There are so many ways to lose weight, quickly or slowly, healthily or unhealthily.
I’ve done them all. Currently, I’m at a great place for myself and am about 75 lbs down from my highest. Throughout my life, I have gained and lost weight more than dozens of times. I’m happy to say I’m in a very healthy place with maintenance and weight loss at this point.
No matter how effective your diet or weight loss strategy, it’s impossible to keep weight off long term if you haven’t addressed why you overeat.
Most of us here did not become increasingly overweight because we weren’t trying. For myself, I know it’s directly related to my overeating and binge cycling.
Sticking to a diet is doable. Sticking to a diet when you’re stressed and food feels like relief is eventually impossible.
Personally, I’m a stress eater. I used eat when I was stressed, when I was depressed or anxious, even when I was happy or celebrating.
When I realized that stress was my primary trigger, it changed the game for me. I wasn’t overeating or “failing” diets because I was uneducated about nutrition. It’s not some type of moral failure.
I gained weight, EVERY SINGLE TIME, because my response to stress is eating. It made me feel better very temporarily, but then I would feel terrible. Worse than this, my stress was still not relieved - just saved for later.
How I addressed this:
1) Noticing when I had an impulse to overeat.
2) Taking time to identify what I was actually feeling that made me want to overeat.
3) Finding another non-food related way to relieve the emotion.
(Note: I’m specifically talking about wanting to continue eating or having an impulse to binge when I was already full. For example, if I am hungry enough to eat an apple or something nutritious, I will always have it.)
(Another Note: Therapy is great for this.)
Stress Relief Ideas That I Like:
*Take a relaxing bath or shower *Journal *Go for a walk *Meditate *Read an interesting book *Stretch for a few minutes *Research your favorite historical period *Paint something (even if you’re bad at it) *Color a picture *Make a meaningless craft *Call a friend *Wash your face and massage in moisturizer for a few extra minutes *Find everything in your immediate area that is yellow (insert color of your choice) *Organize something you’ve been putting off *Cry. Let it all out. *Go to a dollar store or local art store and find some cool, fun things for less than $5 *Play a game *Ride a bike *Do a few minutes of yoga, maybe a few more *Play with a pet (If you don’t have pets, go to a local shelter and play with those pets) *Massage your hands or your feet for a few minutes *Do a face mask *Write yourself a letter *Send a card to your friend *Yell into a pillow *Drink some hot tea *Watch your favorite movie *Make a collage with all of your favorite things *Give yourself a hug
Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments. Also feel free to save/edit this list and keep it somewhere convenient for the next time you need it.
I’m still working on this, and I’m not always perfect. When I first started, I would notice that I was stressed and having a binge impulse, then I would binge anyway. As time went on, I was able to acknowledge my feelings and find better ways to relieve them most of the time.
Noticing that you’re stressed and having an impulse to binge is a huge freaking step! That’s progress. Instead of beating yourself up, try being gentle and understanding with yourself.
I hope this helps someone. Sending my best to you all!
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