emotional eaters

[kkrukow]

Does anyone else find them selves doing great with your diet until about 4:00 then all hell breaks loose and you graze straight thru for hours?

What works for you to change this habit?

I am feeling very upset with myself and depressed because I do it which i end up eating/drinking more because of that...

HELP

[Odyssey13]

@kkrukowWelcome to the forums.

If you know you're eating for the wrong reasons, that's a big part of the battle. Is it always the same time of day when you feel it all breaks lose?

I know with me, that I need that crunch factor to feel I've eaten. Anything like celery, apples, whatever gives that crunch and makes you work to chew it will help.

Don't be down on yourself. You're trying to change and that isn't always easy. Give yourself some credit for wanting to be different and for joining us here.

This thread is one of many you might want to read - click. We all, at times, feel we've overdone the eating.

This forum, this community, can be a big support for you, so please keep on posting and sharing. You'll read many inspirational posts from people who struggled, but managed to make it to victory. You can do it, too. We're here for you.

[cra]

I do this on the weekends... I will do great all week and then catch myself binge eating over the weekend. I just try to schedule activities for myself to do over the weekend. I signed up for 3 5K races over the next month on Saturday mornings. Or I will try to visit family, or do something where I'm not able to be in my kitchen (& eating everything in sight).

[kkrukow]

Thanks!  I love my fit bit I do alright at tracking- i've done it all before a couple of times i just go back to bad habits 😞

I will try just switching to something healthy and maybe bring my 'ride home pop' with instead of stopping at the store with all the temptation at the worst time

[dotwave]

For me, it's usually if I have a bad day at work as I have a favorite fast food restaurant on the way home. I've made premeasured bags trail/chex mix or veggies'n'dip. I figured, snacking on something not so unhealthy tends to help. With the premeasured portions, I don't really have to worry about throwing caution into the wind. It gets me the quick fix I need. I'm looking to expand for a variety of choices soon.

The tough part is just passing by that restaurant.

[tahari01]

I have found that I want to eat anything in site when I get home around 4 also!  I just bought myself a birthday gift (the Fitbit Flex!) today!  I'm currently on Weight Watchers and have lost 100 lbs in almost 2 years. I have 65 lbs more to go to hit goal, and ever since Thanksgiving, I have hit a plateau. I'm hoping the Flex will help me get motivated to stay on track and NOT want to eat when I get home. Problem with me, is that my husband works nights, so I'm always alone. Hence, the emotional eating!

[SunsetRunner]

- You are not alone. Please follow the link in Odyssey13's post. There are a lot of good suggestions there. But the most important thing for you to recognize is that you've identified the problem. Emotional eating is complex. The problem is one I have struggled with on and off all my life. Here is what I do to control this type of eating:

- Recognize the problem: Read up on it, follow the FitBit boards, google it, etc. The more you know about this "enemy," the better equipped you will be to fight it.

- Understand what you can control and what you cannot. Then act accordingly.

- You can control what goes into your mouth. Keep fresh veggies around. Try chewing gum. Do something else besides eat when the urge comes ... call someone and chat. Walk, move, clean house, sing along with the radio - loudly and enthusiastically - if you are in the car. Make a conscious effort to substitute something for food when the emotions hit.

- Acknowledge what you cannot control. Don't tip toe around it, hiding behind food. Put it right there on the table. Write it down if you have to. Tape it all over the house. "X won't drive me to eat! I am stronger than it!" As for me, I am currently facing a health problem. It is trying to sabotage my efforts. I can't change the situation but I can change HOW I REACT to it. This knowledge gives me power.

- Finally, get a physical. Find out if any foods out there are acting as a trigger. I got off gluten and refined sugar. That did a lot to reduce my cravings for unhealthy food and made it easier to reach for non-trigger foods when the emotions hit.

::stepping off my soap box:: Bottom line. You know you are an emotional eater. Take steps to fight it. With a plan of action, you will win more battles than you may lose. You can do it!!

[Ilayna]

Did you know that emotional eating is part of your belief system? Well it is. Did you know that deep down inside, you have unhidden beliefs about what you can and can not do. For instance, who here believes that dieting is hard work?

[smhermione]

I always had trouble with the 4pm hour as well as that seemed to be the time that a half bag of doritos would magically disappear! 🙂  Some things that worked for me.

1. Eat dinner earlier - You're obviously hungry at 4pm, so eat dinner earlier

2. Healthy, premeasured snacks - For me I like fruit or yogurt and steer clear of salty things as that is a particular downfall for me at that time in the day.

3. Budget your calories for later in the day - I really like being able to have a big dinner and snacks in the evening so that I don't feel deprived.  To do that it means that I eat less at breakfast and lunch so I can eat more later.

Good luck with beating your emotional eating!  I know how hard that habit is to break!

[highflyer]

I tend to do this on my days off work when I'm home alone or on weekends if I'm home alone or don't really feel like bringing myself to do anything other than sit. 

I try to avoid entering my kitchen if I can help it. I might go in to pour myself some water or something, but I really just try hard not to be in there. That leads to me lingering and looking over everything I have. 

Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. 

[Ilayna]

I have read articles that are researched based that it is better to eat a large breakfast, medium lunch and light dinner.  The reason is we are most active during the day and if we do not fuel our body during the day, we run out of fuel by the late afternoon.  If we eat a large meal at night, it will sit in our stomach and ferment and go towards fat as our system is slowing down and not burning as much.

[robbackatya]

20% of my eating translated to 80% of my weight gain. Now at 44 years old I am in the best shape of my life.

For me I have to keep it simple.

I have a program that automatically adjust for me and tells me how much food I can eat to maintain regardless of the diet or exercise program I am on.

All I need to do is stay underneath it to lose.

The rest is my spiritual program. Not eating when I am not hungry. I log my sprirtual and mental exercise just like I log my physical.

It has helped.

[Ilayna]

Rob, what program are you using that automatically adjusts for your food intake?

[EYF]

Hello Everyone,

The reason I am here is because I am overweight. After the birth of my kid 3 year old kid I never went back to my eating habits. My kids father and I didn't work out and my son has special needs. I work full time and blah blahh..

At one point I reached 199 lbs (which was crazy) and lost 30lbs (which was amazing).

My problem is my reaction to my emotions (rejection, lonyless and so on..) . I eat and eat and eat. right now i'm probably 180 and feel and look horrible. 

Does anyone else go throught this? Is there a way we can link our fitbits and challange each other to loosing sort term goals?

Please let me know,

M