Emotional Eating - That's me

[JoanOH]

I was going to write about this very topic in my journal today. Emotional eating...the bane of my existence.

Do others have problems with this?? If so, what's your trigger emotion?

Mine seems to be boredom and frustration, boredom being the really big one. The silly thing is, I'm only bored if I LET myself be -- I have so many things going on in my life that I shouldn't be bored at any time. But if I don't make myself do those things (call or visit friends, quilt, reading, sewing, keeping my house clean, working at the library), I sit and do nothing -- and then get bored and think I need to eat!

Frustration (I'm a control freak - I get frustrated when there are situations with my adult DD that I can't control) is another. It comes out in the form of anger, but I know to recognize it as frustration. When she gets into a self-destruct mode, which is something I can't help her with, I want to turn to food. I am better at recognizing and dealing with this one than I am with the boredom.

The other big problem for me is unconscious eating -- no, I'm not unconscious at the time :yikes but my hand sometimes seems to have a mind of it's own. Fixing DH's lunch in the evening is a prime example. Thank God he eats Atkins food -- but while I'm making his ham/cheese roll-ups, for example, why do I eat one myself when I'm NOT hungry??

I'm working on becoming more aware of these things, but I find it really difficult. I have to think about exactly what I'm doing 24/7 and I don't like having to think about food that much! I want food to fall into the background, not be front and center all the time! It would make life so much easier!

I'd love to hear of other's emotional eating problems, and what you do to control it...

Joan J

[PaulaMM]

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[Heidi3]

I am a bit different in that I am an emotional cook ..the more stressed I am the more I feel I have to feed people huge amounts of food!...now this is different from my passion for food and cooking and I can actually tell when it is happening...I will panic and be stressing about something huge in my mind then feel I have to make a huge pot of pasta and feed a nation!...notice the food I usually make with I am upset is pasta!!!....When I am happy and settled and just under the usual amount of stress I put all my energy after work into just making wonderful healthy food from wonderful healthy ingredients!......yeah there is an emotional component to this I think...do you think it fits with emotional eating???? or am I just nutso????

[PaulaMM]

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[jroche5998]

Wow, Joan you just described me to a "T".

I am a boredom eater, I never associated that with emotion, but I guess it is. The funny thing is my boredom isn't that I'm not doing anything. It is more that when I am doing something that I could be eating while doing it go find something to eat. (Did that just make sense?) I'll be busy but think I should get something to eat, not because I'm hungry, but because I've always had a snack while doing that particuler thing. It is something that I am becomeing increasingly aware of.

[jennypenny]

Wow Joan! I am pretty much the same way! It's nice to know that other people are like this too. I feel like such a freak sometimes!

I used to beat myself up so much, because I couldn't control myself around food. I eat mainly when I'm bored too, but also at the end of my day as a release from everything that happened that day.

When I first started Atkins, I was amazed that I had more control around food. I found that when I came home from work instead of getting a snack, I would find some sort of release. Playing with my dog, or something active works best. Usually by the time I'm done, I don't feel those urges to eat. Also, planning ahead what I'm going to eat the next day helps a lot too. I write everything down! Sometimes I forget to do this on the weekends, and I get into trouble.

[Heidi3]

LOL Nurselady! My family can usually tell my state of mind by how much I have baked. I like to tell people that baking is my Prozac.

Exactly!!!!!!! :hug

[Heidi3]

Oh my God can you imagine if we paired up!!! An emitional eater with an emotional cook...I never thought of that ....that is my work...I cook or bake a huge amt of stuff when I am stressed and bring it to work..where there is obviously more stress and it gets inhaled...we are feeding each others dysfunction!!! LOLOLOL!!!!! that is hysterical!!! but I am sardonic! I am telling everyone this insight when I go to to work later!!!....this is cracking me up....and has been going on for ages!!!...we have had a functional dysfunctional relationship!!!...thanks for that you guys!!!

[JoanOH]

Wow, Joan you just described me to a "T".

I am a boredom eater, I never associated that with emotion, but I guess it is. The funny thing is my boredom isn't that I'm not doing anything. It is more that when I am doing something that I could be eating while doing it go find something to eat. (Did that just make sense?) I'll be busy but think I should get something to eat, not because I'm hungry, but because I've always had a snack while doing that particuler thing. It is something that I am becomeing increasingly aware of.

Ooooo...that's interesting. I can actually think of events like that too -- sitting at the computer used to be a biggie, but I've overcome that one (she says, as she sits and eats flax crackers -- but that's my breakfast! LOL) ... watching TV? auto snack time. And, I guess -- making DH's lunch!! So maybe that's a HABIT, not just unconscious eating... hmm... I can break a habit Maybe I can ask DH to make his own lunch for 21 days -- that might work!

It's good to know I'm not the only one...

Nurselady - I used to be an emotional cook, too -- I do understand that one. I just don't have ingredients in the house anymore to do that now, or I probably still would!

Joan J

[Heidi3]

I wonder how many of us here are type A overacheiving control freaks...I know I am and who would want a nurse that wasn't?...there has to be a happy medium don't you think?...