Healthy Weight Loss

PaPa · 07-02-2013, 07:25 PM

Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this:

"I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions."

I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me.

Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

Gemme · 07-02-2013, 07:39 PM

*raises hand*

I gotta get some shuteye for my day tomorrow, but want to chime in on this briefly.

I'm an emotional eater. Any emotion will do. Stressed? Eat something. Hurt feelings? Eat something. Hurt body? As long as it's not a stomach ache, eat something. Angry? Eat something and eat it fast. Bored? Eat something and take my time. The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better. Don't forget to plunk myself down in front of the computer or TV while doing it.

Emotions: disengage.
Face stuffing autopilot: engage.

Food is love until it's not. Too much love smothers the spirit and too much food kills the body.

I just read a story about a 7 year old boy who volunteers for an organization that trains dogs to signal when someone's blood sugar rises too high or falls too low. One of the dogs signaled at him. His parents had him checked and he's at the tippy top edge of diabetes. SEVEN!

Back on track....

*****possibly triggering******

It...emotional eating...started early for me and has always been a coping method. I haven't been shy about my history. I spent 10 years under the thumb of a controlling, manipulative child rapist as well as experiencing a one time molestation by one of my first cousins at age 5 (he was 14). I think that, subconsciously, I wanted to make myself less attractive in the hopes that it would stop. I know that's a normal response now. Then, it just felt like a failed attempt and thus began the cycle of punishing and rewarding myself with food that I still have to work on to this very day.

Chancie · 07-04-2013, 05:35 AM

Good Morning!

I just want to share where I'm at; I'm not looking for any advice or suggestions.

I'm still tracking my food, and I've lost about 50 pounds. I still have plenty of weight to lose but my blood pressure's lower, my cholesterol's gone down, and I'm no longer pre diabetic. I'm much more physically comfortable and I just started exercising.

I'm taking water aerobics five mornings a week, and I joined the Y so I can take group exercise classes. I've been doing great, and I am very proud of myself.

My weight loss seems to be stalled since I started exercising. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water; maybe I'm not eating enough calories for my level of exertion. I should have taken some body measurements so I can assess my progress that way.

I know that it took exactly this many years and personal work on myself to get me here, to this place where I can pay enough attention to my body.

Kelt · 07-04-2013, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemme

The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better.

This part stuck me. I happened to be reading a book right now about this very topic, The End of Overeating by David Kessler MD, former FDA commissioner.

It examines a lot of the current chemical tinkering that is going on in the processed food industries right now. There is very targeted manipulation of sugars, fats, and salt, along with texture and mouth feel. It is strikingly similar to what was going on in the tobacco industry 30 – 40 years ago. These foods are being specifically engineered to trigger opiate and dopamine receptors in our brains. Heroin anyone?

This emotional connection that we have to certain foods is most certainly being exploited, only making it worse. For me, knowledge is power, and this is helping. Understanding how it works, and that I am not the only button-pusher involved here somehow makes me feel a little more in control.

Not a fix, just another tool in the toolbox.

Mopsie · 07-04-2013, 08:04 AM

Happy 4th of July everyone!

For me, today is the kick off day of my healthier habits. (My independence day!)

In the past its been about taking things away ... ie. taking things out of my diet or severely limiting them. I tended to feel like I was missing something or would feel rebellious against the rules.

This time I decided to focus on the positives - on what I'm going to add in to my diet or my lifestyle. The first steps I decided on was to have a piece of fruit every day, drink 8 glasses of water a day, and move more often.

I've been slowly reading through this thread and have been very inspired. Thank you to everyone who has posted!

Zimmeh · 07-04-2013, 08:04 AM

I am the same way and I am trying to curb my emotional eating habits. When I found out that I was losing my job in May, I would normally go home and find any form of sweets we had. Instead, I took my dog out for a nice walk around our apartment complex and enjoyed it. Each day is a struggle for me since my job has been extended and knowing that I might lose my job at the end of July.

Zimmeh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemme

*raises hand*

I gotta get some shuteye for my day tomorrow, but want to chime in on this briefly.

I'm an emotional eater. Any emotion will do. Stressed? Eat something. Hurt feelings? Eat something. Hurt body? As long as it's not a stomach ache, eat something. Angry? Eat something and eat it fast. Bored? Eat something and take my time. The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better. Don't forget to plunk myself down in front of the computer or TV while doing it.

