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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Feb-01-16, 22:58
BAM0782's Avatar
BAM0782 BAM0782 is offline
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Posts: 523
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 290/295.4/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: -3%
Location: ND, USA
Default Emotional eating.....how do you deal?

My life is very stressful right now. Who's isn't? I know everyone has issues other than their eight that they are dealing with. Anyway, I've been having an extremely hard time with emotional eating. Honestly, it was only recently that I even realized I have a problem with emotional eating. When life gets SO stressful for me, I either feel like I don't want to eat at all, or I want to eat everything in the kitchen.....and truthfully, I KNOW that I can't just stop eating so I nearly always opt for the eating everything option....

So what do YOU do to deal with your emotional eating habits?
Thanks for any ideas/suggestions
BA
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, Feb-01-16, 23:49
jschwab jschwab is offline
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Posts: 6,378
 
Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
Stats: 285/220/200 Female 5 feet 5.5 inches
BF:
Progress: 76%
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I had a really stressful year and started the not eating version of emotional eating. I never did that before in my life. I don't really overeat/eat bad things when stressed usually, either. I just really concentrate on eating when I don't feel like it to keep up energy. It's a new thing to me, though, and I hope it stops .
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Feb-02-16, 11:35
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Tracy0652 Tracy0652 is offline
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Posts: 136
 
Plan: atkins/LC
Stats: 275/198/145 Female 64
BF:
Progress: 59%
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Well, right here you've just outlined my entire problem when trying to lose weight and stick to this WOE. When I have a lot of stress in my life, and it piles on (as everyone well knows!), I have found that my only real control in life is what I eat. I don't know how stay in the place where control=healthy eating. I keep getting sucked into where control = eat what makes me feel good in that immediate moment. That then translates into a spiral of bad choices.
So, I don't know what changes in my brain, but sometimes, like now, I am able to focus, bear down, and recognize and follow a healthy WOE. Sometimes it's figuring out the underlying reason for the stress. At one point in my life, I had gained quite a bit; and it took me a lot of self evaluating to realize it was because I had been greatly disappointed by someone I trusted, and that person had always encouraged me to eat healthy. My descent into poor eating and weight gain was, at least from what I think now, a subconscious thumbing-of-my nose to that person's encouragement of me. It was like - you did that thing that made me so unhappy, so I will do something that would have made YOU unhappy. Not very good for me, but figuring it out helped me turn around. Sadly, lots of those things pop up. It's not just that we don't know - eat healthy, eat less, exercise more. If it were as easy as typing it out, no one would be overweight! It's the stresses of life and dealing with them that trips us up. Anyway, I hope you figure out what's causing it, and are able to make healthy eating choices and hopefully re-direct the stress into something that will benefit you, like an extra walk or even extra sleep!
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Feb-02-16, 16:30
MickiSue MickiSue is offline
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Posts: 8,006
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 189/148.6/145 Female 5' 5"
BF:36%/28%/25%
Progress: 92%
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Default

If you change the way you think about stress, that might help.

We all have STRESSORS in our lives; things that can lead to stress. But stress comes from within: it's not the external that drives stress, it's the INTERNAL.

We can all, to a greater or lesser extent, control the levels of stress that we feel. And, the more we practice, the better we get at it. I'm not as good now as I used to be: a head injury two years ago took away some of my controls, and I've had to fight to regain them.

My desire to control my stress response reached a peak when I was going through menopause, and I hated the banshee I turned into sometimes.

So I started practicing, and, little by little, I got better.

If we're not overwhelmed by the stressors in our lives, we don't need to eat emotionally. And, if we do, and we don't have crap in our kitchens--for women, that is nearly always under their direct control--even if we eat the contents of the entire frig, it will still be on plan.

The first step is to remind yourself that you ARE a strong person, and that whatever the stressors in your life are not in charge of you, you are.

The rest flows from that. It's really that simple. Simple isn't easy, but like everything else, practice increases skill and more skill means better control.
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Feb-02-16, 18:06
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GreekRibs GreekRibs is offline
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Posts: 2,747
 
Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 212/169/150 Female 5'9"
BF:
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Location: Saskatchewan
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BAM0782
So what do YOU do to deal with your emotional eating habits? Thanks for any ideas/suggestions. BA


Emotional overeating has been my issue also, dear BA.
Let me begin by saying how sorry I am that you have so much stress in your life right now. Is there anything you can do to reduce this stress?

