Emotional eating - need some support if you can spare it

Hi All,

I've just had a light bulb moment that I had slipped into old emotional eating patterns. We often do this unconsciously & maybe I've done it in the past post surgery but this was the one time I went woah nelly! & realised what was happening.

A little bit of context: my older brother took his own life in January (mental illness is a stinking sh*t of a thing) & I am now working my way with his lawyer to pick up the tangled pieces. I'm tired & have spent several hours tonight itemising emails & legal documents that are required. Insert Emotional Eating here

I think I have caught it & acknowledged it but I'm surprised I have managed to eat so many snacks in only a few hours. I truly thought my stomach would say hell no or something but it just kept (unmindfully) going in.

So... I guess I'm after some help so I can pick it up before it makes it to my mouth in future or even just a kind word.

Tomorrow I'm back on the wagon (& funnily enough I did actually log everything in my fitness pal app because I want to hold myself accountable).

Thanks OH community for listening.

First my sincerest condolences for the loss of your brother. My heart goes out to you.

I am newbie and have no real words of wisdom to speak of, truth be told I need someone to give me those still, but I can offer you my supportive thoughts.

I think that you already know the cause of the eating, identified you need to reboot and have a plan to start to do that. You sound like you're on your path to beating this. Amazing how much more in tune we are with ourselves. All I can say is stick to your plan. When you start to slip up remove yourself from whatever you're doing. Go take a shower, or just go for a quick drive around your block. Maybe grab a book or go start a load of laundry. Do anything besides what you were doing when your erge to eat started. There are many support groups out there that may interest you. Sometimes talking to someone who has been through the same thing is so therapeutic.

I have learned that your grief and stress will come in waves. Some waves will be quite high. Finding an outlet for that is going to be the key to your mental and physical health. I'm thinking of you and sending you positive vibes. You got this!

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. You are right I should have gotten up and removed myself from the stress instead of raiding the pantry. Next time I will try use that technique. I appreciate your kind words.

On another note a huge congratulations on achieving goal within 9 months! Awesome stuff. Take care :-)

My heart goes out to you. Words aren't adequate for what you're going through. The emotional aspect, but then also to have to sort through the legal aspect too is overwhelming.

As for the eating...probably you were snacking on sliders, and maybe slow enough that your stomach didn't complain. Or maybe it did complain and you're in so much pain already that you didn't notice. It sounds like you're aware of it, and that's really all you need; to tune in and try to stop when it starts. I agree with the advice from the previous poster. Take good loving care of yourself.

I'm sending you mental love over the internet.

Hi there - yep you are right it was those pesky sliders. I usually don't eat or stock them but my SO does & I raided theirs. Which kinda makes me feel a little ashamed but also I know I'm only human. My tummy did complain middle of the night & I was buzzing from so much sugar I didn't sleep until 3am. Lesson learned. I appreciate the support, thank you.

Believe me, I understand how hard it is to resist, especially when your resistance is low. The other adults in my family have a constant stock of high sugar empty food. Also, at work the toaster/microwave is about 7 feet from my office door so I am constantly smelling deliciousness. One thing that has helped me is something I read from another user. I have changed from saying "I can't have that." to "I don't eat that". It helps me tweak my mindset from deprivation to choice. I haven't had any heavy emotional lifting since surgery, so I'm not sure something so small would help, but maybe?

The saying goes that they operate on your stomach not on your head. First, my condolences on your loss. Remember that this is a long-term process. It's great that you recognized the issue. That's clearly the first victory. Just remember those feelings the next time you're in a similar situation.

Not sure of your personal situation, but if you have access to a therapist I definitely suggest that avenue (for both dealing with your loss and your eating situation).

Hi Janet

I am seeing a therapist & This will def be on the agenda at our next session. Thanks for the support :)

I am 14 years post surgery and I can honestly say I have zero will power. I am actually below my goal. My secret is I don't have it in the house. I keep good things aroundð?'?. I have a horrid sweet tooth so just don't keep it in the house. When I bake for hubby I make or something I don't like.

Hi Kathy

How do you manage with other people's food in the house? I am pretty good, I plan the meals and stock up on healthy food but my SO has snacky food they can grab on the run & a sweet tooth. I don't feel I should dictate what they can have but on the other hand it is a temptation. Thoughts?