The 12 types of emotional hunger
- Thread starter zareena
- Start date
georgiasmum
Regular Member
Most of these apply to me... omg!!!
sparklychar
Doing this for last time
Wow these are so insightful! I identify with many... perhaps not the sexuality one (the chef still arouses me!!! ;-p) or the growing up one or facing new challenges... but definitely when I'm tired, or bored or stressed or upset. Also I'm glad I'm not the only one subconsciously scared of the thin me! How will I criticise myself when I'm at a stage when I consider myself attractive? will I ever reach that stage? x
5,7,9,10 and 12 don't apply to me -_-
all the rest do.
I largely overeat for emotional reasons, I'm rarely really hungry when I stuff out. I suffer from depression and social anxiety. My dad was abusive, especially mentally. I won't go on otherwise I will sound like a mental nightmare though.
A typical thing I will do is going down the road, buy all my favourite snacks - cheeses, dips, crisps, cakes etc and sit alone in my room and eat the lot. Often there will be a whole carrier bag full of food and I eat the whole damn lot.
all the rest do.
I largely overeat for emotional reasons, I'm rarely really hungry when I stuff out. I suffer from depression and social anxiety. My dad was abusive, especially mentally. I won't go on otherwise I will sound like a mental nightmare though.
A typical thing I will do is going down the road, buy all my favourite snacks - cheeses, dips, crisps, cakes etc and sit alone in my room and eat the lot. Often there will be a whole carrier bag full of food and I eat the whole damn lot.
Katycakes
Stubborn tortoise
Xkawaiix you're brave to be so honest... I think there are lots of us out there who do this kind of thing. For me it is usually sweet stuff, and anger/unhappiness/loss of control are the triggers, last binge was just before New Year when all of those applied. I don't know why, I feel like those emotions are not acceptable, I get flooded with guilt and eat like mad. I thought I was OK after 5 no-cheat weeks of Cambridge Diet SS, then took a break over Xmas and had been doing really well until the day of crazy emotions... I ate a big tub of brandy sauce, half a leftover Xmas pud from fridge, cakes, quiche & then all but three of a box of Bailey's Chocs... I would have gone on but my stomach has shrunk over last 5 weeks and by then I was in terrible pain. Needless to say I felt like dirt, started hunting around the website and found this thread. I managed to get through a big New Year party at our place that was basically 2 days of eating & drinking with tons of people staying or partying or passing through, and didn't lose control again - ate what i wanted but not in a binge-type way. Since yesterday I've been back on SS so feel much more in control. But thanks for being so open and brave, you are not alone, and we can beat this emotional eating thing... just not sure how, but I'm working on it!
slendablenda
Gold Member
Lighter Life addresses all these issues
Hi Ladies,
Almost everyone who has a problem with overeating/bingeing as well as other eating disorders has emotional reasons behind the difficulties.
I have been doing LL since last February.It is the only time in my life that I have been able to get my weight back under my control .I have just got bigger and bigger over the past 25 years.
I can relate to many of the emotional reasons on the list too.
Whoever said it is like a stack of dominoes when you address thew issues is right. They all fall into place.
It isn't easy because you do have to be ready to address the emotional reasons behind your relationship with food.As with any kind of counselling you have to be honest with yourself first and stop covering up the emotions with food.
It's easy to say.
But for me that's the difference between LL and the other VLCDs. The psychology/CBT is what has enabled me to lose the weight and feel quietly confident that I will be able to maintain a healthy weight and relationship with food for the rest of my life.
I was very lucky because I have a fantastic LLC who understands me, great support from my small LL group as well as from this forum.
It has been so worth the extra cost. It has been priceless for me and my life has changed totally.
I don't see things through rose coloured glasses. I know it sounds as though I have swallowed a happy pill, but after a quarter of a century I never thought I'd be where I am today and value myself again.
Good luck ladies.
arty0038:arty0011:arty0011:arty0011:arty0011:arty0038:
Hi Ladies,
Almost everyone who has a problem with overeating/bingeing as well as other eating disorders has emotional reasons behind the difficulties.
I have been doing LL since last February.It is the only time in my life that I have been able to get my weight back under my control .I have just got bigger and bigger over the past 25 years.
I can relate to many of the emotional reasons on the list too.
Whoever said it is like a stack of dominoes when you address thew issues is right. They all fall into place.
It isn't easy because you do have to be ready to address the emotional reasons behind your relationship with food.As with any kind of counselling you have to be honest with yourself first and stop covering up the emotions with food.
It's easy to say.
But for me that's the difference between LL and the other VLCDs. The psychology/CBT is what has enabled me to lose the weight and feel quietly confident that I will be able to maintain a healthy weight and relationship with food for the rest of my life.
I was very lucky because I have a fantastic LLC who understands me, great support from my small LL group as well as from this forum.
