[JesSsica]

Ok, I'm having a really hard time getting a grip on my emotions. Outwardly I'm doing great. I even feel like I'm doing much better inwardly. The problem is my eating and I KNOW it's a result of undealt with emotions.

I don't cry anymore and I can watch shows with people having babies without feeling bad for myself, but I just can't stop eating. I know it's emotional. Maybe some sort of punishment for myself for not being successful at something-- I don't know. It's ticking me off though.

I had gotten to a weight I loved and was pretty thin when I got pregnant. I gained pregnant weight and never lost it, then gained emotional weight after. After my second loss I think I was in self destruct mode and totally threw any kind of healthy eating out the window.

I'm now 18lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight and it's ticking me off!!!!!

I just can't get a grip. I know it's emotional because I do a majority of my snacking when I'm alone. Despite knowing this I continue. My clothes are tight, I'm self concious and it's affecting me emotionally.

How do you get a grip of your emotions to get back to nurturing and caring for yourself instead of punishing yourself? I need help. I have my 20 year class reunion in one year and I will go looking the way I want to look! LOL

I figure you guys would know better than anyone what I'm going through and you might have some good ideas on how to stop punishing yourself for something you couldn't help in the first place.

[mafiamom]

i know what you mean. it is emotional eating and it is soooo easy to do. it is a way to feel like you have some control when we ALL know - this baby making this is so completely OUT of our control....

i could very easily fall into doing this.... i decided to change my perspective and started exercising instead. it made me feel like i had some control over my body and myself as well as making me feel that i am getting healthier to carry my next baby.

i still crave food, but i make myself get up and start doing something - ANYTHING when i want something. clean out your closets next time LOL!

oh and being at the computer is the worst. that is when i want to snack. you may have to limit your time sitting at it.

you have to make a conscious decision to not eat when you arent hungary, and to be honest, it all depends on how badly you want it. i have tried and failed many times b/c i wasnt really ready to to make the commitment.

wear jeans that are too tight to remind you you ARENT hungary. (stretch pants are the enemy LOL). look at yourself in the mirror naked before you reach for that snack. ugh - that really helps . drink a full glass of water first and then see if you are still hungary.

GL - i know it is hard, but it really DOES help to feel like you have some sort of control over your life....

[Isabelle]

Hugs sweetie...

How about joining weight watchers? Maybe in a group setting you can get support? I know when I used to got to WW it was wonderful knowing I wasn't going it alone.

[Halloween81]

I've gone down the same road as you. I didnt really gain any weight with either of my pregnancies but after I gained quite a bit - I am at least 10 lbs heavier and too scared to get on the scale to see how much more I am. I joke that I'm trying to eat myself happy. I think I have more of a handle on it now, it just took some time for me to really come to grips with my emotions, especially my anger at the unfairness of it all. I hope you find something that works for you.

[ldovey83]

HUGS hun.. i to am guilty of this.. I was 115 lbs when I got pregnant with my son.. i lost all the baby weight like immediately and since i have lost the two pregnancies i have since gained like 18 pounds.. So I totally understand..

[KDD]

I'm not much of an emotional eater. In fact I'm more the opposite - I forget to eat when I'm depressed. I guess the only suggestion that I have would be to stay occupied so you don't think of snacking.

Things well get better in time, trust me.

[KAB]

I'm the same as you. As soon as I had my mc I gained 5 lbs in one week because I was so depressed and all I wanted was chocolate! I'm an emotional eater too and I have a hard time with my weight anyways. Keeping busy doesn't help, and if I exercise I think I can eat more The only thing that is motivating me now is the thought of wanting to be healthy so that I can get pregnant again and be healthy for my baby, I tell myself that over and over.

[DukesMommy12]

I worked out to cope.... It helped me to focus on something other than my empty womb

[BeccaM]

Exercise is good. I also learned a trick that when I felt like empty snacking I would just brush my teeth. I didnt want to eat after that.

Im a bigger woman. Always have been. I would never really emotional eat but would just eat out of boredom. However after my loss I was eating sweets/chocolate left and right. It helped me once I acknowledged what I was doing and also talked to others at work and DH what I was doing. Everyone was supporative and did not judge me. I got back on track this past week and dropped 5 pounds of the 6 1/2 I gained the previous week. Alot may have been water weight but it felt good to pass on the donut and eat the salad. Ive learned once I start to spiral like that I need to talk to someone about what Im doing. It makes me feel more accountable if I think someone is watching me so to speak.

[martilynne]

I've noticed that I've been eating a lot more than I even was when I was pregnant. I didn't gain a lb while pregnant now I've gained 5lbs in 2 weeks! I'm reading a book right now called Empty Cradle Broken Heart by Deborah L. Davis and that is helping me cope quite a bit. I'm also thinking about starting to run.

[JesSsica]

It's amazing how fast the weight can come on when you're eating because you're depressed. My loss was just at the beginning of November and since November I've put on 12lbs!!! That's AFTER the pregnancy weight. It's terrible! That's such a short time to gain that kind of weight.

It's so hard... I wish I was blessed enough to be the kind of person who can truly just eat when they're hungry and only use food as means for survival not for company/comfort/pleasure, etc etc etc.