yeah. heavens knows we're all experts about this!!1 but i've been realizing that since i can no longer swallow my emotions without some really uncomfortable consequences, I'M STUCK!!!!

there's no avoiding them. they're always SITTING RIGHT THERE in front of me. and luckily, i haven't been even trying to eat when i have an uncomfortable feeling, but i can't quite figure out how to make them stop. oh, they go away eventually, but what to do in the meantime?

any thoughts??

Hiya Jiff....

Please forgive me for being a late poster!! I'm not totally sure what you mean by your post. Are you pondering how to handle difficulties in life now that you can't stuff yourself and comfort yourself with food???? By the way....this really is a good thing!!

This is strange. Ya know, I don't think I'm really an emotional eater. That's not to say it hasn't happened before, but I think I eat for the pure joy of eating and because I love the taste of food. Okay, that aside.........what to do when you're upset and want to eat???? Since you have done so fantastically well with your weight loss, have you considered joining a club, gym or find a hobby that might take your mind off your troubles??? I'm sure you have lots of people you can confide in, but sometimes, solitude is a good thing when you're upset (meaning not always being with your family/friends). If you have a hobby, then you could focus on that....anything that might provide a healthy distraction.

Because at the end of the day.....no matter what is troubling you, you can only change those things you have control over. Fretting over things you cannot change or influence will only drive you nuts!!! Just my humble opinion!! God Bless friend....

Just me...Robin
Pre-285
Desired-150/160

it's not that i really use food to get away from problems, but more as a substitute for confronting them!!

and there are very very few people in whom i can confide. everyone's so busy with their families that it's real hard to spend time with them, so i generally cope myself.

and i have lots of hobbies, but i'm generally not in a relaxed enough frame of mind to enjoy them. i've been making sure to get my mile and a half to two mile walk in just about every morning, and that helps. but work is extremely stressful and i get home late. a whole day of answering questions, phones, solving problems, meetings, all kinds of stuff, and my poor 80 year old mom just wants to TALK and wants me to solve her problems, and all i want to do is curl up with a book for a half hour or so.

and i can't eat around her in the evenings either. it's just way too stressful for me.

sorry for the excuses. i'm just overwhelmed by so much these days.

Jif,

I really thought about this one long and hard before I had WLS. I thought long and hard about it before taking the plunge. I worried that it would be unbearably difficult for me, as I am a stress eater and basic major overeater. Luckily, other than a few isolated instances early on, it hasn't been as big an issue as I had feared. With the DS we can eat more as time progresses, to the point of eating a "small normal" meal after about a year, so that may help, as well.

I do know what it is like to go from using food to cope with different situations, to being unable to do so. It can be scary. And stressful.

I have to get to work, or I would write more. I will later!

Dawna

Do you have any type Instant Messageners on you computer? If not download on and get you a buddy list, then when you want to stuff food in you mouth, call up a buddie that's on line and start a conversation. It's hard to stuff food into your mouth if your fingers are busy "Talking" to a freind. I have MSM. ICQ and Yahoo, and I'm on the computer almost every night. But MS EDITOR, you'll have to overlook my spelling.

and i usually turn off my editor radar when on the internet... it's happier that way

and thanks for the idea. i've had IMs, several of them. and unfortunately, i've had to turn them off because of undesirables. but maybe it's time to reinstate some of them.

it's just that sometimes these feelings are so uncomfortable, and i don't want to feel that way... it's a human thing, i guess. and therefore it's something to just cope with.

Hey Jif
I've seen my sis have a similar problem now that she can't eat very much btw I never made it to that meeting
Have you thought of keeping a journal so at least you can express the neg emotions and not keep them bottled up so much
my sis has turned to shopping and much to the chagrin of my waistline bringing home goodies for us
I totally understand about the 80 year old mom I have an 85 year old gram and it does take its toll
but u know what when u need to escape for a bit she'd understand she loves u
Kier