How do you fix an emotional eater???

[howdidthishappentome]

I can not believe how much I have let myself go. I am now classed as OBESE on the BMI scale. I've never been bothered by the BMI scale as I've been a physically fit person and I managed to carry my weight well. But now. I am ashamed of myself and how I have allowed emotional/stress/comfort eating to completely dominate my life. Has anyone any advice on how to manage this kind of poor/excessive/ mindless eating behaviour. Im scared because I have no idea how to turn this around.... Very much look forward to your replies HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 13kg]

Hi and welcome to this lovely community. You have made the 1st step towards a healthy lifestyle by joining us.

I suggest you read the Newbie pack carefully. Follow all the links so that you know your way around.

I started by joining the Daily Diary. It's useful to plan our menu for the day ahead.

Another useful post is the Weekly Weigh in ,it's satisfying to see some progress. One step at a time. Have a good read of other members experiences I'm sure that you can turn this around.

Good luck🍀

[Fra-90 in reply to TheTabbyCat]

Hi, where is the newbie pack and daily diary

[Diane2 in reply to Fra-90]

Hi the Daily Diary can be found either in Events or Pinned Posts. Here is your link to the Welcome Newbies guide again..

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Eleanorba Maintainer]

First of all - everything T54 said! Welcome to this friendly and supportive place, you’ve just taken a great first step to sorting this!

My advice would be to make sure that when you start to change your eating patterns to lose weight - you eat plenty! I used to think I was an emotional eater and I’m sure I was to a degree but I also just got really weepy with hunger when I tried to cut down on calories too harshly. Perhaps you could start by just making some healthy changes to your meals and eating plenty of good food at mealtimes but no desserts or snacks?

An admin person will be along soon to show you the ropes here. Enjoy!

[Onlyhereonce]

Hi there! Happy New Year!! I've literally joined this group just now. Don't know if you saw This Morning this morning - the Speakmans were on giving advice to one overeater; they suggested that you have to address why you're overeating before you can get control back. Also take some activity up to distract you from food. I'm going to dig out some unfinished cross stitch work from years ago and possibly a 1000 piece jigsaw!!! Not sure if that will be of any help to you ...

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Onlyhereonce]

Hi and welcome, Onlyhereonce

Please see my reply below.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Onlyhereonce]

I hope we'll see you joining a weigh-in team this weekend, then we can all do this together

[Tiggerr in reply to Onlyhereonce]

Welcome Onlyhereonce although my advice would be come here all the time

Eating and drinking is a constant part of our life so working at it (and enjoying it) really needs to be a full time job

[S11m]

Hi, howdidthishappentome , welcome.

I started at BMI 35 - I lost one pound a week, and I am now 14% bodyfat.

If you "slim smart" weight loss is not so hard! It is not all about motivation and masochism.

Some of us here find that what works is a combination of The Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet (see the forum here on Health Unlocked) and Not Snacking All Day AKA Intermittent Fasting (IF). See:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[Dior20]

I'm the same, my weight has steadily crept up over the last few years. I've also given up smoking but as I have a long term condition I find it hard to exercise. I now feel like I'm standing at the base of a mountain wondering how the heck I will reach the top. Its like my willpower has vanished..

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Dior20]

Hi and welcome, Dior20

Please see my reply below.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Dior20]

I hope we'll see you joining a weigh-in team this weekend, then we can all do this together

[Tiggerr in reply to Dior20]

Hi Dior and welcome.

Exercise is great for our overall health however weight loss is 80-90% what you eat. Some here are severely limited and can do little or no exercise and manage to lose weight.

Like any mountain, hill, trip, etc, they are managed by doing one step at time. Join a weigh-in and set yourself a mini goal (the first one pound?) and focus on that alone.

Additionally, why not have a look at the Daily Diary and see what others are eating and why.

The more you involve yourself here, the further towards your goals you are likely to get.

Best of luck!

[Lilaclady24 Restart Sept 2023]

I feel like you that my willpower has deserted me as i contemplate an uphill battle. Year after disappointing year, I see all my beautiful clothes bought in slimmer years hang in the wardrobe gathering dust. But we are all here together now at the start of a new decade and we can encourage each other to get healthier and meet our goals (at least) by little steps. I feel encouraged by the presence of all of you as you should be by my presence and determination.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

What Eleanorba said.

