Tips for emotional eaters

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12/20/12 3:32 P

my best tactic is to acknowledge what's happen. and then to get real and remind myself that there are a million things i cannot control.. but one thing i can control is my own actions.

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12/20/12 2:14 P

yes! going to sp

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12/19/12 2:22 P

Distract yourself and/or figure out a non-caloric way to deal with the emotions and emotional stress.

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12/19/12 5:46 A

Interrupt your intention by going to Spark People, Jillian Michaels enewsletter, Dr Oz Website, etc.

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12/18/12 4:10 P

Knowing you are an emotional eater is one part of the battle. I suggest when you track your food, you guage your hunger level and also your mood. how hungry are you on a scale of 1-10 and what is your mood-- hungry, bored, anxious, angry, sad, sleepy, happy, stressed, etc.

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12/18/12 1:22 P

Ask yourself: What am I really hungry for? Am I lonely? Bored? Anxious? It helps to identify what is really going on and to be kind to yourself.

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12/18/12 11:52 A

Call a friend, or write in a journal!

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12/18/12 9:11 A

These are great tips. I have been having a hard time with the school shooting and have noticed an increased drive to binge on empty calories. I just have to keep reminding myself that I can't change what happened and excess food won't solve anything.
Anyway, stay positive!

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12/18/12 6:05 A

It helps me to drink a glass of water and brush my teeth with extra strong minty toothpaste. Don't eat in the front of TV or PC. Good luck

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12/17/12 4:28 P

When stressed, the brain wants a way out, and the serotonin secreted by the digestive track when fed helps. That is why people eat when stressed.

But all the brain wants is just a little relief. It could result from an activity that you love doing. What do you love doing (other than eating)? Do that when stressed. It helped me.

Edited by: MPLANE37 at: 12/17/2012 (16:29)

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12/17/12 4:19 P

Chew gum. I do this when I am wanting to lapse or when I am bored so I want to much. I grab my bottle of water and get a good filling drink then pop gum in my mouth. Usually I'll chew it for a couple hrs and totally forget about eating. Chewing gum also helps me when I am feeling anxious since I have an anxiety issue. Also if I know I am about to binge and make a bad decision I get up and clean our house. Good luck on this journey you can do it. Anything is possible all we have to do is take it one decision at a time. Also find someone to confide in, for me its my husband he will just quietly listen and once I am done depending on my mood he will just let me continue with my rant or give me feed back. He is so good about knowing how to make me feel better.

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12/17/12 3:55 P

I tell myself that it is time to go for a run when I have had a particularly ruff day. I just know that it is going to happen!! I have progressed to running in the past 6 months. I was just walking for 15 minutes to start and after a couple of weeks I progressed to a half hour walk then an hour now I run 5 miles. I am a little anxious I know that this is a good alternative! and a healthier alternative!! I do have days that are in the middle so I do just think I need to eat something. I do keep vegtables on hand and fruit. They are good fillers.

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12/17/12 2:41 P

I try to avoid emotional eating by not having a lot of snack foods in the house, and what I do have is tagged in my head as for the kids or my husband. (Just because I have no control doesn't mean they need to diet)

Get active when you feel that urge coming on. Not only is it hard to eat when taking a walk or riding a bike, it also helps relieve stress and helps to get you through the emotional time in a more healthy way.

Or, have plenty of ready to eat veggies around so that if you do give in, you're only helping yourself by getting in more veggies.

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12/16/12 11:51 P

Make sure it is actually emotional eating. I thought many times that it must be emotional eating because I had eaten recently. Many times I was thirsty or had eaten carbs, which triggered hunger because of the raise and then drop in blood sugar.
Birgit

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12/16/12 10:39 P

I find something else to do instead of eating. I workout, I do a craft project, or paint my finger nails. Hard to eat with wet polish on. I also blog my feelings on my sparks page.

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12/16/12 7:01 P

Try keeping something like celery or carrots, all ready to eat in the fridge. Crunch on them, when you get that feeling and then go do something as soon as possible - walk, bike ride, folding laundry. The crunchy vegetables are just a stopgap until you can work off the stress, anxiety or whatever you are feeling.

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12/16/12 6:41 P

These are great tips! Keep them coming!

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12/16/12 3:21 P

I have issues with this too. Being type 2 diabetic it can be especially bad. Charting all the numbers, getting a high one you don't understand, it really gets brutal. I know I have to walk away and do something else. Leave the kitchen, put down the phone, get on the computer, distract yourself. If you need to cry, cry. There is nothing wrong with feeling emotions. I find that if I let myself feel the emotion and work through it, I don't want to eat nearly as much. Don't beat yourself up too much when it does happen. You are already making progress, you're not binging on an entire pizza, or a whole bag of chips. As long as you are making forward progress you are getting a win.

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12/16/12 2:32 P

Everytime you eat, try to write down how you're feeling - I know that worked for a lot of people.

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12/16/12 12:17 P

When you become stressed, anxious, sad, mad, frustrated, whatever it is, instead of turning to food, why not exercise? In the moment it might be difficult, but if you pause and take deep breaths, maybe sip on some water, try one of Coach Nicole's workout videos?

I did a quick search and here's the Emotional Eaters SparkTeam.
www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp?gid=439

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12/16/12 10:26 A

So last night I had to get real with myself and acknowledge that I am sometimes an emotional eater..
I am wondering if anyone has tips to help with this. Most of the time I am good at staying on track and staying in my ranges but a few times a month I throw in the towel because I am upset and while I may not over eat by a lot.....it is overeating.
Advise welcome!