Emotions: disengage.
Face stuffing autopilot: engage.

Food is love until it's not. Too much love smothers the spirit and too much food kills the body.

I just read a story about a 7 year old boy who volunteers for an organization that trains dogs to signal when someone's blood sugar rises too high or falls too low. One of the dogs signaled at him. His parents had him checked and he's at the tippy top edge of diabetes. SEVEN!

Back on track....

*****possibly triggering******

It...emotional eating...started early for me and has always been a coping method. I haven't been shy about my history. I spent 10 years under the thumb of a controlling, manipulative child rapist as well as experiencing a one time molestation by one of my first cousins at age 5 (he was 14). I think that, subconsciously, I wanted to make myself less attractive in the hopes that it would stop. I know that's a normal response now. Then, it just felt like a failed attempt and thus began the cycle of punishing and rewarding myself with food that I still have to work on to this very day.

Zimmeh · 07-04-2013, 08:08 AM

Growing up in a dysfunctional home as a child and being homeless at 16, means that I still struggle with rejection and other emotions. When I am stressed and bored, I will eat more junk food to healthy food. When I am done eating this junk food, I feel bad and mentally berate myself over this. When something is said about the junk food missing, I become embarrassed and really berate myself mentally. When I started my weight loss journey six years ago, I found keeping my emotional eating was easier than now. I thought getting braces would help me loose weight, but it hasn't.

Zimmeh

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaPa

Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this:

"I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions."

I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me.

Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

Miss Scarlett · 07-04-2013, 10:57 AM

It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating.

There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating.

Has anyone experienced this?

alexri · 07-04-2013, 11:04 AM

I can totally understand the "food is love" and "food is comforting" concept. I lived with it for a long time.

Food didn't care that I was/am gay/trans. Food didn't tell me I was stupid like my mom did. Food didn't make fun of me. Food was comforting. It was pleasure in terms of taste.

It took me a very long time to appreciate that food is fuel and that I need to treat it as such. Crap in, crap out. Just like if I use watered-down gas for my car, the performance fails, if I feed myself crap, my body, the machine that it is, will pay for it. For some people, moderation works. For some, it doesn't.

Geneen Roth is a wonderful author and has written many pieces on breaking away from emotional eating.

Miss Scarlett · 07-04-2013, 11:10 AM

Gemme · 07-04-2013, 06:19 PM

Today was a banner day thus far for me!

Consider this horn formally tooted.

---but not like this

Kelt · 07-04-2013, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zimmeh

Growing up in a dysfunctional home as a child and being homeless at 16, ...Zimmeh

This sounds familiar, for me I was 15 and fortunately my homeless stint was quite brief. The first couple of years out on my own were extremely slim pickings though when it came to food. Even though I worked full time, it was minimum wage, $1.30 per hour. Rent and a bus pass were about all I could have. I spent quite a bit of time genuinely hungry.

What that time in my life has left me with is sort of a weird combination of scarcity/hoarding behaviors in the kitchen. Until fairly recently I have always felt the need to have a jam-packed pantry "just in case". Having so much food around all the time was I am sure a big part of putting all that weight on me that I carried for a decade. If it's in the house, someday, someone will eat it. It was usually me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexri

I can totally understand the "food is love" and "food is comforting" concept. I lived with it for a long time.

Food didn't care that I was/am gay/trans. Food didn't tell me I was stupid like my mom did. Food didn't make fun of me. Food was comforting. It was pleasure in terms of taste.

It took me a very long time to appreciate that food is fuel and that I need to treat it as such. Crap in, crap out. Just like if I use watered-down gas for my car, the performance fails, if I feed myself crap, my body, the machine that it is, will pay for it. For some people, moderation works. For some, it doesn't.

Geneen Roth is a wonderful author and has written many pieces on breaking away from emotional eating.

I am now at a point where I feel about it much like Alex does. It is an uneasy truce, but holding up a couple of years later. I still keep a well-stocked basic pantry but now it consists of all healthy whole foods.

Assuming that all holds well in my medical world, come September I'm going to embark on another physical change. Again I will experiment and track much as I did with my weight loss challenge. This time it will be for a body composition change. I know it will involve a lot of the same things I went through before with having to move away from some of my new favorite comfort foods and back into some uncomfortable places.

