Turns Out I *AM* a Stress Eater

Who knew?  Certainly not me.  

Before surgery, when asked if I'm an emotional eater, stress eater, bored eater, etc... my answer was always the same.  None of the above.  I just ate because I loved to eat.  Because I was (am) addicted to food.  Sure, I'd eat when I was stressed, bored or emotional... but I ate exactly the same when I wasn't.  I just ate all the friggin' time.  Just cuz it sounded good, or I was passing a drive-through, or because it was there (donuts in the breakroom for example).

I've had that all pretty mu*****ontrol since surgery almost 20 months ago.  

Until this week.  I'm in the health insurance industry, and the hurricane of open enrollment for ACA (Obamacare) plans and Medicare is on my doorstep.  It's a terrible time of year for me.  Lots of upset people about all the changes.

So - a Rep brings in a Halloween basket for us two days ago - healthy stuff:  Trader Joe's nuts, protein bars and apples.  I have my planned lunch in the fridge, and don't need any of those things.  And I was able to walk away the first day.  But then I'd get a stressful phone call (angry policy holder with a 25% rate increase)... all I could think about was reaching for that basket.  True, it's not like it's cookies or candy... but each nut pack is 240 calories, and the Kind Bars are 150.  NOT planned for the day and not needed for extra protein.

Yet, I found myself reaching for it several times.  So far I have only had one bag of nuts and one Kind Bar, and I substituted them with something from my planned meals... but yeah.  I only reached each time when I was feeling really stressed.  This surprised me a lot.

So, I learned something about myself this week.  And now I need to work hard at learning how to handle it.  (And the 5-6 bags of nuts & Bars I grabbed, then stuck in my purse for later *sigh*.)  

MY NAME IS CORRIE.  AND I'M A STRESS EATER.

You show a lot of strength in recognizing this in yourself and knowing that you'll have to learn how to handle it! 

You sound pretty much like me in that I always thought I love to eat, but I think I always knew I'm also a stress eater, a bored eater, and an emotional eater as well. I'm only 5 weeks in, but it's good be aware of the challenges I'll face in the coming future.

Good luck and keep us posted!

So similar in my post yesterday... my first reaction to the stress I was feeling was FOOD... of course, then I tried to talk myself into every other vice I could think of! LOL

Good for you for realizing it. I am hoping this is a big part of the battle... at least being aware so that we can learn how to cope with it in another way!!! 

Having WLS has made me so many habits I had. Not always good. Not always bad. I always thought when people posted about at the 3 year mark it would get harder with weight loss.

I thought noway. I would be stronger. I am getting better. I am a food addict and an alcoholic. Making the choice not to drink seems easier than not eating something. I take it one meal at a time. Even with some protein bars I have to be careful they can be a trigger food. 

I allow myself a snack before bed so if I eat something I don't feel bad about it. 

Knowing how your are feeling is part of getting to know ourselves. If you ignored this that would be bad. But you took a good look at yourself. 

Thanks for the encouragement Achelle, Pammie & 3B.  And yes, Pammie, I saw your 'vices' post and thought the exact thing - so much the same.

I just wanted to add that I've been really successful at walking away from the baskets of cookies at work... the employee birthday cake... the box of Krispy Kreme donuts left over from the last meeting.  It's sooooo not easy, but I can do it.  

I think what's been an awakening for me is that darn basket of "healthy" treats.  It's easier in my mind to say no to unhealthy foods.  I can tell myself that cookie will make me sick, or that donut is 6 billion calories.  It's not worth it.

But when truly feeling stressed, my mind overrides those thoughts and whispers in my ear:  "it's a healthy snack... it's okay".  And maybe one bag of nuts might be okay.  But then the next stressful phone call came in and I wanted another.  Then the boss wants new quotes RIGHT NOW... so I want another.  And another and ANOTHER!  That's NOT okay.

Yep.  Still addicted.  That's my life and my constant struggle.  

So glad I can come here and vent and know I'm not alone.

Thanks everyone.  

Those donuts are NOT that good... only truly tempting when the light is on and they're still warm!

(Unless of course they are blueberry cake donuts... sigh) 

Keep coming here and reading and posting. Knowing there are others out there makes us feel not as alone. I mean most people who are not overweight or had a weight problem have no clue what we deal with. 

I am a stress eater too! 

Today, I even considered starting a post--kind of for laughs--that said something like, "Can I blame my overeating lately on the national campaigns?"  Something about everything now adds a layer of stress to my life that I can't seem to address.  I talked with a friend about this today, and she said she was feeling the same thing lately.  I don't know if she is eating through it though.

What I find I do is just have little nibbles all day long when I feel stressed.  It is like the stress keeps me from focusing, and when I am not focused, I turn to food.

I am glad you posted this, because I feel I need to explore this more in myself, so that I can combat it.

xoxo

I really admire your self awareness! Bravo!