It has been so worth the extra cost. It has been priceless for me and my life has changed totally.
I don't see things through rose coloured glasses. I know it sounds as though I have swallowed a happy pill, but after a quarter of a century I never thought I'd be where I am today and value myself again.
Good luck ladies.
arty0038:arty0011:arty0011:arty0011:arty0011:arty0038:
marmite 330
Gold Member
Very interesting, like others I am most of those, didnt realise that was going to be such a battle!
Katycakes
Stubborn tortoise
Hi Slenda, I know, I did enquire about LL first but received no reply until 6 weeks after I'd emailed... by then I was 5 weeks into CD. I realize that CD doesn't have the same level of counselling and my CDC is not too experienced, but at least she was there for me when I needed her and now I am a stone and a half lighter... I don't know if my (not-so) local LL counsellor would have been right for me if she took so long to respond? If only there was a way to get the counselling without switching diets... sigh! I think LL have the formula right, as you say so many of us have issues with food and emotional counselling really should go hand in hand with the rest of the diet. Thanks anyway!
slendablenda
Gold Member
Different strokes for different folks
Hi Katy,
You are right. Sometimes you just need the help to get started there and then. Although our LLC says if you have had the weight problem for years (as I did) what difference will a few more weeks make and sometimes I think she builds in a delay to test people's motivation. But if you don't get any response that's no good.
Also LL is a business franchise, so although all the LLCs go through the training there will be different levels of commitment,experience etc.
I notice you are in a rural area in d Scotland so it can't be easy to find a group.
I'm sure controlling my weightr would have been even harder if I'd lived in an area with less daylight hours,colder temperatures more substantial food as standard.Are you able to get CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) through your GP? In England they can refer patients for free.
As with all types of counselling it's impportant you can realte to the person.
It was the thing that made the difference for me along with support from the group/s and people on here and support from my OH and family when they realised how determined I was.
I think my success has made me a nicer person to know. I'm not always angry and sad inside any more.
Good luck. xxx Yo u will be
Katy NO cakes soon.
Hi Katy,
You are right. Sometimes you just need the help to get started there and then. Although our LLC says if you have had the weight problem for years (as I did) what difference will a few more weeks make and sometimes I think she builds in a delay to test people's motivation. But if you don't get any response that's no good.
Also LL is a business franchise, so although all the LLCs go through the training there will be different levels of commitment,experience etc.
I notice you are in a rural area in d Scotland so it can't be easy to find a group.
I'm sure controlling my weightr would have been even harder if I'd lived in an area with less daylight hours,colder temperatures more substantial food as standard.Are you able to get CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) through your GP? In England they can refer patients for free.
As with all types of counselling it's impportant you can realte to the person.
It was the thing that made the difference for me along with support from the group/s and people on here and support from my OH and family when they realised how determined I was.
I think my success has made me a nicer person to know. I'm not always angry and sad inside any more.
Good luck. xxx Yo u will be
Katy NO cakes soon.
Katycakes
Stubborn tortoise
Slenda, thanks for the inspirational reply!!!! You're right, living where I do does not always help, short daylight hours & endless rain means less exercise & I am an hours drive from both gym & swimming pool! I'd have faced a 45 mins each-way drive to my nearest LLC group, even if she had responded faster... maybe not ideal in Jan/Feb when roads here are often icy & ungritted. At least CDC comes to me. There were ups and downs to starting at end of Nov, I came off CD for 2 weeks over xmas/New Year and mostly coped well but had a binge day which really shook me as I'd been feeling so in control before that. That's really what has propelled me into looking for answers as I realize now a diet can't make me slim unless I know how to disconnect from the emotional eating.
I don't know if I can get cbt... it's funny, I have three friends (not locally though) who have all confided they are getting this for various things lately, so suddenly it's on my radar. I have always been scared of therapy on the basis that I don't want to know what is behind this, I know I am scared to look too closely at what might be there. Like being scared to open a can of worms!
I have a lot of shame about what I do, on the outside I like to maintain a 'face' to the world that is in control and confident. So admitting this is very scary, in fact this site is the only place I've been able to do it so far, except in a joky way. It's been a long-standing problem though, as long ago as my student days friends would laugh & say I was a chocolate junky, but they had no idea I'd sneak out to the all-nite garage for a fix... some jokes just aren't that funny, right? Things have got more and more extreme over the years until not only was I obese but also feeling exhausted, ill and without any hope for the future. CD has changed all that, and given me back control, but I know the effects will be short-lived unless I sort the reasons behind the bingeing.
I have just ordered some books from amazon on overeating/ emotional eating, & one on NLP, in hopes I can find some answers myself. If this doesn't work I will investigate cbt, in spite of my fears about it. Thank you so much for your postings your support means a lot & your story is inspiring. Thanks for being there!
xxx
I don't know if I can get cbt... it's funny, I have three friends (not locally though) who have all confided they are getting this for various things lately, so suddenly it's on my radar. I have always been scared of therapy on the basis that I don't want to know what is behind this, I know I am scared to look too closely at what might be there. Like being scared to open a can of worms!