Oh joy

It will involve some "weight loss", although it will be actually more of a weight swap. Even though I am pretty much what would be popularly considered a "normal" (whatever that is) weight, I need to drop some body fat and pick up some lean tissue. A couple of the folks that were in here a few years ago may remember that I spent a lot of time in this thread during my initial changes and I plan on spending more time back in here and in the daily exercise thread when I start the next phase.

The support and accountability that I got in here really helped. I hope some of the people newer to this thread will come to appreciated it as I did. It is a lifeline.

Hollylane · 07-06-2013, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating.

There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating.

Has anyone experienced this?

When I am upset, I cannot eat, when I am happy, I want to eat. The not eating causes absolute havoc on my body, which already has problems getting the right nutrients, or even digesting foods that it needs to fuel it. With constant nausea (gastroparesis), I'm expected to eat 5 small meals a day (my gastro doc refers to this as eating like I've had a gastric bypass, which I have not), and most days, I can barely get the interest up for one meal. On the happy scale (pun intended), I want to eat the foods that do not nourish me, and my body cannot digest. The parts that I am at fault for, and the one's my body causes, both deliver the same results, my body goes into starvation mode (undigested food/not enough food), and stores everything it can as fat.

When Gaige and I vacation together, I always know how it will end. Yet I do it anyway, every single time, eating the things that she can eat without problems, and ending up sick for weeks after our visits.

I really need to work on the happy bad eating, and the frequent meals (despite my nausea). Sometimes my dieter brain (the one that has fadded out for years), talks me out of frequent meals, because it feels like grazing. See? Work is much needed in these areas.

This week, I'm going to work on getting enough of the right fuel, and try to get down to the pool as often as possible. I love swimming, it is a perfect exercise for me, and I'm hoping that I can get up the drive and energy to make it happen.

I've been doing well this week, with lots of extra walking and the right foods, I've dropped a few pounds this week, but mostly inches. Either one is fine for me, as far as my health is concerned.

ruffryder · 07-06-2013, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetfeme

I wanted to write a quick note about another thing I noticed recently, and I believe it has to do with the increased protein intake and lack of wheat and sugar and that is the severity of my cold.
I just finished fighting off a cold and usually when I get hot by a cold I am out for the count for a few days. This time however was so different. I was still achey and congested but I didn't feel anywhere near as played out or sick as usual. I kept waiting for the cold to get really bad yet it never did. This has never happened to me before. Has anyone else had this experience?
Thanks again Holly, will check it out

I definitely believe someone getting sick or catching a cold and how long it takes to recover and get over has to do with diet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaPa

Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this:

"I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions."

I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me.

Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

I believe you hit this on the nail for a majority of people that struggle with eating binges and emotional eaters. BTW it's great to see you in here PaPa!

Kudos to all that continue to come here and share. Glad to see you all on your weight journeys Thanks!
I've been stuck on the same level and that is knowing what eating healthy is and doing so sometimes and then other times eating whatever the heck I want and having cravings. I haven't really gained or lost. I know what I need to do it's getting motivated or wanting to be motivated to do it. I, like starry have also got the hip hop abs and it's been sitting in the box unopened now for a little over a month!! We moved just about that time and it still sits there. Right before we moved I found some awesome work outs on line and I was doing those in the mornings. When I find them I will post them for those interested. I also lost in the move all my protein visalus shake mix. I was/am bummed and have to find an alternative. I also want to try fresh veggie and fruit smoothies and have been doing research but haven't actually made them yet. We also have a small gym and pool here where we live. I have utilized the pool but not the gym just yet.

So, onward and upward to all.. we have a few months (4) before Thanksgiving and Christmas hit us so we should all make the commitment to focus till then :P

midwest chick · 07-08-2013, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating.

There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating.

Has anyone experienced this?

Guilty as charged...what's crazy is that when things start to calm down, and I start eating again, the weight loss begins, and I can't make it stop. During extreme stress, my cortisol levels shoot up, and combined with less sleep, I can't lose weight even if I try to diet and exercise.

Apparently, lack of sufficient sleep also plays a large role in increasing the cortisol levels, which translates into an increase in abdominal fat (stress) storage. Vicious cycle for anyone dealing with difficulties, especially when combined with insomnia.

girl_dee · 07-08-2013, 08:22 PM

"snap snap snap!!!"

