If you are an emotional eater, how do you control the urge to eat?
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Anonymous
| For example, watch a movie, go for a walk, listen to music, take a bath? |
Anonymous
| Take 2 Benadryl and go to bed. |
Anonymous
OP here. I am typically not hungry in the evening, but morning through the afternoon. Plus, with a preteen in the house, it's not like I can go to bed when I want to. I wish! |
Anonymous
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Sorry, I would have a small slice of cheese and go for a walk. The protein takes the edge off.
Also, is it emotional or boredom? I eat because I’m bored. Roaming around the house WFH, opening the refrigerator …. |
Anonymous
| Zepbound |
Anonymous
Same, it's really just boredom. I miss being in a high-pressure work environment. Never grazed. |
Anonymous
Opposite for me. WFH, I ate healthy meals at set times and rarely touched junk. In my place of employment, I’m always on the go and have to shovel food in when I can. It makes it more likely that I’ll eat junk rather than a salad. |
Anonymous
But what do you shovel in at work? Is there a lot of food around? I don't get it, because where I used to work there was just a bowl of bananas/apples. |
Anonymous
Would you believe that there are workplaces different than yours? No bowls of fruit. Just vending machines and baked goods. |
Anonymous
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Ugh. When I worked in office (tech) it was nonstop crap in our kitchen, which I had to pass through to get to my office. Candy candy junk junk always. Yes, some random “healthy” things like sugary, high calorie granola… As an emotional eater, it was a nightmare.
Anyway. I struggle with this at home, too. But I’m shoving in almonds, apples, etc. vs candy and chips. So, not really stopping the behavior yet but at least not downing chemical foods. Work in progress. I work on mindful eating. Only eating at the table. And so on. But it is so hard to break this horrid habit I developed as a kid. |
Anonymous
| Being a single mom especially a fat one |
Anonymous
Not sure what this means, but I'm a fat single mom and many of the single moms I know are also overweight or obese. I have not found a way to control the emotional urge to eat. I tried Ozempic/Mounjaro but it did not quiet the food noise as others have said. Listened to Weight Loss for Busy Physicians. Didn't find it as helpful as others in this forum. Tried a weight loss clinic for a year. They had me on a very high protein diet but it still didn't stop the urge for the dopamine hit of eating sugar. Tried a therapist who supposedly focused on eating issues. She was useless, but I think I need to try this again with a better therapist. |
Anonymous
So now instead of fat, you'll get dementia. Habitual benadryl use is not recommended! |
Anonymous
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Chew on a stick of gum
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Anonymous
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If it’s during the daytime I find it helpful to keep an array of drinks around my workstation. Tea, coffee, protein shakes, water, zero calorie whatever (I’m fond of Gatorade zero and seltzer with lime). Keep yourself super hydrated as a distraction.
Also getting in a workout helps with getting emotions out of the way for me. I do it mid afternoon before the kids come home from school and it helps me deal with them better. Removing myself from the house also works. If I have a break from meetings I go outside and garden, take the dog for a walk, run errands…whatever takes me away from the Girl Scout cookies lurking in the cabinet… And lastly, chewing gum or putting whitening strips on my teeth. |