Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 821 of 3212

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Emotional eating (eating because you're stressed or
depressed) is a little like emotional marksmanship --
not a good idea. Try this instead: emotional exercise.
Nothing fancy, necessarily, just a little walk will
do. Doesn't have to be a safari, around the block a
few times is sufficient. Don't groan and ignore me
just yet. Consider:

1) how the eating just makes you more depressed and
stressed (and fat).

2) how a little walk does the opposite. And this isn't
the only benefit: you have leisure to *think* about
whatever is stressing or depressing you. Because
walking irrationally makes you happy (both because of
the sense that you are moving towards a destination
and because of the endorphins or whatever) you are
more likely to find a solution or pep yourself up than
you would be with mere stationary thinking.

Don't plead lack of time. Just get yourself out of the
house. As for how long your walk should be, make that
decision once your feet are in motion. You're in no
condition to think properly, even about as little a
thing as this, cooped up inside next to the
refrigerator.

Reinhard
--- lupa <lupa@...> wrote:
> On 5/19/2004 at 6:13 PM TSHandelman@... wrote:
> 
> >Another thing is really facing what's going on
> during times of emotional
> >eating. What sort of emotional eater are you? Do
> you prepare a full plate of food
> >and sit down and eat? Are you like me and snitch
> little bites here and there
> >until you've eaten the equivalent of a meal without
> realizing it?
> 
> a combination of the two. i prepare a
> full-yet-small plate of food, and i'll keep on
> preparing that plate until the emotions become
> handleable.
> 
> >Catching yourself in the act can short circuit the
> sham comfort you
> >are seeking from food. 
> 
> i wish that worked - i'm well aware of what i'm
> doing, yet there's nothing else to take its place.
> 
> >Start realizing that your anger frustration sadness
> longing -- whatever the 
> >emotion -- simply does not respond to food; you may
> get a sort of drugged
> >feeling of relief for a short time but eating
> doesn't help a bad emotional state.
> 
> quite true, but sometimes that feeling of relief is
> all i need to get to sleep, or stop grinding my
> teeth, or whatever other excessive and bad-for-me
> stress response i'm encountering.
> 
> >This is a very tough habit to break; I am dealing
> with it daily and would love
> >more suggestions!!
> 
> same here! i'm fine most days, but that emotional
> eating thing is really undermining me.
> 
> ~risa
> 
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