Thoughts of eating...

I've definitely found myself wanting to eat lately. Totally head hunger. That sort of restlessness settles in and I 100% know it is depression. I came home exhausted and headed to the fridge to figure out what I wanted for dinner...grabbed the cold chicken stir fry and sat at the PC here and picked out mostly the chicken and some vegies too and ate it. That was fine. Didn't overeat. No stuffed feeling. But when I went to put what was left in the fridge, I found my eyes wandering around with the thought of "what next" and began eyeing that tub of light Cool Whip. I know that I won't touch it. No doubt that some of my emotional eating issues still reside with me. No, I didn't think they'd go away with this surgery. But I did do alot of work on them in therapy a while back and it feels good to recognize it and be able to walk away. I'm not worried about it... Kathy

Kathy, I know I fight the head hunger all of the time. Some days I'm not hungry at all -- all day. But when I have a bad day or a good day, I just naturally go searching out some comfort in food. So far, I've always made good choices, including nothing at all, but I do worry that sometime I may not make the right choice. Losing the weight is wonderful, but boy do I have a lot more to work on too! ~Wanda

Some days, I win this battle . . . other days, I go on auto pilot and don't even realize what I'm eating. What I am starting to see is that this habit has been with me since my preteen days, and it's going to take more than just a few weeks of therapy to be free of it. It's hard for me to give myself a "break" if I don't 100% succeed at something. It's all or nothing for me. Either I succeed or it's a total failure in my mind. I'm working on it, but it's tough not to live in a black and white world. I've got to learn to love the gray zone so I can find some balance. I fought head hunger all day today and sometimes did not make the right decisions. But, tonight, I am feeling much more satisfied -- it's got to be due to working out, and reading the posts here. It's comforting to hear that others struggle with the same things and that I am not alone. Isn't it amazing that we all chose to take on this challenge, and as it turns out, it will probably be on of the hardest things we do. Think of our accomplishments! WOW!

You aren't alone Kathy. In the past week, I've gotten into the eating when I'm not hungry routine. I am STOPPING it before it gets out of control again. It always seems to start when I go to my mother's for the weekend. I'm not blaming her, but it happens every time! I know it's my deal, and I will fully accept responsibility for it. *hugs* to you for noticing and having the ability to walk away! take care, Ashleigh

Kathy, Thanks for keeping the topic out there. I did just that yesterday. As someone else said, that has been my modus operandi for 30 years and it's not going to just go away. I'll keep working with the tools I have and know that one day is one day, not my whole life. Take care, J

Boy, I got head hunger last night too! I did succumb though. But at least it was healthy. I wound up eating 1/2 cup frozen low fat yogurt and 5 cashews. Before it would have been about 2 cups of ice cream and probably half a can of cashews or worse yet, a whole bag of chips. I've been able to stay away from snacking for the most part but every now and then I really want something. Just hope I can keep it from becoming a daily habit! You are doing great by the way! Linda