BlueChair

At the beginning of January I started examining my eating habits and guess what? They had become filled with STRESS relieving foods like sugary soda, candy, flavored chips, and cookies. I even had some stashed in drawers at work. I think that's what brought the awareness. Had been off work on vacation and came home to look at the pantry filled with snack foods and not much else, then saw my workspace with stashes of food.

My husband had been away in rehab for over three months and I was self soothing with food ! I even had numbers for pizza delivery right there. And don't get me started about what the scale said, and how I had done a rotation to the loose fitting clothes.

Thing is I wasn't aware until these months later this is what I had been doing. Awareness came. I decided enough was enough, this can't continue not for me or my dear husband since I do most the cooking for our evening meals. He had been eating healthier in rehab and had a dietician explain the value of a proper diet in recovery.

I have started recording what I eat, when I feel stressful and what MY food triggers are: worry, feeling pressured, running late, tired, not making time for a proper meal or grocery shopping.

Been about two weeks and I wish I could say I had no soda, but I slipped during that first week and relapsed when I was feeling tired and emotional. But luckily my taste buds were adjusted and I didnt even enjoy it and I tossed part of it out. Maybe justifying ?? But lessoned learned I also felt a mild sense of guilt, and failure only to myself. Since then I've been ok even though everyday I see the cans in the frig. And hear that pop of the tab and fizz. I know I should remove the temptation but my husband still drinks it and we share the refrig. He knows I'm off it, and if he drinks it in front of me will always pour it in a colored glass.

But I have determination to better myself now and that's a positive feeling.

Don't get me wrong I'm not comparing it to what my husband is going through battling his drug addiction, but I see tiny parallels and I think it helpful for me, enlightening almost.

I was thinking the stress eating just like any addiction has those underlying causes, and I'm working on those too. This week heading back into counseling for myself, but other than that Im really using many of the tools mentioned here on the description of this forum to help myself.

I wondered if other family members had stress ate their way up the scales because of addiction issues? If so what did you do about it?

hopeful4

BC....I too have done this! I went to crossfit and had done really well, I felt so proud of myself. Then my one year intro expired and to be honest it was just too expensive, so I joined a regular gym. That's fine but does not have the accountability that crossfit does.

That being said, once that started slipping so did the eating. No terrible, just not great. Then my AH started to really get alot worse in his drinking, and for me eating and drinking soda just went out of control. It really still is. I had surgery in October and the DR. released me in Nov to go back to the gym. My account is still frozen, I still have not went back. I vow to go back in Feb. for sure.

I plan to start using my fitness pal on my iphone (it's a free app that you can track your activity and eating, it helped me immensely before).

Thank you for the post. It has inspired me to realize I too have a problem that I need to work on.

Have a super day!

healthyagain

I have some food issues too. I do not eat healthy at all. It is always a quick fix. I'm hungry: Here is a candy bar. Or mac'n'cheese. A can of soup. Or ice cream. It is always something really sugary. And then I drink coffee, with lots of sugar. Although I do not have any weight issues, I have noticed that I do not have much energy these days and that I am generally quite depressed. And it is a vicious circle, because when I am depressed, I am lazy to cook for myself. This will have to change.

Thank you for your post!

KeepinItReal

I def. do this when my husband relapses. Food has always been soothing for me. It's something that is ALWAYS there. Plus, I have an addictive personality. When I quit drugs... I gained 95lbs. I never took the weight off. I am NOW in the process of doing something serious. I'm on myfitnesspal.com and doing a 30 day challenge of 30 minutes of aerobics a day.

Maybe because my RAH is away at a program that i'm really able to focus on me and the kids more. I allow him to take up so much of my attention.... well... don't husbands do that to all wives?

Anyway - it helps being able to just make 2 dinners... the kids and mine. Happy dieting ladies.

FireSprite

I struggle with this a lot - especially Sugar. It is my Arch-Nemesis.

Lately I realized that this addiction has me fully in it's grasp, not only the daily NEED for sugar & too many of the wrong kind of calories, but how especially bad it is when I am emotional.

On Saturday night I was struggling a bit with some Codie tendencies. RAH & I talked through it a bit (he was actually pretty helpful) & as he was heading out for his meeting I found myself headed for the pantry. I wanted to whack myself over the head... I was able to see my actions clearly because I am in the middle of cleaning out my system a bit & trying to develop better habits so my awareness for this is High right now.

Last weekend we had a 4-day holiday. I used that time to try to do a quick cleanse of sugar & jumpstart myself into healthier habits (while I would also be home & able to rest, nap, whatever). I fasted for 60 hours on fresh squeezed lemon juice/water/green tea & it was SO much easier than I expected it to be. I was scared I wouldn't be able to fast for even 12 hours but felt really strongly that I needed to for at least a short time. I could count the (mild) hunger pains I encountered on one hand but the sheer compulsion to eat was overwhelming & illuminating to see in myself. I could not believe the amount of control I had to exert to keep myself away from food.... it was never the carrots or green beans that tempted me but Oh My, when I got emotional & remembered there was chocolate in the back of the freezer it took everything I had to take the focus off of that & onto something (anything) else. I wanted food even when I had no hunger, just emotions.