I have a lot of shame about what I do, on the outside I like to maintain a 'face' to the world that is in control and confident. So admitting this is very scary, in fact this site is the only place I've been able to do it so far, except in a joky way. It's been a long-standing problem though, as long ago as my student days friends would laugh & say I was a chocolate junky, but they had no idea I'd sneak out to the all-nite garage for a fix... some jokes just aren't that funny, right? Things have got more and more extreme over the years until not only was I obese but also feeling exhausted, ill and without any hope for the future. CD has changed all that, and given me back control, but I know the effects will be short-lived unless I sort the reasons behind the bingeing.
I have just ordered some books from amazon on overeating/ emotional eating, & one on NLP, in hopes I can find some answers myself. If this doesn't work I will investigate cbt, in spite of my fears about it. Thank you so much for your postings your support means a lot & your story is inspiring. Thanks for being there!
xxx
slendablenda
Gold Member
You are welcome Katy
The only way you will be able to change your food habits forever will be if you can address the issues that are hidden away under the fat.
You may be surprosed to know that the majority of us have had the same anxieties about unlocking that Pandora's Box as you have.
People ask me if they should do LL. My response is "only if the time is right for you". I know if I had tried it at a different time in my life I would not have been ready to face the truth about the hurt, abandonment feelings, low self-esteem, disgust etc,etc, which lay beneath the surface. I know now that by building up the blubber I thought I was building a protective wall to keep hurtful feelings/people away. In the long term it doesn't work and we can never move on.
I have never had any kind of therapy before and din't realise how much I needed it (denial probably).
My mantra has always been that if I was happy and healthy I didn't mind being "big" (21.5 stone - who was I kidding!)
This Christmas?New Year is the first one for 5 years that I haven't had flu or bronchitis. Last year when I got pneumonia I realised I had broken my own rule - big time.
I took stock of my life, marriage, home, job, friendships. Had a huge heart to heart with my OH and decided to start valuing myself, stop doing a good impression of a doormat. I realised that if I didn't care about me I could not expect anyone else to.
I have noticed that a lot of people doing
CD took time out from it at Christmas while most LL people at least tried to remain on track - even though many of us struggled. The psychology aspect does seem to make a difference.
Good luck Katy. The most important thing is that you WANT to change your relationship with food. Hopefully the rest will slot into place.
The only way you will be able to change your food habits forever will be if you can address the issues that are hidden away under the fat.
You may be surprosed to know that the majority of us have had the same anxieties about unlocking that Pandora's Box as you have.
People ask me if they should do LL. My response is "only if the time is right for you". I know if I had tried it at a different time in my life I would not have been ready to face the truth about the hurt, abandonment feelings, low self-esteem, disgust etc,etc, which lay beneath the surface. I know now that by building up the blubber I thought I was building a protective wall to keep hurtful feelings/people away. In the long term it doesn't work and we can never move on.
I have never had any kind of therapy before and din't realise how much I needed it (denial probably).
My mantra has always been that if I was happy and healthy I didn't mind being "big" (21.5 stone - who was I kidding!)
This Christmas?New Year is the first one for 5 years that I haven't had flu or bronchitis. Last year when I got pneumonia I realised I had broken my own rule - big time.
I took stock of my life, marriage, home, job, friendships. Had a huge heart to heart with my OH and decided to start valuing myself, stop doing a good impression of a doormat. I realised that if I didn't care about me I could not expect anyone else to.
I have noticed that a lot of people doing
CD took time out from it at Christmas while most LL people at least tried to remain on track - even though many of us struggled. The psychology aspect does seem to make a difference.
Good luck Katy. The most important thing is that you WANT to change your relationship with food. Hopefully the rest will slot into place.
Katycakes
Stubborn tortoise
Slenda, thanks for all the support, and for being so honest. When i see how far you've come it's really motivating. I do regret the lack of emotional counselling in CD - maybe some CD dieters get this, but it does depend on the counsellor & mine doesn't really go there although we do talk about personal stuff & do our best to support each other, but in a limited way I guess.
I suppose it seems from the CD threads that we have all chucked in the diet over Xmas, in fact most of us have gone off SS or sole source & stepped up to an 810cal plan, where food is allowed. In theory this means we can eat something like a Xmas dinner etc, & for many people it has worked very well. It worked for me until the day my emotional triggers threw me off balance, and part of why I've been posting about this is that the loss of control shocked me as I felt I was doing so well. But I was proud to pull back into more 'normal' eating for the two days after this, in spite of major temptations!
