Ending Emotional Eating

hanmac

Getting her sparkle back
Just found this article
End emotional eating: No diet will ever work until we change our guilt-ridden relationship with food, says this top psychologist | Mail Online
And so much of it is true! Found it really interesting, as through doing LL i've learnt that comfort eating doesn't actually solve anything. A chocolate biscuit and a cup of tea, as lovely as they are won't solve my problems!

Found this paragraph sums it up really
'From the time our mother rewards us with a biscuit for being good, to the first time we invite someone for that proverbial 'cup of coffee' after a date or comfort eat after a break-up, food really is a metaphor for all that we feel and, many times, all that we can't quite say.'


But while i'm finding it easy to resist temptation whilst on LL as for me it's all or nothing, I know once I start eating again it'll be trickier to know when to stop.

So found this article interesting as it explores why we comfort eat and how we can beat it! Hope it helps somebody else too :)

xx
 
not really a problem of comfort eating...more comfort drinking.

bad day have a pint, good day have a pint, stressful day have a pint.

sure others are the same thinking a glass of wine after a hard day to wind down. Thats what i have to get my head round
 
I've emotionally eaten for most of my life. But did not recognise it fully until LL. Moreso when I started RTM. The weekly counselling sessions were brilliant for looking at why I emotionally ate. I also did some of my own personal reflection around my emotional eating (and still do, it will be life long I guess) how it developed, what I needed at that time in my life and what I need now.....they are not always the same things. It might have served me to emotionally eat say while going through a bereavement, but it does not serve me in the here and now despite it being habitual. It's all very interesting stuff.

I think if we can realise we will never be free from it, but if we do indulge in emotional eating, tomorrow is another day and we can get right back on the wagon without it feeling like we are letting things get out of control.
 
Really interesting article. This struck a chord with me...

"For many over-eaters the experience of excessive criticism or discipline around food ... makes that effort of self-discipline required to stop eating when full so difficult that they would rather abandon all reason and rebel against what they see as unfair discipline"
 
ive just printed off and will have a read later on
 
Thanks for posting that Hannah, really struck home on a few points.

I have emotionally eaten and drunk for a long time. More recently using food as a treat, a celebration of having a bit more money than we used too. We could afford to go out for lunch on Saturday and Sunday and then spend the rest of the afternoon in the pub.

I have already started to address these things with my husband and I didn't even realising I was setting myself new food boundries until now.
 
No worries :)
Struck home with me too so thought I might not be the only one!
Have printed it off and will definitely keep it for when I do RTM! Whenever that may be!
 
Thanks Hannah. Totally agree with you on this one. Im an all or nothing girl - so for me it never was about following LL. It when the food is introduced again that I have been wary off since day 1.
 
Me too IWGT! My biggest fear is that I will become overconfident with my success - lose control and pile the pounds back on :( I'm only just coming to the half way point of Foundation though so hopefully a few more weeks of CBT will have me well aware of my triggers and enable me to create coping strategies and don't involve food and drink :)
 
AJB fear of failing has been my biggest issue since day one of LL. But have to admit I am at the stage now where I know I am going to complete my journey right to the end. Like you - I just hope I dont get overconfident and loose control. I never ever want to feel as unhappy or be as big as I was at the start of LL. I think the biggest change for me was admitting to myself that this really has to be a change for life and not just a quick fad diet. Im ready to accept that now :)
 
I know, i'm almost petrified of starting to eat again. People around me keep saying 'oh when you finish this diet we can go to pizza express/the bakery etc.etc.' and although i'll be able to treat myself occasionally, i'll constantly have to manage my weight and watch what i eat.

But as my LLC says, RTM will teach us to be 'skilled weight holders' and she says if we follow to 80/20 rule (80% healthy food, 20% 'treats') we'll be fine :)
 
Im going to change what I consider a treat.

sorry for any triggers but Forget Pizza express, who needs that when you can go out and have roast salmon with asparagus. or a steak. at the moment, some melon or strawberries are a treat...and believe it or not that is what I am going to try and keep in my head.

Im sure the "pros" have heard it all before. but ine can dream
 
I'm petrified off having to start and eat too - but that is why we HAVE to do RTM. I dont think there can be any other way but to be introduced by on to food slowly and the correct way. At the start I thought get my weight off and forget the RTM but now my thinking has completely changed and Im thinkin I have come this far and im going to finish right to the end - and properly through RTM
 
IWGT, that is exactly the way I had been thinking. I kept saying to myself that I didn't need RTM because I know what I should and shouldn't be eating but now I'm thinking if I want to do this properly I have to do RTM.
 
I was also in two minds about RTM! I didn't actually realise it was 12 weeks long when I started, thought it was 4-6 weeks so when I found out I was a bit put out, as thought i'd struggle with 14 weeks of abstinence...and then with a further 12 weeks of RTM.

Now, i'm pretty sure i'll do RTM. Before I thought i'd do foundation, RTM then lose any weight I had left. But now I think i'll do developers as well, as would rather get to my target weight using LL instead of finishing everything and still having weight to lose. Was a bit worried that I won't be completely finished by christmas, but will be nearly there!
 
I am going to do Develpoers and then RTM when I am at target. I just think now that if I am going to do this then I might as well do it properly.
 
Ditto Linda -me too.
I have abused food my entire adult life - either by stuffing myself, or starving myself or stuffing myself and vomiting. I think its about time I put 'me' first and learn to eat properly through RTM. I wont move across to RTM until I have right at target.
 
Now I'm in two minds what to do - suppose things will become clearer the nearer I get to the end of Foundation - I hope!
 
can i ask whats developers? ive only really heard of Foundation and RTM
 
Developers is when, if once you finish foundation you still have weight to lose, you keep going in abstinence. My LLC gets you to sign up for 4 week blocks.

Think i'll do another 4 weeks on developers as will still have roughly a stone to lose when I finish foundation, if all goes to plan!
 
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