Stopping comfort eating

[Rosie878]

I’m a terrible comfort eater. It’s just taken me about 45 mins to get my baby to nap so I’m sat eating hot chocolate mix (it’s a good make - proper chocolate flakes not powder!!) I do this all the time. If I go to the shop for some groceries I’ll buy 2 chocolate bars to eat on the drive home it’s almost compulsive as there’s not much enjoyment trying to get them eaten and the packets hidden before I arrive home. The thing is, when I try to confide in people about it I’m often not taken seriously as I’m quite slim (although definitely heavier than my ideal weight), but it makes me feel horrible and I’m worried about my teeth.

The only time it’s ever stopped is a few years ago before having children I took Prozac for 6 months. It stopped immediately and it was sooo freeing being able to just eat intuitively and not crave comfort food and think about where I was going to get my next snack from! I can’t take Prozac now as I’m breastfeeding and would like to find another solution if possible.

Does any one have any advice or similar experiences?

 

[Kim Mild]

Clean your teeth? I hate food when I can taste toothpaste .

I agree that people seem to think 'normal ' size people can't have any issues around food or their bodies.

 

[strawb]

i've been having an awful time lately with comfort eating and i feel terrible so i'm bumping this thread for any advice

 

[Snippysnips]

Do you have any hobbies you can do, somthing to take your mind off it? Whenever I feel like I need to eat I make sure to drink an do somthing I can lose myself in, be it painting, crocheting, gaming, colouring etc, just anything I can stop thinking with, it's hard breaking habits but maybe trying to train your brain into wanting to do somthing fun whenever you feel like you want to comfort eat might help break it

 

[strawb]

yeah i smoke which is even worse

 

[rainbowlemon]

Chewing gum helped a bit but what about swapping what you snack on? Have some cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks to hand. Allow yourself to have some chocolate during the week as well maybe just buy the mini versions or the next size down - ask your partner to hide the rest.

Note the times you feel the most urges to see if it’s a pattern at a set time?

I’m a huge fan of therapy to get to the root cause though.

 

[strawb]

ask your partner to hide the rest.

unfortunately he's awful with snacking too

thank you for the tips, there's definitely a pattern caused by coming to the end of the day and feeling overwhelmed because of work

 

[watermelon sugar]

I comfort eat a lot, I wouldnt even call it comfort eating it’s more binge eating. As soon as I feel depressed I just want to eat. Something happened to me last month that has triggered the binge eating completely and whenever I’m sad I’m in the kitchen looking for food. I have on and off periods where I can go a few days and I eat normally, so I try not too feel too guilty when I do have a bad day.

if your comfort eating is linked to your moods and you feel down & depressed as well I’d reach out to your doctor.. try hiding your snacks etc and if that doesn’t work and it’s a continuous thing speak to your gp. If it’s just a one Off every now and again try and not make yourself feel guilty over it, just try and eat healthier and better the next day

 

[rainbowlemon]

Also try to swap from milk to dark chocolate, with a higher cocoa contentー so much harder to overeat.

 

[Heyguysswipeup]

Eating is an activity and something for us to do, my best advice is to do an activity that requires you to use your hands whether it be doing a puzzle, crafting, doing the laundry (reading a book can be hit or miss as your mind can wander). Is there a particular time of day you do this? Can you change your routine so you aren’t putting yourself in a position to start eating for no reason… a food and mood diary can be very helpful as it can help you identify if it’s a certain mood, time of day, food, place you are at which triggers your eating habits.
I do a lot of behaviour change as part of my job and these are the tips I usually begin with!

 

[MrsBsDayOff]

I struggle with this too, I try to snack on berries for sweetness and not to buy chocolate and biscuits as part of my weekly shop. If I keep that stuff in the house I'll be snacking constantly.

 

[WilmaHun]

I really struggle with comfort eating massively. I'll go on a massive binge of all the junk food I can find and then I'll sit and torture myself for ages over the fact I've comfort ate, which then leads me to feeling tit again and the process repeats. It's a vicious circle!

 

[DisgruntledGoat]

I just want to add that I have battled for a lifetime with binge eating and I always thought it was to do with depression and I was never taken seriously by Drs etc. Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD and found out that it’s very common for women especially with ADHD to struggle with bingeing because our brains don’t receive adequate dopamine, meaning we seek the instant gratification of sugary or highly palatable foods. Especially when overwhelmed (ie. most of the time for me!) or sad.

Much of the advice here is really well-meaning but a lot of it relies on some level of willpower or routine, and as someone with ADHD I find it impossible to form routines. Give it a bit of a Google because articles like this helped things to fall into place https://amp.theguardian.com/society...-adhd-all-have-missed-red-flags-that-haunt-us

Even if not the case for OP I hope it’s helpful to someone reading this. I spent decades blaming myself for being lazy and having no willpower etc. It can be freeing to have it explained.

 

[candyland_]

Distract yourself with something else.

Save treats for specific times. Eg. Once baby is in bed at night, get any jobs done and then sit down with a snack. It makes it easier for me because you know that’s your snack time and then you don’t end up eating bits on/off all day without realising.

 

[Snippysnips]

Nuts are a good way of satisfying the cravings for chocolate if you are having them, am not sure what it is but apparently they will substitute whatever chocolate gives you

Also I'd say try not to refuse yourself outright with something, the more you deny it the more you are likely to binge, I'd maybe get something small an then ration it out over the week

Honestly it all comes down to will power, it can be incredibly hard if you don't have it, so maybe try a reward thing, take somthing you usually binge like chocolate an get a small bar an ration it out over the week an if you manage to do it put a few quid in a jar end of the week then have a nice treat like a day out or a new top etc end of the month with it, somtimes if we can focus on a goal an know there's a little reward at the end then it can help us keep more control

 

[mcfeez]

I really struggle with comfort eating massively. I'll go on a massive binge of all the junk food I can find and then I'll sit and torture myself for ages over the fact I've comfort ate, which then leads me to feeling tit again and the process repeats. It's a vicious circle!

Are you restricting yourself outside of the time when you binge? i.e. do you have a diet you follow to try and be "good" which has strict boundaries. The best way I found, personally, to remove the allure of "naughty" food is just to make it a normal part of a balanced diet i.e. having chocolate when you want it.

 

[zoominmoom]

I struggle with this too! I've always overeaten and been slightly overweight, but only by half a stone or so, unless the past few months and I'm now about 3 or 4 stone overweight

It's hard to say what the trigger is because it's everything! Food is my go to if I'm stressed, happy, sad, bored, whatever.

 

[teeniebopps]

If you live in Wales, you can self refer yourself to the weight management team here https://abuhb.nhs.wales/hospitals/a-z-of-services/weight-management-service/
They offer a 6 week comfort eating group via Microsoft Teams which I have been attending. On week 4 next week and it’s been good so far. They can also offer one on one support if a group is t for you.