I've done really well lately. Especially with keeping healthy groceries in the house and packing healthy lunches for work(even going as far as tying up my money in other ways with my gym membership, a new exercise dvd so it's harder to afford junk food or unplanned take out)...BUT. There are days when I think about my broken engagement. (It's going on 6 months now but I only just cut off ALL contact with him, 3 weeks ago) Days when work or family drama get me down and It's just SO easy to order pizza or some other food that makes me "happy." I want nothing more than to lose this weight, to be happy in my own skin. To be one of those inspirational posts in the GOALS section but there is something so satisfying and comforting in cuddling up with that pint of General Tso's chicken. Does that ever go away?

Sorry for the painful experience you are going through.

To answer your question... yes, the need to comfort yourself with food can go away, IF you work hard to break the habit. Or if not go away, at least become manageable.

I used to be a terrible comfort/boredom/late night eater. Now I have been awake in the middle of the night for a couple of hours and have really not even thought about eating.

To break the habit, I started out by leaving out a bowl of fresh fruit or chopped veggies on my kitchen counter. I could grab some anytime and eat it. But of course what I was WANTING was the cookies or -- for me -- bread and butter! Gradually I stopped eating the between meal fruits and veggies, and now I seldom snack at all or eat junk food. I might eat ONE cookie, etc. but that is all.

What helped me the MOST though is getting the processed food out of my system... it is loaded with addictive substances... chemicals, sugar, fake sugar, salt and everything else imaginable. Do the manufacturers intentionally put addictive things in it? It is my opinion that they do, in order to keep us going back for more.

Hope some of this helps. Comfort eating CAN be eliminated.. you can do it! I wish you the best.

I'm also very sorry about your broken engagement, that is a huge life point and it will take time to get over.

the comfort in food..yes, that can 'go away' with different habits and training your brain to think of food in different ways. I also agree, if you can, to not have any processed junk at the very least, even in small calorie treat amounts, it just makes you want more.

so many of us could have that tattooed on our arms to look at every day I had gotten to a weight that I wanted last year, and there is not much more glorious than feeling comfortable in your own skin.

When you start to really watch what you eat, you will experience what seems like emptiness in the tummy; you might crave that 'full' sensation that we equate with contentness and happiness..we just have to accept that eating lightly and adequately is ENOUGH, that full and comatose feeling is not normal.

I applaud that you took the smart steps to 'tie up' your money in a gym membership and an exercise dvd! do you make the time in your day to get to the gym? And keeping healthy foods in the house and packing your lunch!

Right now I'm starting again to try to get down to my goal weight, for now I am cutting out all starches / processed foods and just having whole foods. It is tough but by looking at all the success stories here we see it can be done!

Oh and I didn't overlook that this is in the Depression section...I'm a kinda regular poster in this section so I get that there are other issues you are dealing with too

im so sorry about your broken engagement i myself am cruising down heartbreak highway ... ( hubby and i decided to call it quis but if im not really fooling myself i can admit this marriage was over 6 years ago ..... i just didnt want to accept it and so and he didnt want to leave for the other woman then , he just wanted to have his cake and eat it too but anyho ! )

i know how lonley and vurnarable you must be feeling .... fight the urge to pick up the phone and call him if you feel he is no good for you .....

i also struggle with using food for comfort and im no wear near goal so im no expert on this ..... but when i want to snuggle up with a family size container of ice cream and an entire pound cake i just think about how disgusted i will feel with myself afterwards and i try to remind myself that eatting wont fix or solve anything the only person im hurting is myself and most** days thats a good enough demotivator for me but ive had a few days where idk what i was thinking when i was shoveling back all that food .... and you cant beat yourself up over that too .... its ok just get back on track ,

but ive found it helps me to occupy my time ...i am sad less and so i eat less i check out what clubs are ladies free and i go there ( cause lord knows im not paying !! ) , i take the train to the city with just enough money to but myself a skinny creme brulle latte from starbucks ( a little pricey but omg do treat yourself its fabulous ! ) and i wander around with my friends we take pictures window shop etc, sometimes i go play pool with my girlfriends or even just a simple movie night at my/there houses ..... being with other people keeps me accountable

maybe when your in want of some comforting you can turn to your friends for a little support and girl time ! i see you live in jersey , theres a good bit going on there you could even take the train into NYC and roam around here , it beats sitting at home with your takeout and being miserable when the foods gone because the problems still remain , and you will be dissapointed with yourself .....

i hope i helped and didnt get all preachy on you


:hugs:

Thank you all for the sweet responses. It's really easy to feel like "OMG NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW I FEEL" but in all actuality what I'm going through isn't uncommon. Though, I'm sorry you ladies can relate.

I'm trying to cut out most processed foods. and definitely spend my time productively whether going to the gym or cooking a healthy meal or spending FUN time with friends. (keeping busy keeps my mind from wandering to places it shouldn't)

I'm so sorry to hear about your broken engagement. All I know is that the pain will lessen with time. I ate for comfort for years and as much as I told myself that I was enjoying the food, the truth is that the food was destroying my body and my life. I was too uncomfortable going out looking how I looked and I firmly believed that eating at home was the best part of my day. I would actually look forward to getting home so I could eat my CVS dinner of ice cream and chocolate covered pretzels.

Would I have rather been out meeting someone new? Would I have enjoyed spending time with friends? Would I want to go somewhere and live my life rather than vegging out in front of the tv with all my food? Yes yes yes yes yes yes.

I think the beginning is the toughest part because you're breaking yourself out of your comfort zone but once you've been living in the change for a little while, you can start to ask yourself if you're really getting comfort from the food.

You are all so sweet. This is the best support system a girl could ask for. Thank you. Cheat free since my birthday (January 15th) and feeling good