I have a very chaotic life style and my biggest problem is when I get stressed which is often I want to eat. It is a comfort thing for me.
I have a high stress job and two teen age kids. There never seems to be a slow moment even on the weekends. It is just go .go .go all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get past the wanting to eat all the time just to comfort myself because my life style is crazy?
A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Quit grabbing and going and find a way to plan what you will eat. When something is really important to us we do it. I started getting up at 0430 so I could cook for myself everyday. And I run, run, run, until 1800-2200 hours everyday, but now I have healthy, good tasting, non-sugary (sugar and stress and you'll just eat more) foods.
I have the same problem. I have learned that when I feel that hunger pain to stop and think, "Am I really hungry, or am I eating for comfort?" Nine times out of 10 realizing what is about to happen and stoping and making my self think about what Im about to do stops me. It makes me think "Ok instead of eating, Im going to....." I normally will get a big glass of water and sit down with my book. If you have the time to stop what you are doing and fix or get that comfort food and eat it, then you have the time to do something else. And if all else fails and you must eat, try to have something healthy to eat.
Darn! When I read the title of this thread, I thought we were going to make a list!
Let's see:
- chips
- chocolate
- bread and butter
- mashed potatoes
- toast
- rolls
- garlic bread
-
Sweetpea, I know it's not the greatest thing for me, but I'll make myself a small pot of coffee. I LOVE coffee, and it gives me a bit of a lift.
And yes, like the other girls said, plan ahead. Keep some good, healthy foods on hand. Something that you LIKE!
What the heck are comfort foods anyway? They never give me comfort just indigestion, gas, fat, and lazyness. Its stuffing all the feelings down and medicating with simple sugars that make it comforting.
This is me drunk on ice cream,"Do whatever you want, I just don't care"
This is me drunk on ice cream,"Do whatever you want, I just don't care"
Miss Chris
I hear ya! When I've got low fat/low cal ice cream in the freezer plus high fat/high cal for the kids (like Smartie, Rolo, After Eight...) and I'm feeling crappy, which one do I eat? duh.
I just joined here today. I came to this topic because that's what I do too! I use food (mainly chocolate and sweets) for my comfort and stress food. I'm addicted to chocolate, so much that now I actually am starting to hate chocolate, but I still use it for stress anyway. I know I should keep healthy snacks around, but they don't do what chocolate does I hope I get to the place one day where I have gotten over chocolate, I don't need it, crave it, or want it. Ever.
To me, this problem has to be attacked on several fronts:
First, look for things that will satisfy the urge but involve little or no calories. If you're a person who likes to crunch away stress, keep a bowl of ready-to-grab crisp iced vegetables in the fridge. Will this satisfy you as much as a bag of Doritos? No, not at first, but you can teach yourself to find them satisfying. If you want something sweet, try a hot or cold beverage with artifical sweetener. In the winter I like the fat-free, sugar-free hot chocolate mix that's only 25 calories per serving.
Second, you have to find ways to "comfort" yourself that don't involve food. This can take some trial and error, and you have to resolve to put up with some discomfort while you search for the best solutions. But, you have to find other ways to get a similar effect. Face it, if you are using food as a coping mechanism, you can't just take away the mechanism without replacing it with something. So, when you have that urge to eat ... either do something to distract you/keep you busy, or something that has a calming effect. That could be anything from reading, to housecleaning, to yard work, hobbies, walking / exercising, washing the car, meditation, doing your nails, whatever. You may say, "But I'm too busy for that, I just want to eat on the run." Well, obviously, it's your choice. But you have to find stress management techniques that will diminish the need for food if you want to beat this. If you just stuff it down without replacing it, you'll only increase the stress level and one day you'll wake up and find yourself in the middle of 987 empty Krispy Kreme boxes. I think a lot of women are overweight through stress eating simply because they refuse to take time for themselves and declare that they deserve time & attention like everyone else. If your whole life is devoted to serving other people, then you are a fairly poor servant if you refuse to take care of yourself. You may need to mark out specific times of the day as "me time" to help deal with the stress issues. It's hard for any of us to say what techniques might work for you, but you have to apply some creativity and problem-solving thinking to this, or you'll just spin your wheels.