SometimesSweet · 07-08-2013, 09:08 PM

Hey All, I just wanted to say how much I am able to relate to what has been shared. Talk about motivation irony, it is amazing to me how I can spend so much time and energy on dating site looking for Ms. Right, instead of getting out there and moving my body to attract the very Ms. Right I seek.

I will be following this thread for certain, thanks for everyone's sharing it is really great!

Gemme · 07-09-2013, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SometimesSweet

Hey All, I just wanted to say how much I am able to relate to what has been shared. Talk about motivation irony, it is amazing to me how I can spend so much time and energy on dating site looking for Ms. Right, instead of getting out there and moving my body to attract the very Ms. Right I seek.

I will be following this thread for certain, thanks for everyone's sharing it is really great!

Welcome to the thread and the site!

Start with taking care of you and Ms. Right will find you.

Miss Scarlett · 07-09-2013, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midwest chick

Guilty as charged...what's crazy is that when things start to calm down, and I start eating again, the weight loss begins, and I can't make it stop. During extreme stress, my cortisol levels shoot up, and combined with less sleep, I can't lose weight even if I try to diet and exercise.

Apparently, lack of sufficient sleep also plays a large role in increasing the cortisol levels, which translates into an increase in abdominal fat (stress) storage. Vicious cycle for anyone dealing with difficulties, especially when combined with insomnia.

Interesting that you can't lose during that time. And I forgot about the insomnia that often accompanies this. Yes, it is indeed a vicious cycle.

Not losing weight when stress not-eating is not a problem for me...not sleeping usually is. My biggest problem comes from it being difficult to start eating again after things calm down but that's mostly because of the stomach pain from the stress.

07-09-2013, 05:09 AM

Another here who doesn't eat when stressed. I believe it's a control issue. At those times of stress, especially when feeling powerless or having no control in various areas of life then food intake is the only thing one can control.

Also in times of stress, my tendency is to 'not care' about looking after or nurturing m'self. A lack of food is part of that.

You mean you didn't realise I was a nutjob before now?

07-02-2013, 07:39 PM	#2
Gemme Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Queer Stone Femme Girl of the Unicorn Variety Preferred Pronoun?: She, as in 'She's a GEM' Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: The roads are narrow here Posts: 36,631 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 182,498 Thanked 107,907 Times in 25,665 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	possibly triggering raises hand I gotta get some shuteye for my day tomorrow, but want to chime in on this briefly. I'm an emotional eater. Any emotion will do. Stressed? Eat something. Hurt feelings? Eat something. Hurt body? As long as it's not a stomach ache, eat something. Angry? Eat something and eat it fast. Bored? Eat something and take my time. The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better. Don't forget to plunk myself down in front of the computer or TV while doing it. Emotions: disengage. Face stuffing autopilot: engage. Food is love until it's not. Too much love smothers the spirit and too much food kills the body. I just read a story about a 7 year old boy who volunteers for an organization that trains dogs to signal when someone's blood sugar rises too high or falls too low. One of the dogs signaled at him. His parents had him checked and he's at the tippy top edge of diabetes. SEVEN! Back on track.... ***possibly triggering** It...emotional eating...started early for me and has always been a coping method. I haven't been shy about my history. I spent 10 years under the thumb of a controlling, manipulative child rapist as well as experiencing a one time molestation by one of my first cousins at age 5 (he was 14). I think that, subconsciously, I wanted to make myself less attractive in the hopes that it would stop. I know that's a normal response now. Then, it just felt like a failed attempt and thus began the cycle of punishing and rewarding myself with food that I still have to work on to this very day. __________________ Gemme's Journal I'm misunderestimated.**

07-04-2013, 11:10 AM	#10
Miss Scarlett Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: . Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: . Posts: 5,530 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,478 Thanked 12,947 Times in 3,419 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	Courtesy of my WL doctor...

07-04-2013, 06:19 PM	#11
Gemme Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Queer Stone Femme Girl of the Unicorn Variety Preferred Pronoun?: She, as in 'She's a GEM' Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: The roads are narrow here Posts: 36,631 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 182,498 Thanked 107,907 Times in 25,665 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	Today was a banner day thus far for me! Consider this horn formally tooted. ---but not like this __________________ Gemme's Journal I'm misunderestimated.

