Emotional Eater
Are you an emotional eater? I don't really have a reason for this post, except for the fact that I'm in an awful mood, and thus have absolutely NO appetite. Do you over-induldge when you are upset/sad (ice cream, chocolate, etc) or find it hard to eat anything? Just curious who else is in my boat.
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19 Comments:
Sorry I can't relate. I like to eat when I'm happy, but I definitely like to eat when I'm stressed as well. Even though I do like junky foods like sweets, I think it's the chewing action that reduces the stress. I'm a big fan of chowing down on vegetables, and chewing gum is theraputic when I'm studying too. Hope you're feeling better soon!
runnereater at 5:25PM on 02/19/09
Much more apt tto try to medicate myself with food when I'm angry/sad/tense/bored, and like most people who are that way, wish to heck I would stop eating instead. A few times in my life, I've been extremely happy and the weight has just fallen off my plump self without my even trying (at first; once I realized what was going on, I was glad to knowingly cut back).
But it's well known, of course, than it can go both ways. Sorry you're off your feed.
lemons at 5:25PM on 02/19/09
Nope, I'm an emotional walker (that is, I need to take a walk when I'm very upset). I can't eat anything at all when upset, very excited (both good or bad), really stressed out, emotional, etc (no eating at family weddings or funerals alike, that's for sure). It can be a problem sometimes, but I can't really do anything about it.
brooke29 at 5:43PM on 02/19/09
I eat more chocolate when my experiments fail.
hmw0029 at 5:49PM on 02/19/09
It all depends--When the stresses pertain to work related issues, I can really, really eat: salty, sweet you name it. When the stress pertains to a major illness or death of a loved one or before I was married, relationship problems---then I can go without eating for weeks and not even be hungry-it's like I exist on autopilot..
@avideater---I hope you feel better soon:o)
Italiancupcake at 5:55PM on 02/19/09
Nope. I'm an emotional cleaner. If I'm upset, you're more likely to find me washing windows than raiding the fridge.
dbcurrie at 6:07PM on 02/19/09
@dbcurrie--Wow! Window washing!! HHMM ..Would you like a side job! ha ha ha -If only I can channel my emotions to cleaning! Seriously though, at least you're productive-good for you
Italiancupcake at 6:41PM on 02/19/09
Oh hell yes. It'll only happen when I'm angry enough to cry, and I'll stuff food in my mouth too fast to chew or swallow. It's not pretty.
mikaque at 7:37PM on 02/19/09
I will not touch food when I am upset, tired, sick, angry or stressed. Nothing sounds good to me at that point.
pjracz10 at 7:41PM on 02/19/09
Depends on the emotion! Anger or guilt -> I clean, and I lose my appetite.
Sadness/tiredness/general blahs: eat everything in sight.
Moderate stress: eat foods I have to cook (it's procrastination, I assume).
High stress: unable to eat anything that isn't mostly water, no matter if I'm hungry or not.
For instance, last week, I was cleaning and doing very light re-decorating because I felt bad that I missed class and needed to do something "right."
Today, I made myself pancakes, because I should be studying for the bar (which is next week).
By Monday, I'll be subsisting on a diet of Pepto-Bismol and berries.
renzata at 7:47PM on 02/19/09
Yeah....*sigh*
I eat when I'm anxiously trying to avoid something I dread doing, or facing, and instead self-medicate by eating. Anything. There is no rhyme or reason, just a general desperate turning to food to zone out with. When hubby walks in and I'm poised with a fork in mid-air, I simply say "leave me alone, I'm having a cigarette".
However, when the stress is serious, involving some sickening turn of events beyond my control, or some tensely unresolved issue, my stomach's in knots and I can't eat.
Years ago I tried Overeaters Anonymous, which I highly recommend. They are not a joke. I truly learned a lot about myself and felt for the first time that this was a behavioral habit that I COULD change. But being still human......well......I try.
moibec at 8:08PM on 02/19/09
I'm both a foodie and a person who has struggled with disordered eating most of my life - anorexia, bulimia, overeating, and everything in between. I appreciate good food when I'm treating myself well and I either deprive myself of all food or binge on cheap/sub-quality food when I'm not happy with myself. For example, I love to bake, but I won't binge on something I made myself because I put so much work into it and want to savor it - because I respect it, really. In that way, being part of foodie culture has helped me recover. Respecting my food reminds me to respect myself.
marzipanda at 9:34PM on 02/19/09
Ohhh yeah. My reaction to most strong emotions is either food or exercise, where the former leads to emotional eating, and the latter leads to hunger and therefore more eating. I'm also a horrible bored eater. I think boredom causes me to eat more than any other emotion.
cycorider at 11:45PM on 02/19/09
Sometimes when I have a bad day I tell myself I deserve to have pizza or buffalo wings...I always regret it right afterward.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 12:47PM on 02/20/09
when do I not eat?!....... hmmmm...... when I'm sleeping???
Pavlov at 12:49PM on 02/20/09
Most definitely.
The other day I was feeling particularly preturbed and out of sorts. I went to Kroger and purchased a bottle of Advil and two pints of ice cream, then proceeded home to have my pity party with Ben & Jerry. It was quite cathartic.
juliebugsmama at 2:35PM on 02/20/09
I'm an emotional eater when it comes to stress and boredom, like some of you have mentioned; not so much with other emotions. I'm trying to get control of it...I have failed today and yesterday both, due to pita and homemade hummus. At least it's not cookies and cakes, but an unnecessary calorie's still an unnecessary calorie, right?
@marzipanda - I have more in common with you that I'd probably like to admit on the disordered eating aspect of things. I totally agree with your point about the respect for something self made, too...except, apparently, for the hummus!!
mollykate678 at 2:58PM on 02/20/09
I used to be much more of an emotional eater - I had foods associated with almost every possible state of mind - but then I took a course called "Thin Within" back in the seventies (still available as a book). I managed to disconnect food from every emotional state except physical pain, fatigue, and boredom. For all of those, salty, fatty foods are the things I crave.
When I crave sugar or salt for no particular reason, I know that what my body really wants is the trace minerals that are so abundant in brewer's yeast. I get around it by saying, "Self, you can have your ice cream, but take the brewer's yeast first."
lemons:
Oh, that brings back a buried memory. When I fell in love with the boy who is now my husband of 35 years, I lost 15 pounds (later, though, they came sneaking back with all their friends and relations).
brooke29:
Lucky you!
marzipanda (love your nick):
Brilliant! And with that, I'm going to favorite this thread.
gentlyferal at 3:11PM on 02/20/09
I absolutely am.
I too have struggled (and still do struggle) with disordered eating. I don't handle stress well...and my life now is certainly the most stressful it has ever been. The one person that keeps me sane is my boyfriend, he knows I struggle with it and just supports me through everything and doesn't nitpick. He loves food--and through him I have learned to love food (and myself) again. However, he is 200 miles away from me when I'm at school, so it gets a little tough.
Exam tomorrow? The best way to study is with a pint of PSU creamery ice cream...or a latte and something from the bakery case at Starbucks.
Feeling lonely and missing home, family and BF? Hello, movie-theater size bag of Twizzlers.
And the worst is when I'm in bad mood, because of a grade I'm not satisfied with or my day going wrong...I won't eat for days at a time, save for a latte or two and copious amounts of Diet Coke.
sweethunibabi at 7:31AM on 02/24/09