Let's discuss alternatives to Emotional Eating

[Uniquely_Ambi]

Today I'm grateful for:

1. Cold medicine
2. 64 oz. mugs
3. 1st and 2nd grders
4. I graduated from college
5. That I'm one day closer to getting married.

[2big4mysize]

one important tool for dealing with this addiction is journaling not just the foods but the Ws as well who what when where why and how you felt before and right after plus about 1-2 hours after. you will be amazed at the patterns you discover that trigger your eating.

[mrslee44]

Ok I signed up for this so I'll make my list today, even though I don't feel like emotional eating, but I'm emotionally messed up today.

I'm grateful for:

1) Cookie Lee (my lab) and how she loves to play with her bones
2) My sons cleaning up the dinner dishes
3) My Friend Frank
4) Beautiful sunrises
5) The smell of a new data center

There..hope tomorrow is better for me.

Robin
:hug

[Trying2]

March 10, Thursday.

Today I am greatful for:
1. The wacky Blue Jay family outside my kitchen window.
2. A glimpse of the girl and boy twin across the street from me and how they sing-song their"hello" in unison.
3. How I figured out the new software program.

4. There was an extra roll of TP under the sink cabinet when I really needed it.
5. Poland Spring bottled water. :icondance

[Uniquely_Ambi]

Today I'm grateful for:
1. Cold medicine
2. Cnn.com
3. That I am a teacher
4. That after today there is only one day until Spring Break
5. My fiance

[lisaaw]

Today I am grateful for:

1. Health.
2. Home and car.
3. My 2 dogs.
4. This board.
5. Friends.

Lisa

[Trying2]

March 11, Friday, 2005

Today I am grateful :


1. That DH and I can still laugh hysterically together.

2. Because it's snowing (Again) and I don't have to go out until this afternoon.

3. That I did all of the laundry last night and I don't have to deal with it today

4. That my daughter is coming for lunch today on her work break.

5. That I have so many great pictures of loved ones wth wonderful memories to boot.

[Uniquely_Ambi]

Today I'm grateful for:
1. Weekends
2. Jeans
3. Friends
4. My fiance
5. My cats

[JoanOH]

Today I'm grateful for:

1. Quilting - and having the time and resources to do it as often as I like.
2. Books (and good authors who write them!)
3. ADBB
4. My laundry is all caught up.
5. The extra money I made this week selling on Ebay.


Joan J

[Trying2]

March 13, Sunday.

Things that I am grateful for today

1. The smell of the new supply of paper.

2. My new paint pens.

3. The snow is melting.

4. My brother's Sunday phone call.

5. I love my laminating machine.

[JoanOH]

So, what did you'all think of the Gratitude journaling? Did it help you to see that we all have things in our lives that make us happy, that give us pleasure, that we are grateful for?

We're discussing alternatives to eating when trigger emotions get the best of us. I'm still not ready to discuss alternatives because I think we've got some more digging to do.

So let's try this simple exercise. For the next few days, each day, come here and list two things. They are:

1. What did you see of beauty today?
2. What brought joy to your heart today?


For me, today:
1. What did I see of beauty? A gorgeous red sunrise.
2. What brought joy to my heart? Kissing my DH goodbye as he left for work this morning.

This is another lesson on how to focus on the GOOD things in life. Good things in life don't have to cost money, don't have to involve another person, and may go by unnoticed until you have to start to look for them.

If the gratitude journal helped at all, feel free to continue that here as well (or start a personal journal in our JOURNAL forum and add to it every day!)

Joan J

[Trying2]

Two things of beauty today.

1. The sun is streaming through the skylight and my pup is laying directly under it.

2. My big lug of a son just put his arm around my shoulder and hugged me.

[North Light]

This is a very interesting thread. I also succumb to eating when down or when things are out of control, but as a generally quite jolly person, I also eat to enhance the experience when I am enjoying myself! For example, a fantastic walk in the Yorkshire Dales (UK) is not complete without sampling some local ales or cakes (these are so tempting!), a shopping trip with a friend is made more enjoyable by discussing our purchases over a glass of wine and some nibbles in a trendy bar - and so it goes on. I can generally substitute or control my portions, and only have about 11 pounds to lose anyway, but any tips on dealing with the feeling that I "deserve" to have the "cherry on the cake"?

All the very best to all (I have been a lurker for quite a while)

[Nata]

Re: Let's discuss alternatives to Emotional Eating

I find this topic very interesting and I'll try to analyse myself.

• What are your emotional triggers? Can you identify the emotions that make you want to eat foods for comfort? Boredom? Loneliness? Stress? Anger? Fright?
  
  Are there PEOPLE in your life that cause you to overeat or want to overeat?
  
  What SITUATIONS cause you to want to overeat?
  
  What overeating binges are simply a habit?

Boredom is my trigger -- when I am bored, I am ready to eat an elephant ( it really doesn't matter what food I eat -- the main thing is that I eat it all the time until I find some other type of entertainment :confused ).

When I am stressed or angry or frightened I don't want to eat at all. So it's vice versa with that. I guess my adrenaline entertains me :joy !

Before it was my boyfriend who caused me to overeat, but it went away somehow. ( with all my previous boyfriends I ate really much, now I think: maybe we didn't have so much in common that we let food join us??)

Situations: every time when I have to do something and I don't want to do it, I want to eat. I guess the only wayout is to do the thing that I have to do and this stupid craving goes away right after.

Before I had a habit to eat late at night -- so I was slowly gaining weight, but I didn't really feel like I always wanted to eat. I am more of a morning eater. So I just told myself to stay away from the kitchen in the evenings and ignore others eating. It was hard at first but after a couple of months my habit and thoughts about it left me! So this was just a habit. :joy

[Helena_HastingsUK]

Emotional Eating

Yes I keep on sabotaging myself by eating rubbish my body does not need, when I am not even hungry.

Triggers? Cannot identify them. I notice that when I am decorating or extremely busy, I do not eat junk. But 75% of my life is spent alone at the computer (I am writing three books and maintaining two website, so cannot change this), and 10% is spent alone in front of the TV, and this is where all the emotional eating happens.

I believe that I have 'childhood issues' for which I should probably seek counselling. Maybe that is the answer for me. I had a miserable, wretched childhood where food had a special significance. My alcoholic father - although I was his only child and should have been his darling, adored little Princess - maltreated and abused me (emotionally, financially and physically, but not sexually). But he was a head chef and used to bring home any amount of food (meat, fish, shellfish) left over from the kitchen fridges, which would spoil if kept any longer. So, I could not have his love or his time (he was always out, getting drunk) I had his food. My mother used to buy a lot of biscuits, chocolate and cakes so they were always around the place and she (bless her) used to give me them when I was crying or otherwise upset with my father. He led her a miserable life and maybe she was propping herself up with her cigarettes and her sugary tea and the cakes and biscuits.

I think this childhood of mine is holding me back, sabotaging my attempts to get healthy, even though I am now 47. Having written all this it has made me see that I need counselling about getting over my childhood.

Helena