07-08-2013, 09:08 PM	#17
SometimesSweet Junior Member How Do You Identify?: OFOS Femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her, anything nice Relationship Status: She is there... in the distance!! Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: The Land of Enchantment Posts: 21 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 164 Thanked 78 Times in 19 Posts Rep Power: 1718001	Great Thread!! Hey All, I just wanted to say how much I am able to relate to what has been shared. Talk about motivation irony, it is amazing to me how I can spend so much time and energy on dating site looking for Ms. Right, instead of getting out there and moving my body to attract the very Ms. Right I seek. I will be following this thread for certain, thanks for everyone's sharing it is really great!

07-02-2013, 07:25 PM	#1
PaPa Senior Member How Do You Identify?: GQ Butch Daddy Relationship Status: A Very Protective BIG Daddy... Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,657 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 7,597 Thanked 5,871 Times in 1,530 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this: "I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions." I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me. Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

07-04-2013, 05:35 AM	#3
Chancie Senior Member How Do You Identify?: queer femme-inist Relationship Status: I'm lucky. Join Date: May 2010 Location: Western Mass Posts: 3,774 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,518 Thanked 14,540 Times in 2,744 Posts Rep Power: 21474855	Good Morning! I just want to share where I'm at; I'm not looking for any advice or suggestions. I'm still tracking my food, and I've lost about 50 pounds. I still have plenty of weight to lose but my blood pressure's lower, my cholesterol's gone down, and I'm no longer pre diabetic. I'm much more physically comfortable and I just started exercising. I'm taking water aerobics five mornings a week, and I joined the Y so I can take group exercise classes. I've been doing great, and I am very proud of myself. My weight loss seems to be stalled since I started exercising. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water; maybe I'm not eating enough calories for my level of exertion. I should have taken some body measurements so I can assess my progress that way. I know that it took exactly this many years and personal work on myself to get me here, to this place where I can pay enough attention to my body.

07-04-2013, 08:04 AM	#5
Mopsie Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Preferred Pronoun?: Female ones Relationship Status: Single Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Shenandoah Valley Virginia Posts: 4,769 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 36,246 Thanked 8,549 Times in 1,856 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Happy 4th of July everyone! For me, today is the kick off day of my healthier habits. (My independence day!) In the past its been about taking things away ... ie. taking things out of my diet or severely limiting them. I tended to feel like I was missing something or would feel rebellious against the rules. This time I decided to focus on the positives - on what I'm going to add in to my diet or my lifestyle. The first steps I decided on was to have a piece of fruit every day, drink 8 glasses of water a day, and move more often. I've been slowly reading through this thread and have been very inspired. Thank you to everyone who has posted!

07-04-2013, 10:57 AM	#8
Miss Scarlett Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: . Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: . Posts: 5,530 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,478 Thanked 12,947 Times in 3,419 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating. There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating. Has anyone experienced this?

07-04-2013, 11:04 AM	#9
alexri Member How Do You Identify?: - Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: - Posts: 549 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,209 Thanked 2,799 Times in 468 Posts Rep Power: 21474850	I can totally understand the "food is love" and "food is comforting" concept. I lived with it for a long time. Food didn't care that I was/am gay/trans. Food didn't tell me I was stupid like my mom did. Food didn't make fun of me. Food was comforting. It was pleasure in terms of taste. It took me a very long time to appreciate that food is fuel and that I need to treat it as such. Crap in, crap out. Just like if I use watered-down gas for my car, the performance fails, if I feed myself crap, my body, the machine that it is, will pay for it. For some people, moderation works. For some, it doesn't. Geneen Roth is a wonderful author and has written many pieces on breaking away from emotional eating.

07-08-2013, 08:22 PM	#16
girl_dee Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Femme Preferred Pronoun?: dee Relationship Status: Hitched up Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Livin’ the Dream Posts: 24,079 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,560 Thanked 54,829 Times in 13,908 Posts Rep Power: 21474874	"snap snap snap!!!"

07-09-2013, 05:09 AM	#20
Daktari Guest Tournaments Won: 1 Posts: n/a My Photo Gallery	Another here who doesn't eat when stressed. I believe it's a control issue. At those times of stress, especially when feeling powerless or having no control in various areas of life then food intake is the only thing one can control. Also in times of stress, my tendency is to 'not care' about looking after or nurturing m'self. A lack of food is part of that. You mean you didn't realise I was a nutjob before now?