Stress success Topic

Klfranklin 07/06/10
Slim60, I am new to the sight, but I feel your struggles. I am an emotional eater as well along with a closet eater. I have found myself buying sweets or greasy junk food and hiding it at work or in the house. I know I need to lose 70 pounds but I am really have a hard time getting started. Any suggestions?

Robin981 12/26/10 replied to Slim60
Hello, I am new here and I would like to be your friend. I am an emotional eater as well. I eat when I am happy, when I am stressed, when I am bored..any time. I also have a problem with resisting sweets when I see them. I am about 100 pounds over weight, and it is really starting to effect the way I feel. My feet hurt all the time, my knees are starting to bother me, my BP is getting higher. Any ideas on how to stay motivated and to stop the emotional eating???

HenryLouDog 01/03/11
I'm also an emotional eater - stress and boredom are the two biggies. At these times I guess I would call myself a compulsive eater. I know that I'm not really hungry, but I eat something anyway. Afterwards the guilt sets in.

Robin981 - I also am 100 pounds overweight and have back issues that hinder the exercise part of the weight loss equation. A way I have found to stay motivated is to drink flavored sparkling water from Poland Springs. I grab one out of the fridge whenever I feel like munching. I find that on a bad day I certainly get my water quota (ha!!). Since there is no guilt associated with chugging water versus downing brownies, I don't have that emotion adding itself to my already problem mood. Often by the time I have finished the water, I'm too full to eat anything. My mood might still be there, but now I can focus on dealing strictly with IT instead of the troublesome tummy growls as well.

Slim60 - Being a military wife I often experience periods of loneliness. This often fuels a bad food, emotional eating, self loathing kick. I used to hide bad food around the house as well. I finally stopped when I came clean to my husband. It really made me face what I was doing to myself and to him. Yes, to him. Being so overweight really limited our couple time together and going out so I felt generally even more horrible about myself. I would eat my stashed food, feel guilty, withdraw from my husband, family and friends, feel even worse, eat more, etc. Talk about a really vicious, horrid cycle. I had to come clean. Actually telling him was cathartic. I had always thought about it in my mind and run through conversations (and arguments) with myself, but actually speaking the words to someone I knew would love and support and help me made such a difference. It was like a huge weight was gone. I also spoke with a couple very close friends, and their understanding and support has been a godsend.

It’s so hard to admit to yourself that you are better than the person who eats cookies behind locked doors, but you ARE. Pick your favorite aspect of yourself. Pick another. See how wonderful you are and how much you have to offer. Cheesy psycho-bable? Maybe. But forcing myself to realize how GOOD of a person I was and all that I had to offer the world made me see that what I was (and still am) doing to my body was only letting people see a poor shadow of the real me.

I haven’t kicked emotional eating, but I did stop hiding food. There are days when all of the affirmations in the world don’t seem to help, but then support from friends and groups like this give enough of a push to stop the spiral.

Geez, sorry about the thesis! Maybe oversharing here will give some support to at least one person. I also welcome support right back. I look forward to meeting the members of this group! Thanks for reading.

Nishanti50 01/05/11 replied to Slim60
Hey,

I'm new here too. I need help, support and friends also. I feel your struggles. I eat all the time even when I'm stuffed and feel like I can eat no more I still stick stuff in my mouth. And to make matters worse my husband works for a potato chip company and he is always bringing chips home.....Help!

Nishanti50 01/05/11 replied to HenryLouDog
I'm an emotional eater too. I have had some success with the mixins( stuff you add to water). It gives me a touch of sweet and I can fill up on it.

HenryLouDog 01/11/11 replied to Nishanti50
Water mixins are great. I love to put them in bottles of plain carbonated water (like Poland Springs). It's like I now have a fruity soda. Just be careful adding the mix into the water, though. Put the cap on as soon as you pour it in or else you might end up with a big mess. Some brands do this and some don't, but I always mix mine over a sink just to be safe.

Another trick I like to use is to eat a fruit that's a bit hard to get into or needs to be peeled, like kiwis or pears or starfruit. I only peel enough for one bite at a time so that by the time I done eating it, my stomach has had time to register the fact that I ate something. This seems to work pretty well.

Nishanti50 01/19/11 replied to Slim60
Hi Slim60,


I just joined and I too am looking some friends in my effort to become healthier. I have a problem with grazy at night. I am constantly getting up and eating whatever, and I sabatoge all the hard work I put in during the day. I could really use some help and maybe we could help each other.

Nishanti50 01/28/11 replied to HenryLouDog
I never thought to put the mixins in carbonated water. I can't wait to try this. You really gave me some good advice. Thanks

Dblicher 07/07/12
I've started using self-hypnosis tape (call it "relaxation") at bedtime. The immediate result was feeling less anxious upon waking. The longterm result has been that I've resumed an old habit of chewing thoroughly--that is, making sure my stomach has time to tell me it's full. We'll see whether this improves my lousy weight loss numbers of late.

Wouterra 07/16/12 replied to Dblicher
Dnlincher, those sound like really positive life changes regardless of how it effects your weight loss. Good job!

Stress success