Emotional eating

[Vanilla Orchid]

I just hate when I do this. Life is stressful. No disasters. Nothing as bad as many are facing. But there's stuff. There is always stuff. So I eat. I eat when I'm not hungry. I eat McDougall stuff. Maximum weigh loss stuff. OK, sometimes not. But mostly, I'm compliant, but I just eat too much.

So, help me out here. I need to get back in touch with the notion of eating when I'm hungry instead of because I can.

[Letha.]

Hi Vanilla Orchid,
I tend to eat more when stressed but I’ve decided to let go of the whole notion of emotional eating. Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D, author of ‘The Pleasure Trap’, argues that we can trust our bodies to eat exactly the correct amount of food to maintain a healthy weight if we simply eat the correct food and get some exercise. We don’t need to think about how much to eat just like we don’t need to think about how much to breath. I’d say just up the ratio of green and yellow veggies in your MWL meals and find time for more exercise. Best wishes.
Letha

[Vanilla Orchid]

Hi Vanilla Orchid,
I tend to eat more when stressed but I’ve decided to let go of the whole notion of emotional eating. Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D, author of ‘The Pleasure Trap’, argues that we can trust our bodies to eat exactly the correct amount of food to maintain a healthy weight if we simply eat the correct food and get some exercise. We don’t need to think about how much to eat just like we don’t need to think about how much to breath. I’d say just up the ratio of green and yellow veggies in your MWL meals and find time for more exercise. Best wishes.
Letha

I hope you are right, and to look at your ticker, it seems like you are having great success. I do walk an hour most week days at lunch, and a couple hours in the morning most weekends. And I do some strength training once a week. I think it's the food, not the exercise. But, you are correct. I need to up the percentage of green and yellow veggies.

[Faith in DC]

It does hit at certain times Vanilla. You are in CA, but around here, we get pretty down in January and February, and there is a whole lot of eating going on. I try and focus on one day. I do allow myself a treat each week.

I'm glad to see you already are out and walking, cause that helps a ton.

Be prepared with good foods and with the extra veggies, you won't have much room to eat junk.

[topview1]

This hit me by surprise the last few days, too. I just want to eat and eat. Mostly MWL, but I made the mistake of eating a few regular McD things and now they are fair game.

I'm going to lean down my kitchen and try to get out of the house at some point with a limited supply of good food to 'retrain'.

I also think I am going to 'treat' myself with an afternoon of reading or something to stop the food cravings.

[proverbs31woman]

I've found that bad habits die hard, but once you get into the habit of substituting a bad habit with a good one, it may get easier every time.

[topview1]

Vanilla Orchid

I was just pondering my eating when not hungry trend and the thought that just crossed my mind is that I've been staying up later for the last week or so. My energy levels are just not what they have been for the last month of (mostly) consistent bedtimes and the MWL diet. Today, I am sitting in front of the computer wanting to munch instead of having the extra energy that I have become used to to do things to take care of my life.

I know that it is related to lack of sleep, but now that I think about it, my eating pattern changes in periods of sleep stress - perhaps a natural response to an energy issue? I think I might polish up this thought and ask Jeff....