Can anyone help me stop comfort eating?

[howstupidcanyoube]

How do I stop? I know comfort eating is really just a symptom of other problems and yes, things have been pretty difficult here for the last few months possibly a year but I really am working on fixing everything that can be fixed. I just need to stop eating but it seems to be the only thing that helps me deal with all the stress. I feel physically ill from it sometimes.. You know that feeling when you've been eating rubbish all night? I get that every day. And need to stop doing it. I will be grateful for any tips.

same here I need to lose weight and I won't whilst this comfort eating/snacking thing is going on.

I lost a lot of weight a few months ago (had a baby and had no time to eat). Now I've put it back on plus an additional stone and a half. I feel horrible.

I an struggling with that too. It's daft and doesn't make me feel better in the long run.

I am going to restrict rubbish to a Saturday and drink extra fluids for a bit. It's no way to live.

Like you I have changed all I can that's upsetting me.

I feel I need some positivity in my life.

When and what do you comfort eat? Are you trying to diet? How do you spend your days?

I'm a SAHM to an 8mo. I eat whenever I get a short moment to myself. And it's always carbs: bread, crisps etc. I go out for long long walks with the pram..but there are shops on the way...

Are you sleep deprived (if not a stupid question ?) Breastfeeding? Trying to lose weight? If yes to the latter, how are you trying to do this?

Not sleeped deprived any more (thank God), not bf any more either. I was really happy when I lost all the weight a few months ago, I was between size 10 and 12 and felt awesome . I feel huge now and yes, I'd love to lose weight but diets are just not my thing, healthy eating is much better in the long run, isn't it?

Eating crap makes you miserable, lethargic and depressed IME. It's a vicious cycle. I had a big Macd's binge last Saturday and spent Sunday awful and miserable. I've been lo-carbing for three weeks, and this was a blip. Absolutely reinforced what I already knew - that the comfort food was making me unhappy.

I've stopped drinking - do I want to be a fat drunk? Do I want to be fat and comfort eat and be even more miserable?

It's not exactly a revelation to me, but it's working as long as it lasts. It's really helping that DH has jumped on this bandwagon as we are both fat and unhappy.

Truth is no one on here or anywhere can stop you cramming a garibaldi into your gob.

Try a 5 day de-tox (see The Harcombe Diet - makes you miserable as sin day 3 due to sugar as caffeine withdrawal but it works and you feel amazing by day 5. Or jump on the low-carb threads on here - BIWI's threads are great and she is really helpful.

I hope you find something to suit you. I enjoyed reading and recommend India Knights 'From Pig to Twig' book - she was saying what I was thinking. Definitely worth a look.

It's a cycle to be broken.

howstupid you are absolutely right, diets aren't the way forward.

If you were trying to 'ban' particular foods then I was going to suggest doing exactly the opposite and allowing yourself to eat exactly what you want for a while - on condition that you really, really stop and think if you truly want it and if you decide you do, sit and savour every bit of food you want. Then consider how it affects you afterwards.

Sweet and stodgy carbs are comforting, whilst we are eating them, but they don't leave you feeling great. They are lovely once in a while but you probably know the stuff you should be eating more of.

Would it work for you to try giving yourself just one such thing each day - say, a cake, every day, at whatever time if/when you want it? Having something there and 'allowed' may actually take the attraction away? First have a glass of water when you feel like a snack, then give yourself the option of the cake, or a healthy snack (palmful of almonds, houmous and raw veggies, small full fat greek yoghurt with fruit, half an avocado, a banana), or a hot drink. Make this a habit and hopefully you will end up feeling more energetic and 'up' from the great snacks and be less attracted to the cake, over time you may not even fancy it every day, and then the times you do, you can really enjoy it?

A healthy diet to me means eating what is best for our body 80% of the time but we also need to not label anything as bad, it immediately makes it more alluring - and cake is nice to eat - food is also about pure pleasure (not to be confused with comfort eating, filling a void of some kind) and social enjoyment so we need to allow for that too in the other 20% of the time, not constantly obsess over what we eat/shouldn't eat/don't eat every day.

Oh, the other thing I meant to suggest, some time to yourself, if only once a week (though an hour or so a day would be fantastic). For me it was joining a gym with a crèche then when I was pg 3rd time I found a local nanny who looked after school age children to take DD from 12-3 one afternoon a week.

Can you get anyone to take DC for a couple of hours so you can do something that is just for you? A swim, a magazine and a coffee at a cafe, wander round shops, exercise class, meet a friend for lunch? Being a SAHM can be lovely but it is also relentlessly repetitive and you can end up feeling like your life is completely devoted to others' well being, with little left for you - that is where the little moments when you eat come in , they are your little oasis of treat/time for you but they won't ever satisfy that need, somehow you need a break to just be you whenever you can manage it.

the way I stopped was to think about everything I was eating

write it down or use a app to record it

when you ate going to comfort eat, think about what you are doing, think if you need to eat it - or would you rather have something else - put money in a jar, or play a game on your phone or just something else that's not eating

part of breaking any habit it awareness, and good luck

Low carbing. Seriously. It's so much easier than I thought, because I am just not hungry. I know comfort eating is emotional, but I reckon the constant carb high, carb slump, contributes massively to that emotional high/low cycle too. Plus it's a lot easier to resist cake when you are not hungry!

