How to not overeat or stress eat or eat when tired fatigued fatigue lacking sleep?

[cfwb]

Everything everyone has said about sleeping to avoid eating-because-you're-tired is SO TRUE! It really is the only thing that ever works for me. I've had to remind myself that it's OK to sleep if you need it.

Stress eating, on the other hand, is harder for me to get a handle on. I've found that adopting general stress-reduction habits (journaling, meditation, exercising, positive affirmations, taking time to relax, screen-free time, etc.) has been the most helpful - but it is so easy to fall into the mindset that the stress can't be reduced, that it's just something to live with.

I haven't been able to "fix" my emotional eating except by addressing the emotions themselves. Trying to change the way I think about food hasn't stuck. (Most of the books I've looked at focus on changing the way you relate to food.)

The one thing that I haven't found a way round (or even a planned work-around) - my PMS/hormone based eat-everything-in-sight week before my cycle starts.

[Lauracat]

Self-compassion can help. When I'm in a difficult situation or feeling bad, I often become more self-critical and that really makes the situation unbearable, to where I calm myself with food. If I instead step back and say, "Sorry this is so hard for you right now," it breaks that cycle. I'm not 100% there yet, but it's the only thing that's consistently worked (when I do it!).

[yahoo205]

Anyone else?

[Genevieve M]

Many years ago, when my dad was sick, one sister was dying of cancer, another sister was diagnosed with MS, and a bunch of other stuff, I was getting on the average of 2-3 hours sleep a night for several years. Horrible - I don't know how I functioned.

Eventually, these situations resolved themselves, and, at some point, I was able to settle into a sensible sleep routine. When I got my rest, the difference in my ability to cope with stressful situations was like night and day (Hey - that's a pun!) from when I was sleep-deprived.

Don't ever underestimate how important good quality sleep is.

[Helen]

Making decisions, like choosing what, or what not to, eat actually takes energy. Literally! That's why when we're tired, it's harder to stick to lifestyle changes until they become automatic. I've put a link to a podcast about it. It includes research studies. What was particularly interesting was that judges are less likely to grant parole to prisoners when they're hungry than soon after a meal break because saying no is easier than taking the risk of granting it and the prisoner reoffending.

The podcast is about willpower. The good news is that exercising willpower is kind of like exercising muscles... The more you use it, the stronger it gets. It's kind of new research. Fascinating stuff!

Here's the link - it's Stuff You Should Know.

[txhsmom]

No answers for you, but I know exactly what you are talking about. I see it in myself. I used to have a Friday morning meeting, every Friday at 5 AM - I would get up at 3:30, so I could be awake by 5, clean up & eat breakfast before the meeting (but still go to bed the night before at my normal time of 11 PM). On Fridays I would always self-medicate with food to get through the afternoon at work, just to be able to stay awake.

I agree that being aware of what you are doing is more than half the battle. I have the Beck book too, I just need to be brave enough to start using it. Afraid of failure, I guess.

Carol

[mizach]

I like to use an app to track if I said "no" to any food temptation. It works like a charm since I do not want to have an X mark on my graph. It seems to good to be true but it works for me.
A little 'vanity' also works for me.

[ADoll]

Originally Posted by mizach

I like to use an app to track if I said "no" to any food temptation. It works like a charm since I do not want to have an X mark on my graph. It seems to good to be true but it works for me.
A little 'vanity' also works for me.

What app do you use?

[videofit]

Try to take 20-30 minute naps if you can't go to bed earlier, which would be my first suggestion. I've seen people napping in their cars at lunchtime or in their offices.

[mizach]

Originally Posted by ADoll

What app do you use?

I like Habits but it took a while for me to learn how to use and navigate the app. I don't like that it does not give me a count of my streak.
For example, here is my daily view:
http://forum.videofitness.com/pictur...pictureid=1521
Here is a monthly view of the No Cheetos:
http://forum.videofitness.com/album....pictureid=1519

Another app I like is Way of Life. At first I just used the free app but paid for the full version since I wanted to track more than 3 items. It also gives me a streak. For example, here are the items I am tracking. MFP is MyFitnessPal. I track my food intake now since I have a trip to Europe in Dec that I want to prepare for.
http://forum.videofitness.com/album....pictureid=1520

I bought the full version of MyDietCoach. I thought I will be motivated to use that. It didn't do anything. MFP tops them all in terms of food intake tracker. When I finish one day of food intake, it will tell me "if you ate this way, you'll weigh xxx in five weeks." I ate so much yesterday .
If you can't view the pics, they are in my Misc album here at VF.