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Help for an emotional eater!
Started
by Misty Bero
on November 11, 2009
When I do something good, I give myself a treat.
When I get depressed, I give myself a treat.
When I'm happy, I give myself a treat!
Alicia, what is your favorite, yet healthy morsel that you love to indulge in? I don't want to gain weight because of my emotional eating habits.
-Misty-
My two cents: Emotional eating is a multifaceted issue, with which I have much experience.
If you feel like it is a problem for you, I encourage you to seek a professional, perhaps a therapist or a dietician that you click with. Both can help you distinguish how to get emotional needs met with emotional food, and physical needs met with physical food.
A quick tip, though: worrying about gaining weight can become a self-fufilling prophecy! And, weight isn't as important as focusings on hunger/fullness cues and listening to your body's signals. Your weight takes care of itself when you are eating intuitively.
Of course, sometimes, it's absolutely wonderful to eat because it feels good or because you are sad, bored, or need comfort! If it's not a problem, then ENJOY!
*putting up another two cents* :)
Helloooo, emotional person and eater here, Misty, you ain't alone. I'm not gonna get in da way, I understand you've asked you question to Alicia, I just wanna say one quick thing - that what I've decided to do is embrace the emotion...just a different one than my body is expecting. What I mean is, now that I've started this and am seeing results, THAT emotion - the emotion of being healthier and winning a LIFE...LONG battle with the W word (weight), the Rocky theme in my head...I'll pick THAT emotion, please and thank you. Now that's emotional eating I can still get a good night's sleep with. Are ya kiddin' me, I'm SICK AND TIRED of the guilt after eating something that I now know to be unkind, and the downer of no energy when I do so.
Okay, I'll shaddup now - LOL
Thanks to both of you! I'm willing to hear advice from anyone. I've tried real hard to control this. After I emotionally eat something, I just go straight to the gym out of guilt. I need to learn to just accept myself, love myself no matter what. Weight has always been an issue, though I have never been overweight or heavier than 120 lbs and I'm 5'1". I have this precieved notion that I won't be loved unless I'm perfect, which is the dumbest thing I have ever heard! I know exactly where all this stems from, but I don't have the money to pay somone to talk and listen to me and my inner demons. The good things is that when I emotionally eat, 6 cookies are like the most I'll eat and I keep it in, if you catch my drift. I just need to learn how to control these false beliefs.
I hear you completely! To be completely candid: I actually am pretty far along in recovery from an eating disorder, so in some ways, I have had to learn how to be healthier and more in balance with my emotions than people who have never struggled in this department. It's helped me to practice how to move with the "flow" of life and my own self.
Honestly, you are on the right track by even talking about this--it's not an easy thing! The key is not about control. It's about trust. Don't put yourself down about your perfection issues--it's not dumb to have false beliefs! It's normal--and we all have them. Among the inner work you are doing just by asking the right questions, I suggest you read the book Intuitive Eating, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. And couple it with your convictions about veganism.
And finally--journaling is really helpful. Not food journaling--I don't think that's helpful for people who struggle with perfectionism. Journal about yourself, your day, your emotions, your thought patterns, etc. It's pretty much free therapy.
Hope that gives you a little hope!
You can also try Eating Mindfully by Susan Albers. It has a workbook available as well called Eat, Drink, and be Mindful. Very helpful in understanding both WHY we eat emotionally and how to deal with it instead of eating.
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