I've seen so many people pop up here thinking that they're "emotional eaters", but once they decide to start eating properly (ie., not eating calorie-restricted low-fat diets) their "emotional" problems evaporate.

I'm not saying there's no such thing as "emotional eating". Simply that it's far less common than doctors would have you believe. My observation is that, in 80-90% of cases, the "emotional" aspect is a response to serious physiological damage caused by a nutrient-poor diet.

The key point is this: eating behaviour is almost entirely autonomic. You have very little conscious control over it. Even animals/people with massive brain damage can often feed normally, as do animals with very little brain to start with. When you force your body to consume a starvation diet, lacking in essential nutrients like fat, those reptilian bits of your brain that are tasked with keeping us alive go into panic mode. We go off on a desperate search for proper food ... which we can't find, because we've deliberately put it out of reach, and replaced it with low-fat junk. And thus the descent into Hell begins.

Take a step back and a deep breath. Then have a look in your food cupboards. How much of it is stuff in packets that either (a) boasts that it's "heart healthy" or "low in fat" or (b) is full of sugar, starch, and chemicals? Is your fridge stocked with fresh veg, meat, eggs, and dairy, or more low-fat diet products ... and chocolate?

Don't blame yourself if you see something amiss. We've all been there. We've all followed orders. It took me ten years to figure out that I was getting fat because I was following the advice. Some people never figure it out. What you have to do is very simple, but it'll take a bit of mental rebellion to get you to that place.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, howdidthishappentome, Onlyhereonce and Dior20

You've been given some excellent advice and I'll just give you a few things to read:

phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

psychologytoday.com/us/blog...

helpguide.org/articles/diet...

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013...

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best for 2020

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

I hope we'll see you joining a weigh-in team this weekend, then we can all do this together

[Lzlycraft]

It sounds like you are ready and motivated to take control. Read the articles, follow the posts, invest time into finding things that will work for you, keeping a diary, goal setting, non food rewards and diversions. Stop feeling guilty if you fall off the wagon, just climb back on again and continue your journey. Success breeds success, set milestone goals, rewarded of course then go fo it!!

[Portlandprincess]

Welcome! Well you know you can do this. Although not emotional eater I eat when I'm bored so.... I'm also using a couple of apps to help me. Couch to 5k. Brilliant! A water drinking reminder and also I am sober. To keep me dry through january. I find they keep me on my toes. Good luck x

[Craftyperson]

Happy new year to you too.

You've made a great start by coming on here and you will get plenty of support. Read the links admin will send and that will help you navigate through site. Join in a daily weigh in and you will get loads of support. Eat balanced meals made from scratch that are filling and that should help with the cravings. If you eat a lot of sugary stuff gradually reducing better than going cold turkey so to speak. Good luck

[Lulu99]

Hello and welcome, wishing you a peaceful new year ☺️

You have come to the right place and have been given so much great advice and support so far - which will always be available if you seek it on this forum.

I also used to be a mindless/ emotional eater, I still am judging by this festive season. However you can loose weight and this doesn't in any way define you or your capabilities to live a healthy life.

If I feel hungry or think about eating I start with a glass of water (you are usually thirsty not hungry) and say to myself I'll come back to food in 20 mins if I'm still hungry.

I also break my day of eating up with herbal teas every few hours and add honey if I want something sweet.

Please don't decrease your calories too drastically, this will only harm you in the long run and leave you crashing and possibly overeating, or your body not adjusting when you try increase to a maintenance level.

I try stick with 1300/1400 calories (I'm pretty short) use the BMI calculator to work out yours. I find splitting my meals fairly evenly in calories throughout the day works well and drink water before and after each meal.

For mindless eating I try take the dog for a walk to keep me distracted if I just want to eat out of boredom. Sometimes just leaving your house/ location you are in will switch your focus off of food. Find things that distract you if you can ☺️

Sorry I have written a lot! Just don't rush anything or punish yourself, you have taken amazing steps in recognising where you are and that you should make changes for your body's long term health.

Take things slowly, making small changes to turn into habits and things will work out.

Also remember this is a great place for support, advice or just someone to listen to you if you need emotional support. Perhaps trying self care or meditating or therapy to try assess why you emotionally eat would help☺️

Wishing you luck and hope to see you around the forum more 💞

[Lytham 3 stone]

This could help turn it around? x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...