Emotional eating and grief

[BrainBabiesBe]

Hi all,

I'll be blunt. My grandfather is dying and we are really close (he's basically been my dad). I am *really* sad. And I have a habit of eating when I'm sad.

So while I feel deeply selfish for asking this -- I'm worried about the size of my bum when he is dying????? -- does anyone have any tips for dealing with grief and food? I'll try any thing at this point short of stapling my lips together.

Thanks,
B.

[nelie]

I'm sorry about your grandfather. A lot of us use food as comfort but food really won't make us feel better in the end. You might want to look at another activity other than eating to help you through this time. Perhaps donating your time to a charity? Or going for walks? Or knitting/crocheting? Journaling/blogging? Anything that will take your mind off of things for a bit may help you.

[rn5192008]

I lost my son 23 months ago and what I learned was that eating is a way of stuffing your feelings inside a way of numbing the pain the way some people do with alcohol or drugs. So instead of stuffing the pain with food allow yourself to feel the pain, the grief, and the anger. Write it out, talk to someone, or go to the gym and work it out

[BrainBabiesBe]

Dear Nelie and rn5192008:

Thank you for your suggestions -- and I'm so sorry about your loss rn592008... I can't even imagine losing my son! I'm trying to stay focused and to try other things. I've had a few setbacks (I have a love-hate relationship with lasagna and ice cream) but better than expected. I'm going to try the journal and exercise tips first, they will come the most naturally to me.

Thanks again,

B.

[SamanthaJubilee]

BBB - hit the gym. take out your frustration at the gym. if you can't hit the gym then I would suggest finding a way of getting out of the house and either walk or ride a bike. If you sit in your house...you are going to eat. I went through that about 5 years ago. I lost 50 lbs...felt great. Tons of stress hit me (buying a house, failing marriage, death of my grandmother) and I gained 30 lbs back in 2 months. I had the treadmill there...didn't use it. I sat in my bed and stuff myself until I felt sick...every day!!!
I'm so sorry for what you are going through. Sending positive energy your way!

[AFChick]

BBB - I'm so sorry for what's happening...I agree with all the other posts. Hit the gym. I find that if I'm really sad, mad, frustrated, I'll work out that much harder. (All the endorphins don't hurt either.) I wouldn't look at it as worrying about your figure, think of it as finding a positive way to cope. As close as your are to grandfather, I'm sure he would want you to do that as well.

[BrainBabiesBe]

This forum is amazing.

Thank you.

B.

[kringla]

BBB, I am sorry about your grandpa...Besides the last few years, I have always jogged through my grief. I jogged at night too. It helped me mull over my day.

rn5192008 I am so sorry.

[BrainBabiesBe]

Hi Kringla,

Great idea. Something about being in the dark and finishing the day on a high. I think I'll try that.

Thanks,
B.