View Full Version : Comfort eating on a daily basis!
I have had depressions for some time now and since taking Fluoxetine 5 Years ago I have gained about 20lbs. I comfort eat everyday and think of food yet I am obsessed over my weight! I feel like im in catch 22. I am not overweight but have 1 of those straight up and down body shapes so I do not suit having excess weight on me. I have tried dietting alot but always end up failing and feeling worse for it. I cannot exercise at te moment as I have heart related health anxiety and am scared to push my body. Any advice and could CBT help?
Hello. Sorry to hear you are struggling. I have been going through the same thing for 2 years and i have put on 4 stone. To tackle this i am making sure i dont have any unhealthy food in to comfort eat on and no take away menus. Have little treats but lots of water keeps you full and try and get your 5 a day with smoothies. :) CBT can help because you can tackle your negative feelings towards yourself and your weight. When you want a chocolate bar but you feel crap about yourself maybe have a piece of fruit instead. Cause and effects. I hope that helps a little. Message me whenever as we are going through the same thing and we could help one another :) xxx
Thanks R.Barratt.
I do wish I could just not allow treats in the house but infortunately I have a 6 year old and a very skinny partner who simply cannot gain weight :-( Its so tempting when they're eating my favourite foods and I'm eating salad. I do like fruit though especially in the warmer weather as I find it thirst quenching, I cannot suffer water though - makes me wretch.
Do you know if chamomile tea is as good as water? I like that and peppermint tea.
Thank you, I'm now looking forward to getting my letter from the CBT place, I was told it could take months but a friend of mine got 1 in 3 weeks. 13 days so far.......
Aww im sorry that must be really frustrating whenever my partner gets a take away i do too. Different teas are really good and making you feel full and loosinng any water weight you may have. Fingers crossed. CBT helped me so i hope it goes well for you. Like i said im always around if you want to rant :) x
Thank you.
I got my letter today and have my appointment on 29th July. Only downside is that its at Cherry Knowles, I have heard many stories about that place and don't really want to go there :-( I'm sure Ill survive though hehe.
Hmmmmnnnn, this sounds like me!!!!! I am definitely obsessed with food, absolutely. For me it was a case of identifying what was behind my desire to eat "bad" things and also to overeat. To eat when I am full as well. Well, I did do that with the help of my counsellor and indeed alot of stuff on my mind.
The thing is, once I was able to begin resolving these issues, there came a point that I felt I could think about addressing my eating habits (& indeed my obsession over food..... & particularly bad food at that). I mean, I was finding myself eating my lunch (which is usually salad... So I am good in that respect) but before I'd even finished it, I'd be thinking, ooh I could do with a nice biscuit or a chocolate... And so on. Ridiculous as it meant I wasn't focusing on enjoying the food in front of me.
So what did I do? I suppose in the end I realised I needed to take responsibility for my eating habits. No one else could do it, it was up to me. There is a plentiful supply of biscuits and/or chocolate where I work & this was making it difficult. In the end I just had to make a decision & stop dipping into the biscuit tin. Well the first day I managed til mid afternoon, then I gave in, I felt really disappointed but gave it a go next day. This time I managed it, but it wasn't easy.
What I realised is that I needed something else to help keep me 'full' later in the day. I tried fruit juice but it wasn't very satisfying, next I thought perhaps a smoothie. And believe it or not, that is what did the trick. I know that smoothie has sugar in it but I also know it's got some fibre as well. It satisfies my sweet tooth & keeps me away from food that I don't need but feel drawn to eat.
Once I drew the line under it, I have gone back on it. I do have treats over the weekend but I don't go mad. The longer time has gone by, the better it has become.
So for me it was two-fold. Sort out my underlying problems..... And then, when I feel ready.... To address the things I don't need to be eating or that really aren't good for me. Finally I also try to be somewhat structured about my food, so I make sure the things I need (salad, veg, smoothie) are always available. Weekdays there's no bad food in the house. It saves having to resist temptation. finally each day at work, I try to space the food out & not eat too much in any one go.
I hope this is helpful..... & I'm interested too to hear more about what you feel might be behind your desire to eat.... It's very very difficult isn't it? oh the other thing that does me in is (sorry to mention it guys) omit Munchie mode!!! That's my "danger time" ........
Hi Tessar,
I have no idea what is behind my desire to overeat. I have had depression for over 5 years now and it's slowly creeping back to its worst again and I feel like I have no control over it. Now I have anxiety (mainly health anxiety) and it has made things seem even harder to deal with as I am now afraid to dye my hair or exercise which adds to my low self-esteem
Hmmm, interesting, or rather intriguing. Could it be that as you are down generally, comfort eating is something that simply offers you pleasure ... Albeit in the short term? That rather than eating because if some reason, it's just your general depression leading you to do it. Maybe if you are able to add structure to your days and include eating in that structure, it would help..? I guess keeping busy is what stops me eating. It affords me less time to think about food too.
By the way, I meant to say I'm straight up & down too. I always wanted a "waist" but now I realise it's just not destined to happen. I could do with losing a stone but the problem is for me it sits around my middle. I know what I need to do is tone up but a bit like u with the eating.... It's proving difficult to do.
Don't give in though.... Have a think about it.
I was a comfort eater for many years, it can still hit. I realised the most bizarre thing during counselling once. I had a difficult relationship with my Mum and mealtimes were the only times at home where there were other people around to dilute the vibes and make me feel emotionally safer. That seems to have been the insight that unlocked it for me. There will be something eating makes feel better for you. Many years ago I read 'Fat is a Feminist Issue' which I found interesting but frustrating cos although I recognised the eating patterns, I didn't feel they quite fitted me. It is amazing what a hold food can have.
The only other insight which was ever any help to me was when I was on a course about kids' behaviour for work. They were talking about how some people's behaviour can be modified by the thought of punishment and others only respond to praise. I realised I had been beating myself up for years, thinking things like, "You will HATE yourself if you eat that... you will be GROSSLY FAT if you eat that..." etc. And nothing had changed.
Instead, I switched to telling myself, "You CAN eat that, but you will be SO PROUD of yourself if you don't, won't you!" And it really made a difference. I hadn't realised I respond better to praise. Worth a try, cos it helps to be on your own side! ;)
I like your post alot, Speranza; in particular ....
"You will HATE yourself if you eat that... you will be GROSSLY FAT if you eat that..." etc. And nothing had changed.
Instead, I switched to telling myself, "You CAN eat that, but you will be SO PROUD of yourself if you don't, won't you!" And it really made a difference. I hadn't realised I respond better to praise. Worth a try, cos it helps to be on your own side!"
This sums up how I was before I managed to stop tucking into needless morsels of delight at work everyday and then castigating myself. At first when I stopped digging in the biscuit tin, it was really hard. but as time went by I was finding it easier and easier to resist,
I can see now that what you say here IS what has happened for me. Subconsciously I am praising myself, it is the feeling of praising myself, feeling proud that Has helped make it easier to resist. You sum it up really well for me.
Isn't it interesting that I hadn't picked up on the positive thoughts I was having? Typical of negative thinking & focusing more on negatives than positives.
Yes, for some reason we do that. I can tell you all the criticisms I've had without stopping to think about it, but remembering the good things people say is harder. We have some kind of filter.
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