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Comfort Eating

Chimes

Hi everyone.

I noticed a pattern I've been in for a while now. I've been a big person for as long as I can remember and a couple of years ago I made some good progress and lost nearly 3 stone.

Unfortunately I've put 2 stone back on since then and most of it is due to comfort eating. I've gone back and forth with losing a few pounds and putting it back on, thought I was in a good routine a month ago with healthy eating and counting calories but thats gone again.

Problem is I have depression along with OCD and Aspergers and food has always been a comfort for me, even if I don't feel any better after eating I still do it. I have my own money so find it so easy to go out and buy food and drink to binge on.

Just don't know how to get out of this rut I keep going in.

Parents

  • I didn't comfort eat when I had depression. I do comfort eat to deal with stress. So absolutely do take appropriate steps to get yourself through the depression and into a happier place, but also do things to help with weight more generally.

    Luckily some things will help both. One is building a routine of getting exercise. Even if it's a 2km walk each morning before work that's a massive benefit, mentally and physically. If you're able to participate in something even more strenuous, even better.

    Pre-lockdown I was social dancing a couple of times a week. Short (3-4 minute) bursts of high energy partner dancing, then walk away. No need for small talk but satisfies the need for social interaction and human contact, and gives you a useful physical workout too.

    Comfort eating? Still happens, but the exercise offsets the damage.

    During lockdown I've been trying to keep to a routine of walking instead, and have adopted a 'zero snacks' rule that makes it much easier to avoid comfort eating. All the chocolate and cake I want, but it has to be as a pudding within minutes of finishing my main meal of the day. Again, a simple rule and routine based approach that still lets me enjoy the nice things, but structures when and how I eat them so that I'm always starting with a mostly full stomach.

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  • I didn't comfort eat when I had depression. I do comfort eat to deal with stress. So absolutely do take appropriate steps to get yourself through the depression and into a happier place, but also do things to help with weight more generally.

    Luckily some things will help both. One is building a routine of getting exercise. Even if it's a 2km walk each morning before work that's a massive benefit, mentally and physically. If you're able to participate in something even more strenuous, even better.

    Pre-lockdown I was social dancing a couple of times a week. Short (3-4 minute) bursts of high energy partner dancing, then walk away. No need for small talk but satisfies the need for social interaction and human contact, and gives you a useful physical workout too.

    Comfort eating? Still happens, but the exercise offsets the damage.

    During lockdown I've been trying to keep to a routine of walking instead, and have adopted a 'zero snacks' rule that makes it much easier to avoid comfort eating. All the chocolate and cake I want, but it has to be as a pudding within minutes of finishing my main meal of the day. Again, a simple rule and routine based approach that still lets me enjoy the nice things, but structures when and how I eat them so that I'm always starting with a mostly full stomach.

Children