So it's been one week since I have been off of junk food. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be, mainly because I thought that it would be all I could think about and I would sit staring at a piece of candy crying because I couldn't eat it. It wasn't that bad, however I did learn something about myself. I am an emotional eater. When the day is hard, the boys are crying, the house is dirty, I have no energy, whatever it is, I want a piece of candy. Apparently I think that a sweet is a cure-all. Here's my problem. I am replacing the crappy food with healthy food (I ate carrots, tomatoes, whole grain cereal, nuts, etc instead of the candy today), however I'm STILL eating when I am frustrated, tired, annoyed, whatever.
I am not sure how to change this behavior. Is anyone else an emotional eater? How did you change that behavior? Is it more mental than physical? I'm at a loss as to what to do, but I figure since I'm not eating junk I may as well try and stop emotional eating.
6 comments:
Yep, I hear ya. I think at first having healthy alternatives is fine. Eating too many carrots doesn't seem like to big of a problem. I sometimes chew gum when I crave junk, because I can get a little sugar rush without the calories. I have not yet conquered this problem completely though!
I chew gum also. It's amazing how much it helps! I think the first step is definitely realizing that you're doing it. I think the trick is to replace it with something. I think the replacement is different for each person. I'm proud of you for doing it!! It's something I should probably do. I don't know if I have the will power! Congrats on yours! You're an amazing example to me! Keep up the great work!
track yourself for 2 or 3 days. write down what time you did it, the mood you were in and how much you thought that you needed it. After that you can see a trend in what kind of mood and what time of day it is happening. You will find out your triggers to doing it and then pick an alternative. That way you can anticipate when it will happen and you'll already have a plan for it.
I gave up sugary soda entirely about two months ago. No regular or diet soda, only club soda mixed with juice (some bubbles but no added sugar or caffeine) and for the first few weeks, I craved Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke daily, but now, even a sip makes me feel sick and groggy.
Throw everything in your house away that is junk food. It is hard at first but it makes it easier when it is not in your house at all. Your diet might be more bland but it is nice to go to the fridge when you just want to eat and look in there and there is nothing you can just grab and eat you actually have to make, bake or go through effort to make it. My mother in law just gave me some truffles. Yum but I just had to throw half the bag away because I was eating the whole bag. I don't have a lot of control so I need the help of the trash can.
This may be more than you want, but OA (Overeaters Anonymous) has a whole work book devoted to over coming emotional eating. They are set up like AA, but for emotional eating. I'm not saying you need that, but it was fascinating the three weeks I did it. I quit... because I wasn't ready to open that Pandora's box.
I've also been told the FLY Lady has a book called, Body Clutter and my friend made it sounds like a similar thing.
All the other suggestions are great too.
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