Emotional eating

[Lostnconfused12]

Please give me some advice and tips on how I can stop emotional eating. I get very upset and lonely and then I gorge on food.

I know the feeling. It's an emotional crutch - for both sadness and celebration! My only advice is to flip the switch - make your "go to" crutch something different I.e the most luxurious bath you can imagine, a long walk, shopping etc. Try not to replace one unhealthy crutch with another I.e drinking!! But something that still feels like a comfort or reward. It's hard. You could also try counselling.

In addiction there’s a thing known as the “second thought”. The first thought will be straight to the addiction (food/alcohol/drugs etc) but the quieter second thought is the one you need to listen to. It’s quiet at the beginning but as you listen to it, it will get stronger and stronger until it becomes your first thought. Takes practice.

Don’t have binge food in the house. Having to go out to buy crisps/choc/whatever helps with not eating it.

Having some strategies to distract yourself can be useful.

Eat enough and regularly so you’re not getting really hungry.

Find something that keeps you busy, learn crochet etc.

I don’t know if everyone on here is speaking from experience so I will.

food is my best friend, my happy place, when I feel any kind of emotion (especially sadness) I reach for my favourite comfort food. No amount of not having binge foods in the house can stop me, I’ll just find something else.

2 years ago, I had a word with myself and the only way I could avoid comforting myself with food was to walk. I walked around the town, the countryside 3 or 4 times a day, wherever I could without money, to avoid binging. It took 6 months but I lost 2.5 stone and was fairly happy.

Now that worked for me, as someone who was/is an addictive eater it was the only thing that worked.. and I tried it all.

comfort eating is such a compulsion and because it makes us feel so good, it very hard to let go off. From time to time I slip up, but I’ve never went back to the way I was. It still takes hard work and I still love food but it’s worth it.

Try and replace the junk food with something more positive. Find a hobby you enjoy and can do without any planning like running?

This is great advice xx

Start writing down everything you eat, or log it in my fitness pal.

Try and eat foods that fill you up more in the first place, protein and slow release carbs.

Distraction, read, have a bath, nap.

Thank you so much everyone. Amazing advice x