Thread: Why do ppl over eat

Ive made a real effort to understand why I've got over weight and my 2 issues are

I use food to commiserate, celebrate, cheer me up, when I've been paid anything I have never over eaten portions but ate out n take aways way to much.
Also as a child we didn't have much money and so food was as it should be planned, shopping was careful n homemade luxuries were a rare treat I saw luxury as filling your trolley full of whatever we fancied I've now realized that's not the case and makes me no happier.

What's everyone else realized?

Im exactly like u skinnyjeans, if im happy, sad, stressed, celebrating ect the first thing i do is reach for food! I too was brought up on a tight budget and never left food on my plate. Im am now slowly, trying to re educate myself around food, allowing myself to leave stuff on my plate when full, and trying to distract my thoughts on food when certain emotions kick in! Xx

Comfort, definitely. A bad day will make me want to eat more chocolate than is humanly possible. Plus boredom for me I guess. Also I realised when I started SW that I am a 'picker' when cooking. So i'll be chopping away or stirring the food and will munch away on whatever is out. The other day my OH had a chunk of cheese on the chopping board to grate over his chilli con carne. I was stirring the food and automatically cut myself off a piece to just munch on. I realised what I was doing in time and because I had my mind set on eating something, I had a few sprigs of coriander leaves that were next to the cheese and that seemed to work! I really have to concentrate while cooking and not munch without realising!

Such a good thread! I have literally been thinking about this recently. I have been stressed recently due to relationship problems and final year uni and have realised I am eating more because of it. I'm hoping now I have identified it that I can fix it but so far no luck :/ I know what I should/shouldn't be eating but when I am stressed its like I think '**** it' and eat whatever I want...even though I know it makes me feel worse. I wonder do men emotionally eat to the same extent as women xx

Originally Posted by willfitskinnyjeans

Ive made a real effort to understand why I've got over weight and my 2 issues are

I use food to commiserate, celebrate, cheer me up, when I've been paid anything I have never over eaten portions but ate out n take aways way to much.
Also as a child we didn't have much money and so food was as it should be planned, shopping was careful n homemade luxuries were a rare treat I saw luxury as filling your trolley full of whatever we fancied I've now realized that's not the case and makes me no happier.

What's everyone else realized?

Wow! I think I see filling my trolly with whatever I want as a luxury too. That's quite a revelation for me. I'll have to think about that one.

Comfort eater, stress eater and now that i'm pregnant with the attitude "oh i am pregnant after all lets enjoy it" also having my own money and putting whatever i fancy in the trolley whereas before i was always aware my parents were watching and would probably stop me buying too much junk when i was a child x

I have had issues over adult years which I used food for but actually my childhood is what's caused it looking back. I was never made to finish food but shopping was a calculator a bag of set money n a military plan so for me I see it as a sign of not being "poor" if I can spend and buy whatever. Ive really dealt with this and now I've saved all that wasted money to buy things that we really actually want and holidays and trips not stupid food we do not need.

That is really good u have identified the reason behind it and can save your pennies I have no idea why I eat when stressed. Wish I knew as I think that is half the problem and would help me stop xx

I def think solving this is a key, some ppl just eat cos it's yummy not always some deep meaning.

I think a lot of people like us who become overweight are emotional eaters - and I think a lot of us grew up in "clear your plate" / "nice food is a treat" environments, but I wonder if there's more to it than that. I don't have any siblings, but for those that do, do they also have the same relationship with food as you? Would be interesting to know.

I'm definitely a boredom / bad mood / celebrating eater - food is associated with everything for me!! And the worst thing is, I don't want it to shop being a treat, as it's one of life's simple pleasures and surely better than smoking/drinking/any other vice! Which I think is part of my downfall haha...

Its definitely boredom with me. Im a late to bed early riser, so very rarely in bed before midnight, OH goes to bed around 10pm. Im bored, not tired, nothing on tv .......... so I would pick/raid the fridge and cupboards. choccy, crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks.

Like lots on here , luxuries were just that when I was younger, only my dad worked so we got what we were given/could afford for meals. We couldnt afford to waste stuff. I could now probably saves loads of money but its a case of filling the trolley with what I want because I can. Its not necessary.

Ive told OH when we get paid at the end of the month ill shop for what we need not what we WANT -

because i really really enjoy food. I love the taste, smell and texture of freshly baked white bread, I love sausages, I love chips, I love crisps.I eat them not out of comfort but because they just taste so heavenly.

Bad habits taught when younger(big meals given and eaten, no knowledge of those around me, food being used as rewards/punishments, fuss being made about weight but it being not appropriately dealt with) finding it comforting(whatever the emotion), something in control of even though only me that suffered really, sticking my fingers up to people who criticised me for being overweight cos I didn't care anyway(and for a long time I actually didn't but looking back on the photos now I am sad that I didn't realise how I looked etc for so long.)

Originally Posted by Texty_F

Its definitely boredom with me. Im a late to bed early riser, so very rarely in bed before midnight, OH goes to bed around 10pm. Im bored, not tired, nothing on tv .......... so I would pick/raid the fridge and cupboards. choccy, crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks.

Like lots on here , luxuries were just that when I was younger, only my dad worked so we got what we were given/could afford for meals. We couldnt afford to waste stuff. I could now probably saves loads of money but its a case of filling the trolley with what I want because I can. Its not necessary.

Ive told OH when we get paid at the end of the month ill shop for what we need not what we WANT -

I've been trying hard to cut down on food shop spending Texty and have managed to cut out quite a bit its worth it!

I was brought up to finish everything on my plate 'because there were children starving in Africa who would be thrilled with the food I was leaving'. I think we were so hard up my Mum thought that food being 'wasted' was a sin. I still can't leave food on my plate so I try not to put too much on it in the first place. Also I only cook what I estimate we will eat. Hardly any leftovers in our house.