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Goal #1 get emotional eating under control....

Monday, January 03, 2011

My biggest desire is to master emotional eating once and for all!! To master binging and to come to terms with what life throws at you without turning to food.

Food has been a comfort, my escape and has literally become my addiction to solve all problems(more like mask all problems) Some drink, some smoke, do drugs...I EAT. I eat when I'm stressed, i eat when I'm tired, i eat when I'm sad, angry. when i'm feeling guilty or overwhelmed....I EAT and boy do i eat. I wish i can say i eat a lot of apples, carrots and salad but when we feel emotionally distraught the only food that seems to call us and temporally make us feel better would be the ohh...so delicious chocolate, fries, cakes, breads and all the comfort food imaginable. I'm out of control and i need to put the breaks on before i creep back up not slowly but rather quickly at this rate.

2 months ago i lost my niece 29years of age. She died in a tragic car accident on her way to work for me at one of my restaurants. Her death has affected me in a big way and i'm masking it with food as i bring myself to work everyday trying to pretend like i'm ok. And when i am at home i do the same for my daughter's sake for my husband's sake...even for myself i try to pretend that I'm ok but i'm not...I know i'm not... gained 20lbs and suffer from headaches and i'm eating out of control...like never before. I need to stop...I have to stop...i feel it physically affecting me and the weight gain is just adding to my depression.

Less then 5 months ago i realized one of my long desired dreams...to own my own restaurant....not one but two...
I became quickly overwhelmed by trying to be super-mom, super-wife, super-boss, super-businesswomen and super-partner....then Lidia(my niece) passes away in the mist of all this and i slowly stop caring abut wearing on these hats...I can only do my best.

Today i took the day off and made a doctor's appt(get my blood work done), also called to see a therapist(need to talk to someone)now this was the next thing. Sparkpeople has helped me in the past get back into shape like nothing else!! I really need to surround myself with the same things that made me loose 50plus lbs in the first place...I never want to go back to being that heavy again.

So that's my story so far....Got 20lbs to loose...Would love to loose it by this spring but more then anything would love to get emotional eating under control.......
and to find peace of mind again.

Any ideas?

Thank you for reading xo




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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DSJB9999 1/4/2011 3:13AM

    So sorry to hear of your loss! I agree the Lord takes the children he needs.

I also believe the Lord only gives 'difficulties' and 'challenges' to those people who can 'handle them'. You are stronger than you think.

I really like LMALSBURY's ideas about the jar, going to use it for my issues too!

One step at a time. Keep sparking.

emoticon emoticon
Donna x

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OOLALA53 1/4/2011 12:42AM

    I can only imagine the pain your have been living with. You are taking many of the right steps. I'm glad you're on the LBF team. Our 21-day thread is very active. We have all paired food with all kinds of thoughts and emotions for a long time. We can unhook the connection. Sometimes there is nothing that will change our difficult situations in the present, but we can always do something else besides eat. And sometimes we eat anyway. You must have compassion and forgiveness for yourself, too. I hope you can find a way to grieve and that this emotional weight will lift soon. I wish it sounded like you could let your family share this with you, but you know your situation best. You deserve big hugs! emoticon

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LMALSBURY 1/4/2011 12:20AM

    I read this idea from somewhere and hope it might help you out. I too am/was an emotional eatter. I still am to a point but not nearly as much as I was almost a yr ago.

Okay, here is a challenge that will help with emotional eating. Do the following:

*Find a jar, small box, or bag that you can keep close to your refrigerator, pantry, or desk drawer.

*Get a piece of blank paper and scissors. Cut your paper into 10-20 strips.

*Get a pen.

On each piece of paper, WRITE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO BESIDES EATING RIGHT NOW. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

*Brush your teeth
*Paint your fingernails
*Go write a letter
*Go type an e-mail
*Take the dog for a walk
*Kick a ball around the yard with the kids
*Put in an exercise DVD
*Phone a friend for support
*Jump rope
*Chew Gum
*Drink a big glass of water

You get the idea, right? Put these suggestions into your jar and keep them close to where you will be tempted. Most of the time, we aren't hungry when we go to the fridge. We are feeling emotional or we are actually thirsty.

Instead of letting our emotions get the best of us (and sabotaging bathing suit season), we need to focus on something else besides food.

Have a I KNOW I CAN, I KNOW I CAN attitude and YOU can do it!

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BET212 1/3/2011 11:36PM

    I am so sorry for your loss. I know how painful the death of a loved one can be. emoticon

It sounds like you are taking the right steps...going to an MD for a physical and seeing a therapist so you can deal with your emotions. It's funny how we think we can push those feelings away with food. But the feelings are there, deep down no matter what we eat and the food just adds to our misery. We feel better temporarily but it doesn't last long, nor is it worth the cost to our health.

For emotional eaters it has become such an automatic part of our functioning that we forget we do have other choices. Talking to a professional; talking to your family; making healthy choices as often as you can are all steps in the right direction. With time, the old unhealthy habits will start to change to new healthy ones. I pray you find some peace of mind soon. emoticon

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1_AMAZING_WOMAN 1/3/2011 11:34PM

    I am so sorry to hear about your neice. I understand that at a time like this it is probably hard to care so much about taking care of your restraunts, your family, and everything else. But, hang in there. It is good that you are going to see a therapist. Someone to talk to to help you sound out all that you're feeling and get through it.

I wish you the very best in getting through this time.
Amber

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2BFREE2LIVE 1/3/2011 10:57PM

    I am still here my friend, just let me know how I can help. I am sorry for your loss but you must think ahead to the future and not dwell on the past as it is not your fault. The Lord only takes his children when he is ready for them. You know he let me stay to help others and I am here for you. Sandy

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