Yesterday I went back to SS (CD food packs only) and this does feel so much safer, especially now I can feel myself going back into ketosis. But the whole Xmas blip thing has taught me that CD alone is not the solution, I need the emotional help as well. I do wish this could be with something like LL but in my area this is not really possible, so i will try the books and if that doesn't work I will look at finding cbt in my area. Scary thought - but not finding help might be scarier.
Anyway Slenda I do appreciate your time and advice, it means a lot.
I suppose it seems from the CD threads that we have all chucked in the diet over Xmas, in fact most of us have gone off SS or sole source & stepped up to an 810cal plan, where food is allowed. In theory this means we can eat something like a Xmas dinner etc, & for many people it has worked very well. It worked for me until the day my emotional triggers threw me off balance, and part of why I've been posting about this is that the loss of control shocked me as I felt I was doing so well. But I was proud to pull back into more 'normal' eating for the two days after this, in spite of major temptations!
Yesterday I went back to SS (CD food packs only) and this does feel so much safer, especially now I can feel myself going back into ketosis. But the whole Xmas blip thing has taught me that CD alone is not the solution, I need the emotional help as well. I do wish this could be with something like LL but in my area this is not really possible, so i will try the books and if that doesn't work I will look at finding cbt in my area. Scary thought - but not finding help might be scarier.
Anyway Slenda I do appreciate your time and advice, it means a lot.
AmandaJayne
Trainee Maintainer
Janey
Intuitive Eater
My biggest reason for emotional eating is I like the taste and like eating whilst watching tv! In fact the one thing keeping me from losing weight is eating in front of the tv. I've eaten in a trance for so long, it has become almost impossible to break. Everything else with intuitive eating makes sense - if only I could concentrate on my food though! I need to conquer this emotional issue of eating whilst watching a film or my favourite programmes. I mean, how many people are actually hungry for popcorn or chocolate when they go to the cinema? We do it out of habit. And habits make us (me) fat!
Janey xx
Janey xx
*Emsie*
Gold Member
Am trying to distract from hunger triggered by some emotional buttons being pressed tonight.....:sigh::sigh::sigh::sigh:.....the older the triggers the harder they are to control but hey im here not in the fridge or cupboard! Hopefully I can make it to bed without going via them!
lol, I am def:
Type 4. Hate Yourself, Love Your Munchies.
If you tend to become hypercritical of yourself, if you label yourself "stupid, "lazy," or "a loser," you have Type 4 emotional hunger. You eat to "stuff down" your self-hatred.
As soon as I read it, I started crying! Unfortunately, am sitting at my desk at work.
It's so sad that we can have so many issues. I have found through my weight struggles that eating for me is an addiction as bad as any drug addiction. Plus it's something that I've been "working on" for my whole life which makes it hard to break. I am re starting Cambridge Sole Source but have come to the realisation that I need to make some emotional changes and change the way I view myself if I want to succeed. It's hard but I am making slow progress. About a month ago I took a break from dieting as I was losing and gaining back the same 10lbs and hating myself every time I gained. I really needed that month off! And one of my proudest moments during that time was when a colleague came up to me to tell me about the fact that she was dieting and losing weight, I was able to congratulate her and actually mean it too and also to walk away with my self esteem intact and not hating myself for "failing" and not being as "good" as she was! A small step but it felt like such a huge victory for me. I think part of the problem for me is that I am scared to look at my real problems with food. Like actually afraid to face the fact that I have emotional issues rooted in eating. I think I'm afraid of what I will find and somehow that it will be too much to cope with. Unfortunately that often leads to comfort eating to igore that issue!
Type 4. Hate Yourself, Love Your Munchies.
If you tend to become hypercritical of yourself, if you label yourself "stupid, "lazy," or "a loser," you have Type 4 emotional hunger. You eat to "stuff down" your self-hatred.
As soon as I read it, I started crying! Unfortunately, am sitting at my desk at work.
It's so sad that we can have so many issues. I have found through my weight struggles that eating for me is an addiction as bad as any drug addiction. Plus it's something that I've been "working on" for my whole life which makes it hard to break. I am re starting Cambridge Sole Source but have come to the realisation that I need to make some emotional changes and change the way I view myself if I want to succeed. It's hard but I am making slow progress. About a month ago I took a break from dieting as I was losing and gaining back the same 10lbs and hating myself every time I gained. I really needed that month off! And one of my proudest moments during that time was when a colleague came up to me to tell me about the fact that she was dieting and losing weight, I was able to congratulate her and actually mean it too and also to walk away with my self esteem intact and not hating myself for "failing" and not being as "good" as she was! A small step but it felt like such a huge victory for me. I think part of the problem for me is that I am scared to look at my real problems with food. Like actually afraid to face the fact that I have emotional issues rooted in eating. I think I'm afraid of what I will find and somehow that it will be too much to cope with. Unfortunately that often leads to comfort eating to igore that issue!
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