If you used to stress-eat (or any emotion in my case) and don’t anymore...

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How did you manage to stop? Every morning I think this will be the day I stop eating my emotions, but by lunch time I’m already halfway through a packet of biscuits, and won’t stop until bedtime.
I need to stop this, as it’s basically a self-destruct habit, but I just don’t know how. What worked for you?

I wish I had the answer as I’m in the same boat

It’s just so frustrating, as I know I’m doing it, and I know I’ll feel like a failure every single day, but I can’t find it in me to stop.

I feel your pain op
You need to find an alternative habit to replace it - it's hard I know

I’ve eaten so much today. I don’t think I even enjoyed it beyond the first couple of mouthfuls. I just can’t stop.

@UrsulaBee yes, that’s exactly it. I’m trying not to eat more tonight, but DH bought loads of snacks (and I have no willpower), so we’ll see how long I last.

@orchidsonabudget yes, I don’t know what with though. It’s just such an easy instant gratification (despite feeling worse soon after) that I haven’t found anything to substitute it with.

Binge watching telly has been working for me

I’ve managed to stop this by stopping a binge/restrict cycle- I used to binge/stress eat then not eat to make up for it, then binge again etc etc. Now I just make sure I don’t restrict at all and have whatever I fancy when I fancy in sensible portions. If you look up intuitive eating it’s basically that. My relationship with food is so so much better and I really enjoy what I eat rather than feeling guilty. I’ve also managed to lose a stone and keep it off (I always used to yoyo between 8st 10 and 9st 10 due to my binging/restricting cycle but since fixing my relationship with food I’ve kept at the lower end) it is definitely possible, good luck!!

Worked out how to manage my emotions differently. It took a lot of therapy and a lot of hard work but I’m glad I did it.

I've got a similar thread running after having some bad days.

I wish I knew. I find it very calming to eat, even if I'm just standing up shoving food in.

I got to 14 stone. I thought WTF!! This has to stop and downloaded My Fitness Pal. It will be a long slow road though to get back to looking at my body and feeling comfortable. I actually find that app really useful because it's so easy to track what you eat and see that you need to be sensible if you don't want to be hungry.

I've had to kick sugar completely. In order to do that I've had to kick flour. I got onto a sort of sugar rollercoaster that got out of hand.
I tried the Paul McKenna app, but it didn't work for me.

I’m completely the same I eat when I’m stressed and I really want to stop I like to be 10st I’m 11st now every day I think I’ll get back on and annoyingly first lockdown I was running yoga etc now I’m so fed up I have no motivation to do anything

I think switching the kind of food I allow myself to binge on has helped, and making sure it’s readily available. The times I fail are the times there’s nothing handy to scoff. So making up bowls of Greek salad, sliced grilled chicken, tuna Mayo, boiled eggs, etc and having something like that handy in the fridge means I’ll gobble that rather than eat ten slices of toast or a packet of biscuits. It’s a work in progress though...

@Love51

I've had to kick sugar completely. In order to do that I've had to kick flour. I got onto a sort of sugar rollercoaster that got out of hand. I tried the Paul McKenna app, but it didn't work for me.

Me too - sugar and flour had to go! Also 12 step programmes/therapy! Binge eating recovery - or any eating disorder recovery - is a hard taskmaster for a long journey I have / am finding.... 😩

I'm the same. No advice but happy to support.

@longcoffeebreak i think I got the idea from the "bright lines" book I read a couple of years ago. It was too extreme for me, a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but I figured her bright lines don't have to be my bright lines! If you find 12 step useful, this is in a similar vein.

I don't really know why, but it was like a switch flipped during lockdown 1 and I just decided I would stop comfort eating and started logging what I ate on mfp. I think my focus shifted from getting comfort from eating crap to getting satisfaction from feeling hungry in between meals because that feeling means I'm doing it right. I also started regularly exercising at home, and it was a bit of a revelation for me because I realised that with YouTube all the exercise classes you could want are there at your fingertips. I have found that exercise makes me feel good in a way that overeating didn't, and has the bonus knock on effect of reducing my appetite afterwards.
I lost 2 stone and have kept it off (so far). I do have off days - today being one, but the horrible
stuffed feeling at the end of the day is now so unpleasant that it is enough to make sure I don't slip back into my old ways.

