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Ugh - emotional eating!!

Old 06-10-2010, 04:59 AM
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Default Ugh - emotional eating!!

Hi Ladies,

Just started back to FitDay a week before I took a vacation. I did great on the trip - - I watched what I ate, exercised and actually lost 1.5 pounds (not a lot but a start). Now, I am back home with the laundry, house that needs cleaning, lawn that needs some upkeep, work that needs to be done..... and the list goes on. I know that I am not any different from the rest of society. So, can someone help me figure out how the rest of society does not "emotionally eat".

I feel overwhelmed right now with all I have to do that all I want to do is eat - - any suggestions?

Thank you very much!!!

Jennifer
JenniferP1 is offline  
Old 06-10-2010, 05:53 AM
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Are you using FitDay to keep track of your foods when you eat emotionally? Having to write down that I ate 6 cookies instead of 2 often makes me stop.

Plan your food for the day. I work, so I take a breakfast and lunch to work and I eat throughout the day. Its harder being at home, but if you plan what you are going to eat and put it in FitDay, then it is easier to keep track of what you are eating.

When do you eat emotionally? What triggers it? Boredom, frustration, anger, tiredness? If I don't get enough sleep, then I am hungrier. Keep a journal and at the end of each day try to identify when and why you ate badly and what you could change the next time. Try to identify patterns. Also put in your journal when you do something well.

Good luck!
rmdaly is offline  
Old 06-10-2010, 05:54 AM
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I feel your pain! Here is a good article...it's not the one I was looking for, but I'll let you know if I find that one. =)

Stop Emotional Eating Before It Starts

Best of luck!
fletch8502 is offline  
Old 06-13-2010, 12:16 AM
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I know that if I am blue, I want to eat. I agree with previous post that logging my food and logging what I plan to eat each morning helps me NOT to do any of that. I also eat poorly when my family is around. I call it happy eating. That one is harder to resist, but I am getting better at it.
I try to recognize my state of mind, too. Sometimes, I can recognize a blue day, like when a sappy song comes on and tears well up. Well, then I know something is up b/c that is NOT normal for me. Usually a hormonal thing every few months. Those days, I used to (try not to now) eat ANYTHING in sight, even things I don't really enjoy. Made me furious. I would stop and think, "I don't even like this cereal. Why am I eating it plain out of the box?" So, now I try to ask myself, is that calorie worth it? Sometimes, the really bad thing was TOTALLY worth it.
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Old 06-13-2010, 01:25 AM
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I'm a big fan of planning my meals and snacks for the day. That way I can gauge the portions of protein/carbs/etc. for the day and budget my calories. Weekends are hardest for me. I either get too busy and forget to eat or I'm bored and want to eat too much, so planning helps. I also try to eat every 2-3 hours, at least some kind of snack, so if I ate around noon, I make a mental note to eat by 3:00. That usually keeps me from snacking too early or going too long without food.

As for that happy eating, I know what you mean. It's so much eaiser to say "mmm ice cream" when my boyfriend is around because he will be all for it and we can enjoy it together. Maybe try talking to family/roommates about your health goals and getting help with some of those household chores so you have time to go for a walk would help?

And if I have a bad day, I try to get in an extra workout in the following days and really watch myself. But otherwise, I just accept that I'm human and don't let it set me back permanently. And log on here, look for support, we're all here to help each other!
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Old 06-13-2010, 04:42 AM
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Fletch8502, what a great article on emotional eating! I eat to deal with stress all the time. I use food as a drug.. to kill pain.. and make me feel better (temporarily). But the result of using this coping method is that it makes the problems worse that than they were in the beginning. The original problems are still there and haven't been dealt with and now there's a bigger problem of overweight and poor health on top of it.

I'm realizing that I've always used one drug or another to cope with the ups and downs of life and so I've never learned to deal with things in a healthy way. It's really hard to feel the feelings and find the strength to get through things without using anything to comfort ourselves.

I believe for me and maybe many of you, that this is the reason that I am in this overweight condition. Now I am trying to learn go through the pain and the ups and the downs of life and enjoy food for nourisment but not use it for comfort. I suppose there are many of us who struggle with this. I'm glad to be among women who understand and thankful for those who are ahead of us and have shown that successfully beating overweight is possible.
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:01 AM
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I also thought it was a good article. I am trying the journal also. Hopefully, I will be able to figure this out. It is nice to have found a place where people offer positive suggestions and also understand!

Thanks!
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Old 06-13-2010, 05:18 AM
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Default Uncontrollable Eating!!

JenniferP1, I have the same problems as well. I remember one time I was taking a trip down to Columbus with a couple of girlfriends and we had a plate of cookies for the way down. I realized by the end of the 2 1/2 hour trip, I had eaten 24 cookies. I know...this is beyond ridiculous, but I did not even realize I was eating that many. I just really had nothing to do in the car so I continued to munch on cookies. So now I make sure that the cookies are in a place where I cannot unconsciously continue to grab them without thinking.

Another thing I have noticed is I always eat a lot at night when I am lying around watching television. Im sure we all know that nighttime is the worst time to eat, so I have tried to avoid being by the kitchen at night and instead watching my shows up in my bedroom instead.

I know how it feels to eat when your not even hungry. Praying that we both stay strong on our journeys to a healthier weight. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 06-17-2010, 02:25 AM
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Thanks Pwright2 for the encouragement! I know all too well how easy it is to eat those cookies and not even realize it!

I have also found that nights are bad for me. That is when I might sit down and read or watch a show -- I have to make sure that the food doesn't come out then.

Thanks for prayers for this journey!!
JenniferP1 is offline  

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