This leads to the third point, which is to look for ways to reduce the stress at its source. What can you and your family do to make life more serene? This is a big, complicated topic, but I think it's crucial. If you job is extremely stressful, maybe it's time to consider other employment. If family life is chaotic, how can you change things to make it less so? Let's say there is something that causes you stress, and you really truly cannot change anything about it. Then, look at how you can change your reaction to it. If your boss makes steam come out of your ears every time he walks by, then figure out how you can let go of those emotions and find a way react differently.
In all of these areas, I think journaling is crucial. If all you can say is, "I'm an emotional eater," all you've done is admit you are a human being. In order to conquer this problem, you have to figure out what you are reacting to, what the reaction is, and why that makes you want to eat. Sometimes you have to journal for a while before you can see patterns. And, admittedly, looking deep into ourselves can be painful. Often we don't want to do that kind of interior work, we just want to have a quick magic answer. The first two points here are more along the lines of practical strategies, but unless you couple that with a journey of self-discovery and management, you're only solving half the problem.
Right now what comforts me is Hot Tamales the super hot ones O M G too good. Can't eat chocolate I'm beastfeeding. Otherwise I'd be eating that. And butter bread it's the devil .
Just kidding, but that does sound very similar to what Oprah expresses to her viewers, and by the way, I love Oprah!
Everything you said makes sense, funniegirl, the problem is, figuring out a way to deal with it, I hear what you are saying and agree with you, but everytime I get motivated and really want to try, I do well for a few days, sometimes even a few weeks, lose a few pounds, sometimes lose a good amount, like 10 or so pounds, but then something happens to make me fail, or should I say, I "allow" myself to fail.(and then gain it back, or some of it anyway) It's such a cycle and pattern with me. I take responsibility for it though, I know it's my fault, and my failure, I just can't seem to be and stay consistent.
I joined here in hopes that people here will truly understand that pattern, and find encouragement in that. This seems like a great place, and I'm thankful that I saw this site (which was in a magazine in Borders book store).
Thanks to everyone here who participates and takes the time to share and express their feelings, and encourage each other.
I think one thing that we forget in all the behavior modification tricks is that, for some people, certain foods contain certain chemical compounds that wreak havoc on our biochemistry. Being "addicted" to chocolate (or sugar or carbs) is absolutely no different, biologically, than being addicted to alcohol or drugs. When you are biologically addicted, no amount of sugar-free, fat-free anything is going to help. It's the chemical compounds in the chocolate that are doing it, and for severely addicted people, the reaction to chocolate in sugar-free chocolate is no different from the reaction to chocolate in "real" chocolate. When you're at this point (as I am) the only sane and rational choice is to just give it up completely.
Jennelle, you are so right! I tried getting Russell Stover sugar free chocolate one time, and I found myself eating the whole bag of that too, which has calories even though it says sugar free. You are very right, and it truly does effect me like alcohol and drugs. I (unfortunately) did them when I was young (before married and being a Mom) and it seems like when I left "that" addiction, I turned it over to chocolate and sweets. I really "want" to give up chocolate and sweets. I don't even like chocolate anymore, because I feel like I am abusing my body when I eat it. It used to make me feel good, now it just makes me feel bad and guilty, but yet I keep abusing my body with it.
Thanks so much for your reply!
cyndi oxo
and thanks everyone for the nice welcome!
comfort foods for stress
YOU FORGOT BRIDGE MIX! 
I hope I get to the place one day where I have gotten over chocolate, I don't need it, crave it, or want it. Ever. 
I'm eating chocolate as we "speak". 
We have a daily thread in you'd like to join us... come on over!
I feel ya
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