How to stop comfort eating

[mondayschild123]

Looking for any tips/advice/words of wisdom...

Since having DS 18 months ago, I have not been able to shift the weight. I totally indulged during pregnancy and the months after while breastfeeding and I'm still nearly 3 stone overweight.

I was always slim before DS and think I had a fairly healthy relationship with food. However, these days with exhaustion of a DS who still isn't a brilliant sleeper plus being back at work full time in a stressful job, I just keep comforting eating - primarily to give myself an energy boost, but also because I want a treat. I do all the right things, planning meals, only having healthy foods in the house, but I just keep giving in to 'treats' at work, or nipping into the supermarket etc. I suffered with a lot of anxiety on my return to work, so really focused on getting my head right - which has resulted in me eating ready meals and crap convenience food to reduce the mental load so I could try and claw back a snippet of 'me time' to recharge. I am in a much better place mentally now, but physically becoming quite unhealthy and am still gaining weight.

I have tried all sorts of different diets, slimming world weight Watchers etc but find it very difficult to stick to them and I realise it's my mindset I need to address. I'm very much in a rut of 'one more biscuit/piece of cake/slice of pizza won't hurt', but this is happening multiple times a day/week. It reminds me of when I quit smoking many years ago, it took me ages to shake the 'one more wont hurt' mentality.

Has anyone any tips they can share? Or books/tools you'd recommend? Any pearls of wisdom? I know ultimately no one else can do this for me, but it's good to hear how other people have managed to overcome things.

Watching with interest as I’m a massive stress eater. Similarly I was always slim but put on weight during pregnancy 7 years ago that I still haven’t managed to shift despite “dieting” ever since. I eat healthy meals but I stress eat crap too regularly and I think that sabotages all the healthiness.

That sounds very similar to me at the moment!! Hopefully someone will be along soon to share their advice

You're really need to deal with the stress etc causing you to reach for food. If you're working with a 18m old you're not going to be having much time for yourself. I think you really need to focus on that. Then when you start feeling better, look at your eating.

I've found one of the best things is to just not have any things like sweets, crisps, biscuits, ice cream etc at all. It's actually easier for me to say no than it is to 'just have one'. I do allow myself to eat whatever I want and how ever I want for meals though, so I'm not hungry and reaching for snacks to keep me going.

Hypnotherapy. Made a big difference to me. Just normal Hypno, not a weight loss one. Sadly 18 months later I've stopped practising, and have started comfort eating again - I need to get back into it.

Don't have any of that stuff in the house. Throw it all out. Give it to a food bank.

Your body will continue to crave the sugar and junk you've been feeding it, but the cravings do eventually subside.

Try not to think of it as dieting. Consider it like pressing the reset button.

Comfort eating is a real killer. I fell into it after a bereavement and put on 2 stones by just sitting there eating cakes and shit like I was in a trance. I've had to completely re-educate my body into healthier choices and I'm very cross with myself that I put all that weight on.