RE: overeating when stressed

[Guest guest]

HI ,

Thank you for sharing your challenge with us. I'm sorry to hear you have to have surgery. I had my third and hopefully final surgery on my leg last May and I know I was nervous for all three. I can understand why you are stressed and by adding the extra need to avoid feeling uncomfortable before surgery, it sounds like you are possibly being triggered by feelings of restriction. Just like with dieting, you're being told you need to avoid certain foods and if your usual way to cope is with food, that's exactly where you're going to go.

A really important skill to overcome overeating is learning to stay in the moment. You are living in the future, not that far in the future, but still you aren't in the present. If you stay present, then you can be aware that you are okay right now. That's all you have control over. This alone can often help with stress and the drive to eat to stuff feelings. Regardless of what you have already eaten, you can choose right now to eat food that honors you and makes you feel good. See if you can focus on food that makes you feel good, as opposed to avoiding food that makes you uncomfortable. I hope that makes sense. They are both the same thing, but if you look at it from a positive point of view it will feel like you're taking care of yourself vs. restricting.

Another thing you can look at is what need you're trying to fulfill with food. Ask yourself what you are feeling. Maybe it's fear, anxiety, frustration, only you know what emotions you are experiencing right now. Then when you identify the emotion, ask yourself what you need to feel better. Food may come to mind, which is normal for those of us who use food to cope. But you know that won't truly meet your need. Maybe you need reassurance. Or maybe you need more information on your surgery and what to expect after. Maybe you need to do something fun and get your mind off of Monday since it's not in your control anyway. Again, I can't tell you what you need, but if you think about it for a few minutes you may come up with some ideas. And if it's a need that involves someone else, than be sure to speak up and ask that person to meet your need. You deserve to have your needs met just as anyone else does.

I hope this is helpful. Keep posting, this is a safe place to discuss this kind of stuff and sometimes posting here can meet a need, too! Good luck on Monday and let us know how you're doing if you don't get to post before then.

Thanks!GillianGillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM

Get your report, "The 6 Steps to Guilt-Fr*e Eating" at http://www.HealthierOutcomes.com Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gillianhood

From: IntuitiveEating_Support [mailto:IntuitiveEating_Support ] On Behalf Of Sent: Friday, March 19, 2010 6:28 AMTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Subject: overeating when stressed

I am having surgery on Tuesday and since Wed night, I have been overeating at night.I have also been feeling bloated, heavier and horrible.I know it is the pre op stress but actually since I am having an abdominal surgery, I do need to avoid gas and uncomfortable feelings before surgery.I will have plently of that after the procedure.Last night I ended up putting water in the peanut butter jar and I did threw it away immediately but it was after I had a quarter of it.Now I feel that I want to restrict from today to Mond as to prepare for surgery.It's hard to deal with this.Any thoughts?