a couple of days ago and could use some support friends also. Feel free to add me. :flowerforyou:
  • dncase78
    dncase78 Posts: 4
    I feel your stress eating. I am too guilty of that. My fav's are chips and salsa or guac, and ice cream. I recently found my new love of fudgicles. They are sugar free and on pop is only 40 calories.:love:
  • Chrystibel
    Chrystibel Posts: 116 Member
    I'm totally an emotional eater, it's gotten worse since I had my first child 3 years ago, finally trying to fix what I've done to my body. Feel free to add me, i'm always on MFP these days.
  • Busymomo5
    Busymomo5 Posts: 20 Member
    You can add me!
  • jeyko
    jeyko Posts: 368 Member
    I'm a very emotional eater. I eat when I'm sad, excited, nervous or bored!?, add me if you'd like, the more the merrier in this battle to support each other the better!
  • I'm very much an emotional and stress eater. Please feel free to add me as a friend.... Best of luck.
  • Count me in,

    I have gained most of my weight from eating without thinking.
    That's exactly how I got to where I am now.
    Now I am tracking my food intake and really noticing how
    many calories I was taking in without even thinking about it!
    Good Luck to us all!
    :flowerforyou:
  • bkknights
    bkknights Posts: 93 Member
    I'm sorry to hear about all that you and your family have gone through. I haven't had to battle as much but have had an unemployed partner and have a child with an autoimmune disorder. Work is my weak spot. Junk food everywhere. I say I'm an emotional eater- I eat for every emotion! Please add me for support and encouragement!
  • lakota1307
    lakota1307 Posts: 73 Member
    Me Too!!! I have the same problem been dealing with it all my life, I have decided to get it under control
  • lalalee13
    lalalee13 Posts: 60 Member
    I'm sorry that things have been so hard lately. I definitely understand the emotional eating as a way to deal with these things.
    Good for you for reaching out to others! I am happy to journey with you and support each other. Blessings
  • tz2187
    tz2187 Posts: 250 Member
    I also am an emotional eater, when I am bored, stressed or mad. I'm slowly learning to control it but it's hard. I tell myself I can't control some things that happen in my like, but I can control what I put in my mouth. Feel free to add me if you like.
  • I eat chocolate when I get stressed!!! :(
  • laurynmcl
    laurynmcl Posts: 13
    It;s a tough one to break. Exercise helps - especially walking. I also went for therapy and found that learning to recognize my emotions and to retraIn my thinking processes helped me to learn healthier ways to feel better. There is a book that I have found helpful called The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Weight Management: A Step-by-Step Program by Michele Laliberte.

    I am so sorry that things have been so tough for you lately. Be kind to yourself and keep asking for help. I would happy to support you. Please accept a virtual hug. Blessings to you and your family.
  • i am most definitely an emotional eater, feel free to add me and we can support each other! :)
  • you can add me as well! I totally understand what you are saying. I am the samw way but this website and great friends will help you out!
  • buckeyefit
    buckeyefit Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for all the support! I will add friends. I have my summer off so I am working on excerise. I also joined a community farm association so I have fresh veggies every week. Laurymncl thanks for the book idea.
  • imworthit52
    imworthit52 Posts: 15 Member
    Count me in! I've been off Carbs for 3 weeks and all I can think about is Birthday Cake when I hit my goal. I eat when I'm stressing. We can All help each other.
  • alemap67
    alemap67 Posts: 13
    friend request sent...I sure am an emotional eater...we can get thru this!
  • brokenwoman
    brokenwoman Posts: 25 Member
    she is right i am an emotional eater and i started out a few minutes at a time of walking and made my way to 4 miles i lost 50lbs doing this last year and i did not deny myself anything
    Also, exercise helps so much with stress! Try walking - it doesn't matter how slow. Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour a day - whatever you can fit in. You'll notice a difference!
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    I used to be an emotional eater ...... now I channel the stress into exercise ..... cardio, weights, and yoga ...... much healthier than stuffing food in my mouth ......

    Best of luck to you along this path !
  • Prilla04
    Prilla04 Posts: 174 Member
    I get it. Add me. :)
  • jackibailey
    jackibailey Posts: 206 Member
    Feel free to add me to. I have binge eating disorder and bulimia. I have suffered for years. I recently joined Overeaters Anonymous and am hoping that I can work hard enough at it to fix my brain. Am really bad about starting the steps because it is a lot of soul searching and I don't know if I'm ready to deal with myself. I joined MFP in April 2011 and in seven months I lost 70 pounds. I was doing so good and exercising 4-5 times a week. Well, I'm so huge that all that exercise was so hard on my body I got bursitis in my hips. I had to stop because I could barely walk. I was put on an NSAID and pain pills which I have to take twice a day in order to be able to walk. I got depressed afterwards and just went crazy. I binged nearly every night November through April of this year. I gained back 55 pounds. On may 1st I decided to try this again as my food plan for OA. I have lost 20 pounds so far. I still binge eat. My goal is to go a whole week without doing it. Baby steps. It's been two successful days. I'm still in shock that I've lost twenty pounds. I really must've been retaining a lot of water at first. I hope you will add me as a friend. It'd be nice to have someone going through the same thing as I am to talk to. Please take care. Hope to hear from you soon. Jacki.
  • butterpecan_ts
    butterpecan_ts Posts: 48 Member
    Im also an emotional eater and have been tackling the reasons behind my weight gain. You can find them in my blogs. I, like you, have 80 pounds to lose. I'm am trying really hard to pay attention to my body and what it's saying to me, instead of runnng to food to comfort myself. I would love to be your friend.
  • profgal43
    profgal43 Posts: 115 Member
    Helpful to see so many in my boat! I am just starting this weight loss thing again and could definitely use and share support as well. 48 and in the worst shape of my life. I have 40 pounds to lose and am struggling to start exercising again. I struggle with anxiety and stress eat; a bad combination. Evenings are my tough spot. Getting home to my empty house inevitable triggers carb and wine cravings. Do great all day but get home and blow it. Living with someone would help but its not an option right now. I have pets. Any other suggestions?

    good luck to all and thanks for starting this discussion. Is there a group meeting place for us?
  • becsks
    becsks Posts: 12
    Count me in! I've always used food as an emotional crutch. I gained 20 emotional-eater pounds over the last year and it started with my husband's layoff. Then, once that was under control, I got hit with health issues. And then, when work got ridiculously stressful... you know the story. And here I am, trying to take back control of my stress eating binges, my pity-party wine & cheese & lots-o-cr*p binges, and all the rest.

    I'm finding exercise helps with the stress too, but only exercise I like. And it's taken me a lot of trial and error to find the right exercise (yoga, outdoor bootcamp with a nice instructor, any sort of group classes, weekend biking). And it's taken me even longer to insist on space for exercise in my life (instead of letting food and stress take over).
  • Inglebert
    Inglebert Posts: 34 Member
    Feel free to add me too! I'm an every-emotion eater!

    Hope we can help each other. I've found NLP useful, but have fallen off the bandwagon again, trying to get going again, and think a fit lifestyle is what is needed.
  • julesribar
    julesribar Posts: 43 Member
    Count me in as a friend!:smile: