Emotional eating - HELP!

amother

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 12:06 am

Have you overcome emotional eating? How?

I have been working really hard at paying attention to when I'm really hungry vs. eating for other reasons (stressed, depressed, worried, etc.). Which is a step in the right direction because I used to convince myself I was actually hungry and needed to eat.

So that's where I'm at, but even so sometimes I really don't know what else to do with these feelings and do take comfort in food.

Please don't suggest therapy, hypnosis or OA. Tried the first two and failed. Not interested in joining any groups.

I just want practical things I can do to skip what I know to be an emotional binge. Ways to keep my hands and mouth busy. In the old days I'd go outside and have a cigarette. I don't smoke anymore and have no desire to start that up again. But need some kind of distraction or motivation. Also, this generally happens late at night when my family is asleep, so a lot of what is successful for me during the day - taking a walk, putting on loud upbeat music and singing and dancing with it, etc. - isn't going to work at night.

wellnessmama

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 12:19 am

There’s a medication I believe that can help with binge eating, maybe vyvanse?

amother

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 12:21 am

wellnessmama wrote:

There’s a medication I believe that can help with binge eating, maybe vyvanse?

Is this an injection? I know someone who has lost 100 pounds taking this and looks great.

I should have put in my post that any kind of pharmaceutical is not an option either.

amother

Bronze

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 12:51 am

Rena Reiser coaching.

amother

Lightgreen

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 3:17 am

Journaling
Chewing gum

amother

Brickred

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 3:19 am

body work
ani lippitz

amother

Brass

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 8:14 am

Are you restricting? Binges often happen due to restricting.

amother

Thu, Jul 21 2022, 10:10 am

amother [ Brass ] wrote:

Are you restricting? Binges often happen due to restricting.

I am. I'm not counting calories but I am doing intermittent fasting which cuts out a meal and plating normal portions of healthy food for my other two meals. No going back for 2nds and no snacking between meals.

But I have been known to have nighttime binges even when eating generous amounts of food throughout the day. It's really not about hunger.

amother

Peachpuff

Fri, Jul 22 2022, 7:43 am

Night Time binges can be about low cortisol or low blood sugar. Are you supporting your adrenals and making sure your blood sugar doesn’t drop too low?

lamplighter

Fri, Jul 22 2022, 8:08 am

Stay out of the kitchen after supper. I am very strict about this and it has saved me many many times.
Another idea is to track your trigger foods and not eat those at all. Like don't even start.

amother

Milk

Fri, Jul 22 2022, 8:11 am

Watch a movie!

amother

Mulberry

Fri, Jul 22 2022, 8:59 am

Perhaps eat 3meals instead of 2
Obviously if you are binging you are not getting any benefits from IF
Also try to keep that last meal of the day low carb and high fat