[eldadeedlit]

hi all.

i just had my 3rd baby 2 months ago and i want to lose the 30+ lbs i have gained since i started having kids. i'm struggling with a problem that i never really had before i had kids... i eat ALL THE TIME and bad stuff... candy, mostly, and a disgusting amount of it. i eat it because i'm bored, isolated, alone in the house w/ my kids most of the time. i always liked eating, but before kids my life was so full of events and outings...school, friends, trips, etc., i didn't have time to hang out eating garbage. now i'm at home and although i'm busy w/ our home business, the kids and the housework, i'm always here and since nothing exciting or interesting ever seems tlo happen, i find myself pigging out a lot for entertainment, or to make myself feel better when i'm stressed out. i eat it because i guess i feel i deserve it...? like i deserve that one joy in life. but it is having bad effects on my life and health. i now have cavities, which i never had before. i'm on the verge of being overweight, when i was always thin before. the sugar makes me feel good momentarily but i always end up feeling worse after eating it, which drives me to eat more.

anyway. my question is... has anybody dealt w/ this and found an alternative for eating? like i know it's pathetic, but if i don't have this, what do i have to look forward to every day? i ADORE my kids, but taking care of them every day doesn't excite me. i try to look at long-term goals...like, ifi don't eat the candy and lose the weight i will like the way i look better and be able to buy clothes i like instead of wearing my ratty old maternity stuff, but it is hard for me to look that far in the future. i have major problems w/ delaying gratification and impulse control.

sorry so long... any help appreciated. thanks!

 

[shar26]

Sounds as if we are kind of in the same boat. I am at times and emotional eater and am trying to get that 30 lbs of baby weight off. Now, i just started dieting yesterday, so I am sure there is someone here who has more advice. If the kids stressed me out, I felt like I had to go grab some chocolate or salty chips just for comfort. I am home all but 2 days a week, and then I am a toddler teacher and am packing healthy lunches.

I have noticed that I have been tired all the time since I had my 2nd child a year ago. I feel sluggish and have digestive trouble, always bloated. Yesterday I joined this group and nutridiary.com where I am logging my food intake. I kept it under my calories yesterday. It was difficult at times because hubby brought him and the girls mcDonalds at 7:00 p.m. and it smelled soooo good, but i didn't give in. I ate a salad and when I found myself craving something else later at night, I rewarded myself with a relaxing bath instead that got me away from the kitchen. I am so glad I did that. It gave my body a break from eating all the time. I think at night my stomach finally got to rest instead of digesting all the food I normally would eat before going to bed. My stomach feels lighter and better today and I lost a couple of pounds just from not eating a ton of food.

We are also going to start going for walks when it is nice here, so we can get out of the house during the day. I am thinking long term about how nice it will be to be in that size 8 again or even a 10 and I can eat something i crave occasionaly then. I also thing that when I really start dropping I will find alternatives to reward myself for losing weight, such as a night out by myself without the kids to go shopping, or hubby taking me to dinner, buying some perfume, etc.

I think one of the best ways to not eat all the bad food, is just don't buy it. That is what I did. Now, my husband had to get some chocolate donuts. Last night they were tempting, but after how much better I feel today I would rather have a healthy apple or orange so I can avoid that one tempting food that is in there. I did get my partial chocolate breakfast bar for 140 calories. That was the only chocolate for today. Hubby has soup, chili, and other things he can eat for dinner that don't tempt me (unlike how chocolate does). I am trying to eat fruits and veggies, tukey or a light bologna sandwich, a breakfast bar, and drink more water. That is basically my diet. In a way I think this will detox my system (not as well as going straight veggie and fruit) because my body is so messed up from fast food. I am not going to eat fried food for a couple of weeks and then I will treat myself to a grilled chicken sandwich or a hamburger from Burger King. Otherwise I am wanting to stay off that stuff.

It is hard when you are home everyday. All I can say is try not buying what you crave, and eat well for a couple of days. Get a whole new food plan that is healthy and stock your fridge with that. See how much better you feel and try rewarding yourself when you lose weight. If you get stressed and feel you want food for emotional reasons, go for a 15 minute walk (since you are running a business time may prevent any longer), take the kids to the park and pack a healthy luch for everyone, at night go take a bath and get out of that kitchen, then go to bed so you don't linger in there. I had to go to bed last night because I was going to the fridge and opening the door just to see what I could get away with eating.

Thursday I had a stressful day with the toddlers and I came home and ate oreos with milk and nacho dip with chips. I felt worse after I ate it physically, although emotionally I felt better. I am not going to do that this week because, for one I didn't buy any oreos or chips, and two I have to think about feeling better not worse from pigging out when I get stressed.

Hope this has helped a little. Good luck!

 

[calicocj]

I totally understand!! I definitely haven't mastered not eating out of boredom, but here are a couple of things I've done that have helped:

- first and foremost, I rarely buy snacky stuff for this very reason - if it is in the house, I want to eat it, if not, I don't think about it
- make a big glass of ice water (or herbal tea) and take several sips of that before reaching for a snack
- one day a week if you have a little time, make several portion controlled baggies of healthy snacks (cut up carrots, celery, bell pepper, rice cakes) then when you're hungry just get one bag out and snack on that
- when I want to snack, I tell myself, okay in 15 minutes, then try to do something, and a lot of times in 15 minutes I've forgotten or else can tell myself 'in 15 minutes' again
- or I tell myself, I'll snack after I do 25 crunches, or walk around the block, or lift the baby in the air 20 times. sometimes a little bit of physical activity is enough to make me not want to snack

I think sometimes comfort eating comes from not feeling nourished - so when you do eat or snack, make sure to get a balance of protein, fat, and carb, that will make you stay full longer and feel more nourished... like if you're snacking on pretzels, put a little natural peanut butter on them... when I eat starchy carbs and sugary stuff I just want to eat more later...

okay, well I hope that some of those ideas might work, good luck !

 

[mamabeth]

Here's what's worked for me...as one pp said, it doesn't work all the time, of course, but enough so that I've been able to change the way I eat.

Make sure you're eating enough protein, and take a vitamin if you can/want to. I find that when I'm eating enough good stuff, the cravings aren't there as much.

Buy GOOD chocolate...dark stuff that you have to unwrap each piece. If you're really craving it have one or two pieces and it can get you through with much less calories and more satisfaction than, say, a box of donuts.

Magazines...my treat! If I want candy or cookies in the grocery store, I buy a $3 magazine instead. Cooking Light, People, whatever floats your boat. Also good for the late-night snacking time...snack on a trashy mag instead.

Imagine how much better you'll feel about yourself the next day when you can think..."I didn't eat the donuts! I feel better!"

good luck. you can do it, and it is so worth it. let us know how it's going.

 

[calicocj]

mmmmm... yes, dark chocolate!!!!

I forgot one thing when I was posting yesterday; I don't know if you read the magazine Prevention, but one columnist, Geneen Roth, regularly writes about emotional eating, and her columns have helped me... here is a link:
http://www.prevention.com/expert/0,5...-308-0,00.html
with past columns online....

hth,callie

 

[eldadeedlit]

great ideas! thanks! i was thinking about the chocolate thing...mmm...think i'll get some tomorrow! and i know i wouldn't eat tons of dark chocolate like i do donuts or some other gross stuff, even though it tastes better...why is that? satisfaction level type thing?

and i like the magazine idea too!! thanks!