Or someone who diets to deal with negative emotions? I'm not sure what else to call it. I've tried looking it up and nobody really seems to talk about this, so I wondered if there are more people like me.
Ever since I was about 11 I've been a yo-yo dieter (I'm 21 now.) I've managed to put much of that aside, but I still get the urge to diet if I'm upset because I want to disappear. I also seem to only be able to lose weight in the darker months because I tend to go inward a lot. I'm still trying to separate my weight from my urge to diet, because I would like to lose weight, but I always tell myself that what I'm doing isn't good so I have a negative view of losing weight instead of just emotional dieting.--If all that makes sense. Maybe it's because of the way my mom scolded me if I tried to lose weight and seemed pleased if I stuffed myself, and I still associate feeling plump with being good. It's just confusing. :?: When I was a yo-yo dieter I'd just quit dieting when I felt better or when there was a distraction.. Now I just find it hard to stick to anything at all. The funny thing is I'm not a binge eater or anything. I just find solace in dieting for some reason. Oh well, that's my sob story..
Hmm, that's a tough one. I can relate to you but in the opposite way. I'm an emotional binger. Dieting is not a solace for me, it's like a big scary lonely fight against an opponent that is much stronger than me. Eating makes me feel sedated and calm. If there is a lack of food around me I panick. I also panick if I don't know what I'm eating next. But I can say that you are not alone, we both have emotional issues around eating/dieting. Hang in there and I hope you find the support you need on this forum.
Feeling solace by not eating isn't a normal thing... :no: Have you spoken to a counselor or therapist about this? What you are describing sounds like a type of eating disorder. Try to find a counselor who specializes in food issues, if you want to explore it further. Or talk to your doctor.
You might benefit from eating on a schedule to make sure you aren't slipping into "the urge to diet."
Good luck!
Jay
Frigg, I do this and I had never realised it 'til now!
I equate every problem in my life with my weight - if I was thin I'd pass my exams, if I was thin I'd have more money, if I was thin I'd have more friends. I think that when I have lost my weight my life will be very different and a lot better, but it won't become perfect. Problems will still be there, even if I am gorgeous!
So when I'm upset, I hyperdiet. I'm on Weightwatchers, and I'm supposed to have 23 points a day, but when I'm down or something has upset me, I can go down to 10 or 12, which is counterproductive, but still. If I go on a night out and see beautiful thin girls in beautiful thin dresses, I get obsessed with how I need to 'get serious' about my diet, how I need to go to the gym tomorrow, etc. My lack of self-esteem causes this.
I'd love to be able to separate emotions and food. For the time being, I'm just trying to make sensible food choices and balance out bad ones with better ones.