I definitely saw what you are talking about - it gave me a new way of understanding RAH's addiction that I hadn't seen before.

greeteachday

When I am really upset, I'm the opposite - can't eat. When addiction was front and center, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly - the only thing that was welcome during that time. When I started focusing more on regaining my own mental and physical health, exercise became a huge part of it...I guess it hits the same pleasure zones in the brain. But with increased exercise and less stress, I started eating more and discovering carbs = temporary feel good too. Fast forward several years and I recently came to the realization that I gained back every one of those 15 pounds despite still being pretty active.

I recently bought the book The Sugar Addicts Total Recovery Program, because I realize I have indeed become a sugar addict. Thanks for the thread - You've motivated me to more seriously address the reasons for that and work to change!

allforcnm

I fell to the sugar and junk food also... it started when I was separated from my husband during his active addiction. For me the junk food was part stress and part freedom. I don't know if anyone has seen the commercial where the young woman moves into her own place and she finds herself eating all the foods your mom says are a no no... and then she soon discovers she isn't feeling so great and maybe she needs to change her diet... That was me...why cook a meal when I was alone, I want pizza I will eat pizza, and keep bags of candy sitting around, and Dr Pepper was my weakness....

And then I found out I was pregnant and started eating better again, but obviously my weight kept going up ...add depression after my son was born, and husband away in rehab... Last year I was dedicated to losing the remaining baby weight and the stress eating weight through portion control, calorie counting and regular exercise. Still not where I want to be, so I continue. However... part of the reason Im so persistent is because I hope we can add to our family soon and I expect to gain MORE weight. Its all cumulative....so this year is also a big fitness year for me also.

BlueChair

Thank you all for sharing !

I had been writing down my eating patterns and calories the old fashioned way, through the memo pad on my phone. Maybe that is not exactly old fashioned, but Im going to look into something more high tech.

Ive also been reading some on weight loss sites and you know those sites seem to have a lot in common with drug addiction and recovery. If you replaced the word "food" with "drug" or "alcohol" or even "codependency" its all very much the same. Something has entered your life and caused pain and disruption. There may have been denial and an awakening. Now how do we stop it, figure out what caused it, and recover from it. Thats very empowering to me ! In life it seems no matter what the specific issue we are all facing the same inner problems.

Im very interested in the book mentioned here on Sugar Addiction. On some of the weight loss sites they talk about is obesity a disease or a choice, and there are many articles out there talking about how sugar has a similar impact on the brain structure as other drugs. Sugar can be a drug. I feel like Ive been living under a rock, didn't know all this but I feel like Ive been using sugar to self medicate. I like to read as you may all be able to tell. I take lots of stuff in and then it takes me a while to process it, but thats my way.

Im also happy no one was offended when I said this has shown me parallels with my husbands drug addiction. Others see it too and its good to know I wasnt stretching trying to understand. I have had cravings and I know they are like nothing compared to what my husband must face, but when they hit me they hurt, and it takes real effort to let those feelings pass.

One sign of hope, my body is now calling out for water. It likes that Im drinking more water instead of soda pop. Its getting used to it again, and I feel like its saying FINALLY she is starting to treat me right.

hopeful4

I definitely think overeating is an addiction! There are a couple of people who come to CR for overeating issues. Sugar affects the same neurons in your brain as many drugs do, literally food for thought LOL. It is definitely and addiction!

Thanks for the Thread BC!

cleaninLI

I can certainly relate bc! I don't think my problem is stress eating, I'm like greateachday in that stress ruins my appetite. I think my problem is switching one addiction to another addiction. I have to really be careful or else I could easily become addicted to cookies and/or chips. I think the key for me is exercise. If I try too hard to modify my diet, I become obsessed and find myself only thinking about food. That usually backfires on me. I end up feeling guilty or deprived.....the result I eat more food.

When I include some form of exercise in my daily routine, I find myself eating less anyway and making healthier choices. I think its because exersise decreases my appetite and makes me feel good about myself.

My daughter lost 25lbs just before her wedding by using myweightlossbuddy AP.

LifeRecovery

Hi all-

Before loving someone with problem drinking I struggled with an eating disorder. For me my behavior around food "appeared" to be the problem, but it was usually driven by emotional discombobulation.

Though food/activity based fixes would help and is a huge part of my recovery, I found I had to address the source of my problems....or I kept getting stuck.

A book I love is called Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnson. It is more focused on woman, but it helped me to see the WHY of my food behavior.....it became easier to make the changes to the food/diet/activity when the why was understood.

I then met, loved and married a problem drinker, while still getting support for myself around food. The substances were different....but the "whys" were so similar.

The other piece that was important for me was that ANY support I got, regardless of the "focus" of the support helped me in all areas. Support around the elephant in the room (his drinking)....better food management for me....and vice versa.

BlueChair

I will look at this app also, havent picked one yet. some of them have these neat little progress scales and I want one of those !

