Losing a pet triggers emotional eating ......?

 I had to have my dog, Shelby, a rat terrier put to "sleep" on Sunday ( he was 13 and arthritis crippled him) and I am really having to fight emotional eating.......it is extremely odd that emotional eating didn't bother me last year when my Mom died as it has with the death of my dog.  Maybe the fact that I chose to have him put down....I don't know.....just needed to post some thoughts.    At least I am aware that it is emotional eating and am keeping an eye on it.  That is something I was never aware of before WLS ......I just ate to soothe my feelings. Being aware of why I eat to me is an NSV.

I'm sorry for your loss. Sending hugs your way.
And yes, I think that's an NSV, because you are aware of it.

I'm sorry for your loss.  I too am an emotional eater.   Unfortunately I do not have a cure for it.

I'm so sorry to hear about Shelby. Please know that what you did was the most compassionate action you could have taken. As much as it hurts to have had to make such a decision, you gave him peace. The choice you made was selfless.

Reading your post made me tear up because I've been struggling hard with emotional eating lately. If I lost my Dioji (our 6 year old sheltie), I know it would feel almost impossible to care about eating. It just feels so insignificant and stupid to care or think about food when you're hurting so badly.

So I guess my theory is to have compassion for yourself. Understand that yes, you're going to make a few bad choices while you're hurting. Accepting that will make it easier to keep things in perspective and move on from the emotional eating.

The pain of your loss won't go away quickly, but remember that eating healthy is treating yourself with love. You need all the love you can get right now. Take care of your body so that your mind can heal without the extra pressure of worrying about feeling out of control about food.

I'll be sending good thoughts your way.

I'm so sorry you had to make this tough choice, but know you did the best thing for your pup by letting him go and be out of pain. Remember all dogs go to heaven! :)

Hugs to you at this sad time. I had to put my 17 y.o. Charlie to sleep on Christmas Eve 2009, so I understand what you are going through. I think losing Charlie is harder then losing a pet.  It's the unconditional love they give you.

I am so sorry to hear about Shelby. I have had to put several animals to sleep and it is so hard, even when you know you are doing the right thing. Dogs are so special because they give so much love and always forgive us, even when we don't really deserve it. i am proud that you know that what you are struggling with is emotional eating and I am sure that you can find your way through this. You are right--that in itself is an NSV! Keep posting and venting when you need to--that is what we are here for!

I just had to put my 20month old Chow down in May because of hip dysplasia pain and it broke my heart. I still miss him terribly (and it doesn't help that I am getting a bit of "the runaround" from the breeders on my replacement puppy).  I struggled much more with wanting to eat after I put Khan down than when my Dad died a couple of years ago (but my Dad had been in pretty bad shape and non-communicative for quite a while when he died, so I had already said goodbye in some ways).

It is TERRIFIC that you are aware of the urges.  That will serve you well.

I am very sorry about Shelby.  I still tear up just thinking about Khan, so I know how deeply it can hurt.

Lora

 Thanks to all of you for your kind words......I am doing better today.   One day at a time.  :)