What to do when emotional eating is rearing its ugly head when on MJ?

[ladygin]

Hello. So I need some help/ advice / tips. I’m on MJ 5mg (started MJ in Sept) and slowly loosing which is good for me.

The MJ is working - suppression, slower digestion, not feeling hungry etc etc. My life has got very stressful this month and I am returning to negative food behaviours - sweets / Diet Coke - it’s a choice as I know that emotionally it makes me feel better - like taking a nurofen for a headache. The sugar is making me feel ill but still I am choosing to continue.

What can I do - what help is there for behaviour / psychological eating?

You need to find a counsellor who specialises in emotional eating and work with them to get to the root cause. Try the BACP as a starting point.

The drug only deals with the physiological reasons we are unable to lose weight or maintain it, if the issue is psychological then the drug won’t help, I’m sorry.

as it is a mental health issue, I think you need to seek mental health support in this area.

Sorry op to add, I’d consider coming off the meds as well. If you’re eating and making yourself feel unwell, and then continuing to do so as you said, I think it is maybe better to stop the drugs and seek mental health support to resolve and manage your stress responses.x

Somethings that work for me -

Reduce the trigger foods in the house
When I am triggered to eat emotionally I try to do something else for 10-15 minutes to see if it will pass - go for a walk, have a shower, phone a friend/family for a catch up, do something you enjoy that relaxes/comforts you
Instead of food try a soothing cup of warm tea or broth under the heated blanket and an episode of your favourite series/chapter of your book (if you don’t read anymore consider restarting it)
Is there another way to deal with your stress - walk, bath, some yoga/stretching, breathing exercises/meditation,

try something new you might be surprised at what works, keep trying until you find something that does, maybe ask ChatGPT for a list of ideas, tell yourself you can change the habits, be kind to yourself if you do eat emotionally, use it to identify what triggered it and what you can do differently next time.

If you continue to struggle seek support.

You sound self aware, which is helpful. In that moment of self medicating, could you stop and consider other ways to self soothe instead of?

You may need to prepare a list of potential substitute activities to try- low cal hot choc, a square of pure choc (Aztec), kitten videos, light a candle, posh hand cream, a hot water bottle- some comforting behaviours that you can do while you wait for the urge to pass.

Thank you all. You are right, It is about replacing eating with something else. I like the idea of having a list with a few options. I will try that and see how it goes xxx

I chat to ChatGPT when I have that desperate urge.

Sometimes I just do it anyway but think of a mj friendly version- I.e I'll buy 1 chocolate bar and 1 normal bag of crisps and savour them both. And remind myself of what I previously would have eaten in a binge...

I also have been known to brush my teeth to avoid eating!

And a walk. I HATE A WALK but will put my shoes on and go if I feel that familiar stir of want want want.

Don't stop taking them, I don't know why people recommend that! You'd eat 10 times the amount off the mj.

Hi think for me not buying trigger eg white bread stodgy stuff.
however biggest thing for me I notice when I don’t keep up regular exercise I can feel the cravings slipping back in. I find joking something that happens regularly either paid or unpaid helps me to keep doing it eg a 6 week yoga class or gym subscription etc
for me I regularly run and swim and it helps me so much with sweet cravings and just oversell feeling better mentally and well being x

Joining not joking

I agree with @WeAllHaveWings and others. Make a mental list of other activities to do when you’re feeling stressed. I find that going for a walk on my own listening to a podcast or an audiobook calms me when I’m feeling stressed. I need to do something physical to prevent me from turning to something sweet or a glass of wine.

I have this issue sometimes and I've found that some kind of herbal tea is a good alternative. It has to be one of the "stronger" ones that actually taste of something though! Pukka Teas are good, especially the ones that are cinnamon based.

With the best will in the world, if you're anything like me you're never going to be able to stop at one square of chocolate and just leave the rest for another time. I just find it easier to either not have any in the house, or to buy something small like a Freddo if I really can't get the idea of chocolate out of my head. Realistically that isn't going to make much difference to your daily calories!