i have to overeat to cope

very bad problems at work this week and alot of juggling at home with the kids. i've allowed myself to overeat because i've felt i've had no choice. that is why i'm 50lbs overweight. anyone else feel like this, and more importantly, has anyone figured out how to stop?

Fri. Feb 1, 11:37pm

When you overeat to cope, ultimately, you're not coping at all. Nothing changes except your weight. One step in figuring out how to stop is to realize that you always have a choice. Some choices are much more difficult to deal with than others, but you do have a choice. You must choose another way to deal with the stress. That alone will cause anxiety initially.

You're not alone on this one! A lot of times women take care of everyone else but themselves - it's time to put you first.

Saturday, February 2, 2008, 1:43 AM

You're not alone but you can change. And you will change. Be patient with yourself. Recognizing it is 1/2 the battle.

Saturday, February 2, 2008, 10:43 AM

Look at your post, you've already told yourself that you "must over eat to cope." So you've already told yourself that must do this to exist, but we know that is not true, many people do not overeat and cope. You might try some positive thinging or self talk or writing it down, that you CAN cope and eat normal..........

Saturday, February 2, 2008, 10:46 AM

I agree with the possitive self talk. It is really important not to beat yourself up.
I have been very determined with this life style change that I have adopted. However there are still times I eat out of stress. What I do is eat things that have very few calories. I have overcome much in terms of the diet and my life and dealing with stress but I have noticed that I have this new thing to focus on. Not new but new for me to work on.
It isn't easy but it is possible. Sometimes I can tell myself No I don't need that, I am not hungry.... Other times I tell myself that for a few hours and then I give in.
It is a process.

Saturday, February 2, 2008, 8:35 PM

Taking care of yourself without "treating' yourself to food. Take a nice walk, listen to some relaxing music, try yoga, a bubble bath, call a friend. anything but reach for something to eat. I read that you have to re train yourself with the way you reward or treat yourself. good luck. I read that in MORE magazine

Sunday, February 3, 2008, 5:28 PM

Below is the article I saw in MORE magazine. I thought it was helpful for lasting results- so give it a try...

Dee Wolk, 62, Cleveland, Ohio
Lost: 42 pounds
Maintained for: 24 years
Wolk stayed on the lose-gain roller coaster until her 30s, when she realized she knew a lot about dieting but not about emotional eating. "I ate because I was tired, bored, angry, happy, had worked hard or not enough," she says. "I needed to learn how to take care of myself without food."
She figured it out, and now she teaches her technique at the Cleveland Clinic, among other places. Her favorite trick is to treat herself to something every day, filling the emotional void she used to stuff with food. "Sometimes it's calling an old friend, and sometimes it's taking off my bra and putting on a comfy old robe," she says.
But is a soothing bath a satisfying substitute for a banana split? "The more you treat yourself, the more you reinforce the good habits and weaken the bad one," Beck says.

Sunday, February 3, 2008, 5:36 PM

try telling yourself, when you want to eat to get through something, that it is not going to change the problem at all, it will still be there and you are also just making another problem worse. This is kind of like a habit - keep working at it, it won't stop overnight but take steps towards it...

Monday, February 4, 2008, 7:37 AM

join the group Y Eat. We're there because we eat for emotional reasons. Every week we set a new challenge for ourselves to learn to cope without eating. it's a daily struggle for most of us! we'd love to have you join OP!

Monday, February 4, 2008, 9:46 AM

OP here

THANKS I love you guys!

Monday, February 4, 2008, 12:32 PM

When I feel bad (physically), I eat cookies.

It doesn't solve anything.

Tammy Lou

Monday, February 4, 2008, 1:23 PM

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