As for how I deal, I need to make sure I have friends/therapist/group to talk about my emotions instead of eat them. Over the past few decades I've either gone to individual therapy or attended 12 step groups to assist with my emotions. I also share honestly with a few girlfriends. I reduce stress by taking the right jobs at work, even if they are a little lower paying. In all honesty, the number one stress reduction for me was when my kids grew up and moved out. Then I didn't feel so overwhelmed and could focus on myself.

Another way is exercise. Over the years, I either did aerobics, jogging, or went to a gym to use an elliptical trainer or treadmill. Other people have hobbies like arts and crafts to de-stress. I like writing and reading. Sometimes I read a self-help book like Dr. David Burns Feeling Good Handbook which helps to correct faulty thinking about things.

Walking is a huge de-stressor because it's also meditative without even trying! And lastly, eating healthy is probably # one way to handle stress. For me, that means no sugary foods and low-carb is a wonderful lifestyle. Once you get past first week, you may not even crave sugar.

Think about what is around you in your life. Are there many people committed to healthy living? If not, can you slowly find others who are? It al takes time and today is the first day of the rest of your life

To find what works for you is a journey. And you are taking that step by reaching out on this website. I hope you will keep reaching out as much as you need on here, but also in your life with people face-to-face. Good luck, dear BA. I completely understand.
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  #6   ^
Old Wed, Feb-03-16, 18:08
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BAM0782 BAM0782 is offline
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Posts: 523
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 290/295.4/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: -3%
Location: ND, USA
Default thanks

Thank you all for your encouragement, so far. I agree wholeheartedly with the concept that we are in control of how we choose to deal with the stressful things in our lives. I try to keep myself from getting so stressed that I feel like eating everything....sometimes the situation just overwhelms me. I do find it very helpful to stop and pray or read my Bible....but sometimes I just don't do that. I'm not going into details, but it's a very personal situation that is incredibly difficult for me to deal with. And as far as keeping only things in the house to eat that are good for me.....that's next to impossible for me (right now) which is also a stress factor. My husband is African and doesn't really like any American foods so to say. So we have to have Rice, white bread, sugar, coke chocolate milk, Ramen noodles etc in the house because he actually likes those things. AND we're pretty poor, we depend on food stamps and WIC to have enough food for our family and, just in case you were wondering, those programs aren't really good for providing healthy food choices. Which is strange, considering that's what they're SUPPOSED to do. We have to utilize these programs right now, financially we are just too stretched to do without. I know there probably aren't a lot of people who truly can't afford to eat low carb, but in my case...it's true more often than not. Anyway, I'm working every day to try to make better choices as far as my food and my life in general. Thanks for the support.
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  #7   ^
Old Wed, Feb-03-16, 19:37
MickiSue MickiSue is offline
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Posts: 8,006
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 189/148.6/145 Female 5' 5"
BF:36%/28%/25%
Progress: 92%
Location: Twin Cities, MN
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BAM--Here's what some people do when they really can't deal well with having junk in the house. They put all the junk in one cupboard, put a lock on it, and give the key to someone else.

They put all the junk in the garage.

They put all the junk in the basement.

I understand being poor; when my kids were little, we survived with no child support and me making a net of $1000/month--that's FOUR kids.

There are better choices for you, and for your husband, as well, as I'm sure you know. When you are living on food stamps, it's better to spend them on good stuff than bad. He may really like the junk, but I promise you, the African men that I know, who have changed their eating habits, are so much happier. And so much less at risk for T2D, as well!

You don't have to share the stressors; we're not your judges or a jury. Just knowing that I had choices in what I ate, when I was so poor, made me feel less under the gun.
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  #8   ^
Old Wed, Feb-03-16, 20:57
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Meme#1 Meme#1 is offline
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Posts: 12,456
 
Plan: Atkins DANDR
Stats: 210/194/160 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 32%
Location: Texas
Default

I stocked my kitchen with on plan snacks and went for those. Use your 3 ounces of allowed cheese, pork rinds, sugar free jello, 1/2 of the daily allowed avocado, a cup of coffee with cream, a cup of bouillon.
Go to those and ignore the rest because you can.
When the ketosis kicks in you will not be as hungry as long as you eat your allowed meals to stay full.
When your body switches to fat burning instead of carbohydrate burning your emotional eating will subside.
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  #9   ^
Old Wed, Feb-10-16, 04:55
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thud123 thud123 is offline
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Posts: 7,422
 
Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
BF:
Progress: 79%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BAM0782
So what do YOU do to deal with your emotional eating habits?
Thanks for any ideas/suggestions
BA


I just saw this thread and thought it was interesting. Thanks for posting BA.