I had to go cold turkey on sugar and refined carbs. It was hard at first but after a while your taste buds change and you no longer crave the sweet stuff. Not wanting sweet stuff really helped curb my emotional eating as I had no real interest in eating my usual 'comfort' foods so food stopped being an emotional crutch.

Deal with your emotions.

I changed jobs to something less stressful. I WFH now. I started putting myself first. I got help for my mental health.

Just adding my support. I'm in the same boat and can't seem to break out of it. It's stress and anxiety that triggers my binge eating but it's not helped by lazy eating at other times when work gets busy. I've definitely got worse since dd went to uni last September. That coupled with lockdown mean that I have been working really long hours and not cooking properly for myself.

One thing I've tried this week is batch cooking so I've got healthy instant meals in the freezer. I need to quit sugar but when I've tried before I've lasted a maximum of 3 weeks before spectacularly falling off the wagon.

Yes, I definitely think I need to stop sugar. It seems impossible at the moment, but I think it could be the thing that changes my habit. I get so tired though, that the only thing that seems to work is a sugar rush. I think I’m going to have to go to bed ridiculously early to see if that helps with controlling my emotions and eating habits.

@jendifer I think I need to look into therapy, just seems very daunting, but probably necessary for me.

@FlatEarthling yes, food is calming for me too! Nothing else seems to do it as much (apart from drinking but that would cause even more issues, if I replaced food with alcohol!)

@Disfordarkchocolate I’ve had MFP for years, but only ever managed to log things properly for a short time 2 years ago, and now get depressed when I realise I’ve eaten over my calorie limit by lunch time!

@Woodspritely yes I think I will start getting snacks ready ahead of time so I have a better option in front of me.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon I really need to up my exercise, some days I hardly do 500 steps, let alone anything more strenuous.

I have been fairly successful in largely swapping my sugar habit for a nut one now. It's probably not less calorific but more filling and less headaches.

Go back to MFP and plan your food the day before so you don’t go over your limit by lunchtime. Then stick to it. Easier to do if you avoid sugar and flour. It also avoids the ups and downs of sugar rushes which can leave you feeling awful. Focus on things that nourish you. Fresh foods, eggs, nuts and cheeses, Greek yogurt, berries, green veg etc.

Emotional eating won’t get better until you confront why you’re doing this. What is it that’s stressing you or making you upset? A pack of biscuits may make you happy for the 10mins you spend eating it, but do you really feel better afterwards? Probably not.

I’m guilty of emotional eating and have had to go down the therapy route too, to deal with the stress that causes it. Doing daily exercise has definitely helped (might just be a walk or stretches, but the act of physically moving makes me feel better). I set myself a goal of moving 600mins in March which was fantastic.

Right now you’re trying to neutralise your negative emotions with food and you need to work out why. Baby steps though, you’ll get there

@BewareTheBeardedDragon you’ll laugh, but I keep putting off eating nuts due to the calories, forgetting that a) biscuits/chocolate are worse and b) at least nuts have nutrients!

@anotherBadAvatar thank you for the tip of planning ahead. Seems so simple now, but I never did that! And yes, I need to learn how to deal with the stress in another way. I like your goal of minutes of exercise over a whole month.

I think I’m going to use this thread as an accountability one, if anyone else wants to join in with their attempts and tips.

So step one, I need to plan what I’m going to eat today.

A few things.

1. Taking the choice out of meals by meal prepping every meal and not having snacks in the house that I don’t want to eat in great quantity, so if I want eg biscuits, I need to walk to the shop to buy them, which is usually enough of an incentive not to.
2. Exercise. Not necessarily for weight loss, but to boost my mood and make me feel better about myself, helps manage my emotions. I made excuses that I didn’t have time before, but I force myself to fit in 4x30 mins a week and it really helps.
3. Talking to myself when I feel stressed. Acknowledging that stress and trying to work out what I can and can’t do about it. Accepting the things I can’t change. CBT really helps with this.