I was in a minor car accident today (guy side swiped me) and my first (well may be second) reaction was I want something ooey gooey sweet! Emotional comfort
How does one turn that mind set around?
No I didn't cave in, I just thought about the amazing stories that I am already reading on this forum!
How do people change their mind set/entrenched behaviours/habits?

I try to remind myself that the gooey sweet food won't change anything, you were still sideswiped.

I came across this same feeling this past weekend. My boyfriend moved across the state for a job, and on Sunday night I was bored (a little lonely, too). I had just eaten my protein and veggie dinner, and had no cravings. But as I got more and more bored and wanting companionship, I thought "I could go down to Wawa and grab a pint of Ben and Jerry's, and a small bag of chips. That'd be fun..."

Then I stopped myself. Fun?? Omg, I've been thinking that eating was FUN. "No," I told myself, "I want to see another pound drop this week, and I want to see my ketone strip register tomorrow morning." Then another thought crept up- "Well then what the heck am I gonna do now? I could eat more protein, but ick, I'm not hungry." BINGO!!! I wasn't hungry!!! This whole time I was eating 'bad' food for entertainment, not hunger.

So, what I did was I laid there on my bed for about 10 minutes and let myself be bored. Then I got an idea and pulled out my sketch pad and started doodling. Then I wasn't bored anymore.

Instead of ignoring the feeling of wanting food for some sort of entertainment or comfort we should acknowledge the feeling we were trying to cover up. It usually goes away in a few minutes, then we can focus on something else that's enjoyable and NOT food.

In the car - my answer is MUSIC. Even without the car it's MUSIC. Other than that, I entertain myself with the computer on message boards or reading news or articles or doing searches. TV doesn't do it for me - never much interest.

It's a big battle not to eat for boredom, but if I don't have trigger foods around me then they aren't an option. Out of sight/reach, out of mind (and tummy!).

You're doing an awesome job by realizing you want the food for entertainment and comfort. That may be half the struggle there. Congratulations and best of luck! :hugs:

Everytime I think about eating something I know I shouldn't for comfort or just because I am bored or want it I try to think of the saying,

" Nothing you taste will ever feel as good as being thin"

So even there in the moment even though I would want that ice cream I know I am going to love being thinner and healthier without it.

I think what's worse than having that be your reaction is looking for a reason[excuse] to fail. Like something that doesn't normally hit that 'comfort eating' trigger suddenly starts to because you want it to.

Just remind yourself there is more out there. Like I'm trying to swap comfort eating for working out. Endorphins are always nice!

I'm still in the beginning stages of this, but so far, I'm doing great! Yeah, I know, it's only the beginning! However, I have 2 small children and a fiance who love junk... so I've got a rocky road ahead of me! I have found though, that if I think of myself naked (no joke, it works) when I'm wanting something sweet, it changes my mind pretty quick! I want this change. I want to be happy, healthy and confident! I have to do this, for me!