Have you found that you have certain patterns of eating?

Good Morning All, I ask this question to the group because maybe if I can identify the patterns I can substitue something much less self-destructive than eating. So far I've identified these and I'm sure there are more I don't recognize yet: 1. I seem to eat more when my hubby is away at work. (He has been away for 3 weeks now and I've gained 2 of the lbs I had lost.) 2. I also eat during times of stress almost absent-mindedly. What are your patterns? Elesha

...and : 3. I eat at night or when no one else is around. Wow, why was that so hard to admit? Elesha

I too eat when hubby is away . I go into absent-minded eatting then when im lonley or stressed from the kids. Im not a breakfast eatter i have to force myself to eat breakfast. I eat during the after noon, until dinner time then i usually stop. There again its the times when hubby is at work, he is gone a full week once a month and then it gets realy bad. He just needs to stay home with me full time 24-7 and then i would be thin, porbably from starvation since we wouldn't have any money! haha O also when i go home to mommas i always eat too much and the wrong things , just being around her and my sister makes me want to eat.I guess its what we have always done together, they just ever had the wt problems like i have! O another time that i eat is after i have a good work out im starved and i eat to reward myself for a exercising ,haha kindda defeits the purpous! Thats all that i can think of for now! I do know that when I'm out shopping that i NEVER think about food, So that tells me that most of my eatting is from being bored. I need a hobby or a life or a huge bank account! I like that last idea the best! dawn

BOREDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I bin trying to keep my fingers busy with crafty things! Smoochies Arlies

If I am really stressed I will eat... Sometimes if I am just depressed I wont eat at all but if I am stressed out at work/home I want to eat. I abide by the eating in front of people rule though. I do not hide when I eat or sneak around to eat. I know that could become a problem so I eat everything out in the open.

I have kept a journal since surgery. And that helped me recognize several of my patterns. 1. I am definitely a stress eater, boredom eater. You know emotional eating whatever the emotion. 2. I am an avoidance eater. If there is something I need to do or have to do that I just really do not want to do or trying to avoid, I will eat. This has been a problem lately because things at work have been really bad. I am unhappy at my job. I would go so far as to say I hate it. I have been struggling with not snacking at work to avoid the piles on my desk. Been tough. I go and walk outside or run up an down the stairs. I look like a fruit cake but at least I am not eating. Plus John sent me an email of this man dancing and it is hilarious. So when things get stressful me and the girls here at work put that on and try to mimic his dance routine. Hilarious. Again, fruit cakes, but better than eating. 3. I used to be a night time closet eater. I stayed up to sneak and eat. I have gotten control of that one and finally gotten it into my head that the calories do count even when no one sees you eat. And the stuff does end up on your thighs and butt just the same. I don't allow myself to stay up usually. I go to bed when everyone else does to avoid even the temptation of starting that one back up. Melissa

Stress on the jobs lead me to graze on crackers and cheese. Though a measured amount may be good since they are whole wheat /zero sugar and low fat cheese. ALL CALORIES COUNT WHEN AMOUNTS ARE NOT MEASURED AND CONTROLLED. EVEN BROKEN CRACKERS, COOKIES AND SUCH DO HAVE CALORIES. That used to be a favorite joke of mine about eating the broken chips, cookies or crackers first becase if they were broken they did not have calories. LOL--what a lie!!!!!!!!! Saturday was the first day at my apartment since Christmas that stayed and just cleaned. I caught myself grazing everytime I walked through the kitchen. WHOLE WHEAT PRETZELS DO HAVE CALORIES. I also find when I fail to plan my meals and snacks I tend to eat more than I need. I am trying to eat what I need and not just what is handy. Valentines day was a wake up call on sweets and carbs for me. I STILL FEEL GUILTY. I HAVE BEEN VERY BLESSED TO HAVE DONE AS WELL AS I HAVE FrOM BOTH SURGERIES. I also never drank coffee before WLS now I crave cappachino. Thank you da vinci SF syrups. I also hardly ever ate plain peanut butter--- now it is a demon that calls my name by the spoonful glenda

PRior to WLS I ate out 6 days a week and one or two times a day. It is cheaper to have the right foods at home or at work. If I eat ou it is a salad, or wrap minus the dressing. It is a waste of money to pay to eat out now. I buy rotissiere chicken at Wal-Mart to eat some warm and then make cchicken salad made w/FF sour cream for a couple of days for lunc glenda

Now that I'm on my 2nd week of liquids pre-op, I've made a startling discovery.... I was a major go-out-to-eat-er. I ate out a LOT...and alot of times by myself. I also am discovering that I did a lot of "If nobody sees me, then I didn't eat it". wow. that hurts to admit out loud. There have been several times that I've been tempted to cheat this liquid diet....but realized that if anything happened later on that could be connected to my not following MD advice, then I'd have nothing but guilt. I did lick a biscuit this weekend, though. heh. one week left till my surgery. this week will be the hardest--I'm most excited, most hungry (am now on clear liquids), and i started my period so I'm very needy for distraction (i.e. going to see the ole miss band tonight). support support support! mary

I'm so thankful that we can all talk about these things and know that we are learning from not just our own successes/failures but from each others. Thanks for the support, Elesha