I set aside 20-30 minutes each morning to be still and quite. This helps me feel peaceful. It also has help point out a few things that I run around in my head that that cause me to not want to be calm and still for 20-30 minutes a day. This give me something I can consider the rest of the day.

Somehow I think helps ease my relationship with food and eating.
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  #10   ^
Old Wed, Feb-10-16, 14:08
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NEMarvin NEMarvin is offline
Boldly going...
Posts: 837
 
Plan: keto
Stats: 410/298.6/225 Male 74 inches
BF:40/35%/17%
Progress: 60%
Location: Lincoln, NE
Default

I just stumbled upon this thread today. It's perfectly appropriate because for the first time in 4 weeks of being "on plan," this morning I faced a real possibility of emotional eating. I dealt with it a bit in my journal today.

You have received good advice.

For me, unfortunately, eating is about comfort and being nurtured. My mother (who is still living AND cooking at almost 90) is not a nurturing or demonstrative person. But she could cook. And she made us our favorite foods. And it's still where she gets most of her meaning and purpose. So when I eat, i am back in my mom's kitchen, feeling nurtured and cared for. That's a large part of emotional eating for me. I'm 55. So that tells you how entrenched these habits and emotions become.

But eating is also control, as others have mentioned. "This situation feels so out of control, that by eating, I can have control over something."

So for today only, I'm telling myself, I will not allow my emotions to cause me to stray from my plan. I want to be fully conscious of why I'm eating, when I'm eating, and what I'm eating.
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Feb-10-16, 21:42
FatFreeMe FatFreeMe is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,689
 
Plan: LCHF
Stats: 262.2/247.2/204 Female 5ft 1/2 inch
BF:
Progress: 26%
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
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Do the best you can with what you've got, at any given moment.
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Feb-10-16, 21:46
BAM0782's Avatar
BAM0782 BAM0782 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 523
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 290/295.4/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: -3%
Location: ND, USA
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Quote:
Do the best you can with what you've got, at any given moment.


FF, This is my plan for LOTS of things in my life these days!
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  #13   ^
Old Sun, Mar-06-16, 20:53
s-piper s-piper is offline
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Posts: 694
 
Plan: LC Primal
Stats: 290/270/160 Female 5'7
BF:
Progress: 15%
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Interesting thread!

There's the chemical aspect of emotional eating. The fact that high carb food releases seritonin, so you really get a temporary high.

In terms of the emotion of it, it seems like it's different for everyone. I don't really relate to the feeling comforted or in control aspect of emotional eating, because I feel very out of control when I binge.
The feeling I get with emotional eating is almost like...it's to punish myself. Does any one relate to that feeling?
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Mar-08-16, 00:05
Vizio Vizio is offline
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Posts: 9
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 388/373/250 Male 73 INCHES
BF:
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For me, Atkins has just kind of helped me to break that. I love to sit in front of the tv and eat. I eat when I'm stressed. I eat when I'm bored. I'm at the point now where I'm in a groove....I have a piece of meat and a salad for lunch....and again for dinner. I go to the fridge and I stare into it and I just know there is nothing there for me. I'm not hungry....but if there are low carb snacks I'll keep on eating. So I have learnd to just not eat. It has helped me deal with the pleasure aspect of eating.
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Mar-08-16, 18:38
BAM0782's Avatar
BAM0782 BAM0782 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 523
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 290/295.4/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: -3%
Location: ND, USA
Default

Quote:
The feeling I get with emotional eating is almost like...it's to punish myself. Does any one relate to that feeling?

I relate to this sometimes.....though I'm just starting to realize it and I'm a bit ashamed of it. It makes no sense to my husband at all.....but sometimes when I binge or even just "cheat" in some way it's almost like "well, that's what you get....you don't deserve this anyway!"......like a self sabotage kind of thing
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