I understand what your saying about losing your appetite because when I first found out about the addiction, he was missing and then in the ICU and I couldnt eat. Im sure I lost weight and I remember people kept bringing me food, wanting me to go to eat with them to the cafeteria or bringing me smoothies to drink. I think I hid some of the food and threw it out just couldnt eat. But later when I knew he was safe in rehab is when I started the comfort foods.

Your daughter did great before her wedding. We always get inspired before the wedding dont we? If you think about it, its great to know our fiance' had no interest in our weight, even if we thought we needed to lose some he didnt care. But then there is the wedding photo we will keep out at least for a few years front and center and there we are in all our glory. Double motivation !!

Not to talk too much fat but I have been reading about the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fat. (not sure about spelling). Anyone else read about these, and the debate on what you lose first and where it comes from. I know where I want to lose mine first, but I dont know if we can pick except by using target exercises.

((Liferecovery))
thank you for your book suggestion. I like to read so Im going to look it up also. I want to understand all the 'whys' in why I crave what I do, what its replacing in my life, maybe Im in denial of more than I know.

greeteachday

I want to lose it in my belly, but I always lose it first in my...not very big...ummmm- boobs..

FireSprite

It's interesting - when I'm in high stress/crisis (while my father was dying, when RAH was hitting his rock bottom, etc) I lose my appetite completely and drop a few pounds in just a few days. It's like an extended state of fight-or-flight stimulation. My overeating is more emotional eating in response the day-to-day stress, which is obviously more frequent & damaging.



I don't know much about the differences in these fats, BUT I did run across this passage just yesterday in the book I am reading, "Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels:

The jiggle on your hips and butt, the fatty layer directly beneath your skin, is called subcutaneous fat. This fat is not necessarily bad for you - it's where your metabolically positive hormones leptin and adiponectin come from. A recent study by the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard found that subcutaneous fat many even help improve your sensitivity to insulin and protect you from diabetes. However, the fat in your gut - aka visceral fat - surrounds your organs and sets off a hormonal firestorm (and not the good kind). Dr. Scott Isaacs, author of "The Leptin Boost Diet", calls visceral fat "metabolically evil" because it does everything bad: slows metabolism, lowers growth hormone, raises cortisol, creates insulin resistance, and increases your risk of all kinds of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease.

The book is all about balancing your hormones/endocrine system first and then building the rest of your health out from that center point. The way she explained it is that our hormones are meant to work as a symphony, so one instrument out of whack throws the entire balance off.... that they need each other to be in balance in order to function properly in their own capacity as well. It's pretty interesting, I'm only about halfway through it. I'm not a huge fan of hers necessarily, but I happened upon this book at a garage sale & it piqued my interest since I have battled thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, etc. imbalances my entire life.

allforcnm

I lost a lot in my belly... after my son was born... does that count? BUT my ummm - boobs got bigger !

LoveMeNow

Dr Oz just had a great show on different types of detoxes for different parts of your body, specifically the belly. He also just had a show in why we stress eat. His shows can be seen on his website. ( I wasn't sure if I could link it here. )

I have been doing his 2 week diet for the last few weeks, I lost over 10lbs and I love the foods on it. I have never felt healthier but I also quit smoking and caffeine and started karate which I absolutely love!!

BlueChair

((Fresprite)) Those are the same things I was reading about the different fats. When you read about how it changes whats going on in your body and how it creates a firestorm with hormones, metabolism, inflammation its frightening. We cant see it happening until we start feeling bad or get sick in some way. We are weakening our bodies by not eating healthy and socking on those extra pounds.

((Greeteachday and Allfor)) I want to lose in my belly too, but my trouble spot even before this I think was my upper arms because I havent forced myself to do enough weight training

((Lovemenow)) Thats great congratutlations on making those changes Im glad its making you feel better. What do you like about karate ? Im thinking about starting the Insanity workout with one of my girlfriends, they say it helps build muscle and lose weight. I dont want to be a bodybuilder but could use some tightening but Im told its a hard one.

LoveMeNow

I would never have imagined loving karate like I do. I have always had phases of enjoying working out but for the most part, I really found it kind of boring. But karate is different. It's a great work out, it's challenging and it's always learning. Did I say how I love it because I really do.

allforcnm

Next weekend my husband and I are participating in a 5k run/walk called Color Vibe... don't know if anyone has heard of it, but its a "fun run" where you can take your kids, invite family and friends. Some of the proceeds go to charity I know... but the fun part is the "color". Packets of color are distributed and as you walk/run you are splashed with various colors... Its like a corn starch based veggie product that is safe.. but you end up multi-colored and vivid ! We are taking our son, but also grandparents because Im not sure how he will react once the colors start flowing on him. He has to wear these little goggles to protect his eyes...already tried them on him and he looks so cute. I don't know how much exercise we will get, but hoping it will be family fun. They have these 5k runs all over the country / various countries so if your interested you can look it up and see if there is one near you.

greeteachday

The Color runs are becoming really popular and a great way to get families together having fun and getting some healthy outdoor exercise too. Great idea to bring his grandparents too - we can never be sure what a toddler's reaction is going to be. Hope you have a blast!

Glad you like karate LMN - I've never tried that but I could see where it would be appealing