ok.....what do YOU do instead of stress eating?

Ok so I am having a really hard time with eating as an outlet....I get very stressed/overwhelmed/agitated very quickly and the next think i know ive eaten the whole kitchen. I found out today I owe $900 on my taxes by tomorrow and i've been binge eating since ( i wont even go into how many oreos ive eaten :( ) I need ideas on ways to cope with stress instead of eating becasue it's just a bad bad cycle...

Nothing like a surprise tax bill to kick start the old eating habits, Rebecca Ann. As you know only too well, bingeing does not work to reduce stress for more than a moment and certainly won't pay your taxes. Bravo for posting an SOS.

My advice for right now is to toss out all trigger foods, make some herbal tea, and put on some soothing music. Distract yourself - a book, a movie, a bath, whatever. Remind yourself that you are going to be okay no matter what. You have all of the skills needed to figure it out. You are going to get through this challenge.

A dear friend and I are studying a useful little book with lots of helpful suggestions called "50 ways to soothe yourself without food" by Susan Albers. I like it because the ideas are so practical. This week I am practicing one of the exercises where I envision and write in detail about:
-a moment when I felt a sense of peace or calmness,
-a time when I felt relaxed
-a moment when I fell in love or
-a time of adventure (e.g. hiking or bungee jumping, etc)

If you want, you can join us this week! Hang in there, my friend. This too shall pass.
Amy

Yes, exactly! Stress eating does not solve anything and it just makes things worse with my anxiety. I ended up getting in the hot tub (probably a bad idea with my fresh incisions but it did calm me down tremendously.) I just checked out the website for the book and I already like it...the website has some good stuff on there. I will buy the book (well after the $900 :)) I think it will help a lot. I will definitely be joining you Amy! Thanks for the great advice and the recommendation, I already love it! :)

Hang in there. I often find myself wanting to turn to food but learning to stop myself.
I have been trying deep breathing exercises along with trying to meditate for several minutes to try to calm myself down.
I dont remember where I heard or read it, but my new mantra is "if hunger is not the problem, then food is not the answer."
Easier said than done somedays after so many years of using food as a crutch.

Good luck and sorry about the tax bill!
 

Love your mantra, I just adopted it as my own.  I also use "not exercising is not an option"

I love the mantra. I think that might help me a lot in the midst of a binge actually. I try telling myself other things but I really haven't found one that keeps me out of the kitchen. Thanks!

It's not always possible, unless you belong to a 24 hr gym, but for me, nothing knocks out stress like exercise.  And if I were really wanting to eat, it would need to be somewhere food wasn't.

I get out, to the barn or to the garden.  There is always something out there that needs to be done and I can do something productive instead of destructive.

I also agree that you have to get the go-to foods out of the house.  We do have sweets here, but they are stuff my DH likes and I don't so they offer no temptation.  But chips, I can't have them in the house. 

I actually do belong to a 24 hour gym within walking distance too but I can't workout for about a month. I also have a nice park/walking path right in front of my house that I need to use when I'm starting to binge. I agree about the go to foods but the problem is, my parents won't quit buying it. They know about my problem, I have cried and begged them to stop buying it (especially since my mom just had a lap band anyways!)  but they continue to buy all of them. So I have to learn to be stronger than all of the foods they refuse to keep out.

I am guilty of the stress eating too, but because we have none in the house I turn to fresh fruit or veggies. I also meditate, for me it really works, I do not know how much I meditated in the hospital but it was definately a reliever for me.
I also have these stretch bands that are used for physical therapy, and I have a tendency to wrap them around my foot and excercise my arms and feet.
It is hard but you can do it. I LOVE Maria's mantra and too have now stolen it. Hang in there you can do this and dont worry about the taxes so much, because everything always works out for a reason, we may never know those reasons but there is always a reason.

I really need to start meditating. I haven't gotten to a point in meditation where I can clear most of my thoughts though, everything just seems to scramble when I sit to meditate haha. Where did you find the bands at? Thanks!