I've got comfort eating and binge eating issues. I've got 'getting better bit (e) by bit (e) ' and finding it very helpful.

I'm finding it hard to break the habit that started after my last baby but its a structured approach with goals each week.

Its usually less about the food and more to do with the emotions and habits around food.

Don't buy the carby things you crave. No bread/ cakes/ crisps/ biscuits etc in the house so you can't just pick. Anything carby that needs to be cooked is easier to avoid as takes time and effort

Stock up on others snacks like whole nuts/ cheese/ seeds/ fruit/ veg. They will fill if your hungry but after a few days you won't crave pure carbs and sugar all the time

Refined wheat and sugar caused a candida imbalance in my gut. The candida caused me to crave the white flour and sugar, causing more imbalance. So once I cut this out, I stopped craving (if you suffer from thrush regularly this would help). Just mentioning it in case you happen to suffer the same.

Marking place and hoping for miracle solutions.

Robot is that a book?

I have had this problem. First don't have cakes, sweets, biscuits in the house if you can help it. And every time you want to eat for comfort am I eating this because I'm hungry or need something to eat or not. And cut out or cut massively down on bread. I've had no bread today and I have eaten a lot less and don't feel in the least bit hungry.

Sorry funnyrunner. Yes its a book recommended by the eating disorder group I go to.

I've joined a good, supportive thread in the Weight Loss Chat board, you may want to come and have a chat with us over there OP. It's called "I'm stepping off the diet merry go round"

I haven't really got any solutions because Ive been dealing with this for 35 years and not 'cured' yet. A few things help a abit. Firstly, is to not have the stuff in the house. That's quite easy for me because I live alone now. Secondly, is to just eat 3 meals a day. No snacking, no grazing. When I get up in the morning I plan what I'm going to eat that day and try to stick to it. For me snacking just led to me wandering round the kitchen thinking "right, what can I have next?". The structure/discipline of 3 meals helps me, but I know it may not be for everyone.

LittleRobots I have just looked at that book on Amazon and may order it. Does your ed group use any others?

The 'Slow Down Diet' is a good one herdy...slightly misleading as it's not a 'diet' as such at all, it doesn't ban any foods but does, for example, explain the effect high sugar and processed carbs have on the body with regard to weight gain and appetite. Recommends the best quality food you can get, whatever you choose to eat. Also mindful, regular/structured meals (ie always three proper meals a day).

Good morning, sorry I never got back to at least say thank you for all the amazing advice! DS has a cold and we had an interesting night, to say the least...

ohforfoxsake I will definitely try some detox first, I miss that great feeling you get after a few days of it and it just makes any lifestyle changes so much easier. I know I need to do something and no one can do it for me, it has to be my decision and my own effort.. [sigh]

Sleepwhenidie this is so well said, it all really is about this little treat to myself. Sad, but it feels that it is the only thing I do for myself. For various reasons a few next months will be extremely tight with money and I can't really join a gym. And to make matters worse, OH will be offshore for 10 weeks so no one really to take DS off me to give me peace and quiet but your tips for healthy snacks are great, thank you!

superbagpuss God I don't think I'd ever be able to look back at a whole list of crap I've had all day. This is actually a good idea, having to record everything would probably put me off eating cause I am so lazy busy

HerdyHerdwick I will come and join you on your thread, it would be so lovely to talk to other people who have the same issue and not feel like a freak. I actually name changed for this thread cause I was so embarrassed

Thank you for all the advise, I really appreciate it.. starting from tomorrow, this has to stop ASAP!!!

sleeptil thanks for mentioning that book, I've just bought it for my kindle.

how yes, do come over to the thread. It's gone quiet since yesterday because it's weekend, but I'm sure you'll feel welcomed. And you are definitely not a freak.

sleepwhen I've just noticed I completely changed your name and with that the whole meaning and point of it..so sorry! That's me multi tasking with the kindle and the laptop.

Don't worry Herdy, I'll answer to anything !

How can you find a fellow mum who might do a few hours looking after your LO once week and you do the same for her? And also a 'pushy mums' exercise with buggy class perhaps? Yoga with babies class? Walking is great but I think if you regularly do something that pushes you to improves your fitness it affects your mood, making you feel less in need of the comfort that stodgy food brings, also it makes you more aware and respectful of your body, which then leads to you wanting to nourish it properly? I'm not saying it will turn you into a acai berry eating health freak overnight, but small steps and change in attitude towards your body and food are key. I really believe that exercise can contribute hugely to this.