I do the opposite when it comes to emotional eating

The last couple of weeks I have been really stressed out with work and just life in general. When I get stressed I have a tendency to not eat. I know this is so unhealthy but I just feel so sick to my stomach when I try to eat when stressed. I never know what to do about it. It usually goes away, but I really hate the feeling when I do this.

Julie

New York, New York

Helpful emotional eating link!

I came across this link and thought members from what feeds YOU could benefit from it! Check it out!

 

Link

John

Charlotte, North Carolina

Almost lost at emotional eating today!

I was almost lost it today when it comes to my battles with emotional eating. I had a lot of errands to today and was on the road a lot. I kept passing by McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Burger Kind and then another McDonalds five miles after the first one I passed. I had a bad week at work and was feeling stressed out. I really wanted to stop by one of those places and order all of my favorite items on the menu, but I kept talking myself through it. I told myself just to hold off and go home and eat something healthy. I new if I stopped and ate the bad stuff I would have felt like crap about myself for the rest of the night… and I REALLY HATE that feeling!!!! I was able to make it home without stopping!! I felt much better when I went home and made myself a nice fruit salad. All it takes is for me to have a conversation with myself and talk through it.

Heather

Clifton, New Jersey

Emotional eating at a conference

I had to speak at a conference on Thursday and felt extremely anxious about it. I spent the whole day freaking out about it (even though I was prepared) that I kept stuffing my face. I have never really noticed myself doing this before, but I realize it THIS time. I started to think about other times in my life when I had been really anxious about something and tried to remember how I acted. I realized that I have a tendency to do this. After the conference I was so annoyed at myself for eating all of the snacks that I did. I felt like I have gained five pounds in one day. The next few days I watched everything that I put in my mouth to make up for the day before. What a mess!!!

 Christy

 Jacksonville, Florida 

I would look for a snack…

All my life, whenever I’d get upset, angry or frustrated, I would look for a snack. Never anything good for me, always something high in calories, fat and low in nutrition. If it were a meal, it would be fried, creamy or cheesy. If there was any nutrition in it originally, I would look for a way to make it “good” by smothering it in cheese sauce or gravy. (Gotta love that Southern background….)

Nearly a year ago I lost one of my best friends. We’d known each other since we were 12. Since then, I’ve been having trouble keeping depression (clinical) at bay and have been supplementing my medicine with food. Since E. died, I have put on about 30 pounds and it’s not like I can afford to gain any more. When I talk about her, think about her, run across an old picture, hear a song on the radio that reminds me of her, I not only cry, but find something to eat. I tend to feel better VERY briefly and then feel guilty and defeated for doing something bad to myself.

Ondrea

Baltimore, Maryland

Too much sweets

I have always had a sweet tooth.  I think it is because my parents use to put liquid chocolate in my bottle or something!  I “think” I crave some sort of sweet candy or pastry every single day of my life, but I know by now that it is all in my head.  If i don’t have something sweet that day all I think about is that something sweet.  I have tried substituting fruit for my sweet tooth, but that just does not cut it.  I usually end up dipping my strawberry or banana in chocolate to fill that craving.  I don’t know how to stop this craving as it has become such an addiction.  Hi my name is Lyndsay and I am addicted to sweets!

Lyndsay

New York, NY

AFFECTED by my emotions

Tonight i had homework due, and i could feel the stress mounting by 6 pm. I waited to eat until it was too late; i was already so hungry that i wolfed down dinner and didn’t even feel satisfied because i hadn’t let myself enjoy the process of eating. even though i wasn’t eating out of boredom or stress (i was genuinely hungry), my eating was AFFECTED by my emotions. sometimes this is just as bad and just as frustrating as opening up a bag of chips for no reason and going to town….

baltogirl

Baltimore, Md

Eating while bored

I catch myself being an emotional eater if I’m bored.  When I’m busy I will eat my normal meals and snacks, but when I’m bored I let myself believe that I’m “always” hungry and will eat.  

Also, if I’m upset about something I will eat more as well.  I will justify my feeling of being upset and think that eating more will make me feel better.  

Bridget

San Diego, CA

Being a woman on a diet

The hardest part about being a woman and on a diet is when your monthly buddy comes around. I wanted to cheat so bad and eat a pound of chocolate. Fortunately, I am on the Atkin’s diet and they have these awesome chocolate bars you can eat. They are kind of expensive but totally worth it when you are in the mood to cheat. Dieting is hard because if you are like me when you are stressed out you really want to eat. But once you get started it’s a lot easier to know what you should and shouldn’t be putting into your body. 

Stephanie

New York, NY

Stressed Out!

In the midst of the stresses of finishing graduate school, a thesis project, worrying about finding a job, and just wanting to put in the energy to apply to jobs, the only thing that has comforted me is eating. Granted, most things I’m snacking on are dried fruit, veggies, tasty-d-lite, cereal, leftovers, etc. it is still a lot of emotional eating going on. Sometimes it’s to the point where I can’t stop and every time I think about what I have to do next, I just want to delay working on it and eat something to make me feel better about it. If I’m beyond the point of exhaustion, but don’t want to go to sleep yet, I need to eat something. It’s like holding my old stuffed animals as a kid. I just need some sort of comforting vice to grab onto to get my through the next hump in my day. I wish I could control it!

Katie

New York, NY