Eliminate Stress Eating to Reduce Food Expenses and Improve Health!

[sunnyca]

Hi Everyone,

I don't know how many of you have this problem, but it's one that I've been struggling with for a long time.  Generally, I eat a fairly healthy diet, but when I get stressed... I have crazy cravings for fast food, candy, etc... basically everything and anything that's unhealthy *and* expensive.  In tracking my food expenses for the last few months, I've noticed that my expenses for *real* food are lower than the amount I've spent on processed junk that isn't good for my health or my waistline.

Aside from willpower, I'm not too sure what else I'll be doing to cut back on stress eating... but any suggestions and/or people that would like to join this challenge are welcome!

[horsepoor]

Make sure to keep the junk food out of the house
Try to recognize the stress triggers and reduce them if possible
Try taking a walk around the block or something to get the stress down (physical activity works for me, but journaling, hot bath, whatever).
Have a cup of tea
Set up a Mint budget for your fast/junk food - if it's the 5th day of the month and you only have $10 or whatever to spend on junk that month, you might feel more apt to save your junk dollars for another day
Keep something like raw almonds around as a replacement for the junk food

For what it's worth, keeping my refined carb intake low really reduces cravings across the board.  Notice I didn't say eating low carb - moderate amounts of fruits, potatoes, beans and rice seem to be fine, though a lower-carb phase for a few weeks could be beneficial to slay the sugar dragon if you get really strong cravings and eat lots of carbs.

[Caoineag]

Oh oof, definitely a problem for me as well. If I am stressed I want deep fried or high fat content food. Best treatment is to cut the stress. I am already in the process of successfully cutting back on the eating out. The budget goes a lot farther in the grocery store than in a restaurant.

It also helps to figure out easy substitutes, things that satisfy the craving but aren't quite as bad. For example, an apple and a couple of slices of cheese cut my sweets cravings, my cinnamon tea gives me something to drink besides coffee (which I add lots of cream and sugar to) or soda and I have a number of quick recipes that I can make during the week that keep me from going out to eat if I am too lazy to really cook.

[sunnyca]

Thanks for the tips!

I've donated all of the sweets remaining in the house, except for 80%+ dark chocolate, which I can never overeat anyway.  Today being Friday, it was low stress, so I didn't have too much difficulty eating well. Spinach salad, chicken, and oatmeal with a square of dark chocolate.

Walked the dog during the evening to get out of the house so that I wouldn't engage in mindless eating.  :)

[bikebum]

Strength training zaps all my stress. Get mad at those weights! And if you don't like weights you can do body-weight stuff.

[BlueHouse]

I feel the pain.  That's me too.  I'll work on it with you!

[sunnyca]

Awesome bluehouseb. So far I've been good this weekend- I found that oatmeal with a spoonful of almond butter and strawberry j has helped to cut my craving for sweets quite a bit. 

For me though, the real challenge will come with the start of the workweek...

[Nords]

Aside from willpower, I'm not too sure what else I'll be doing to cut back on stress eating... but any suggestions and/or people that would like to join this challenge are welcome!

A few suggestions:
Drink more water.  Many people's systems misinterpret dehydration as hunger, and a big glass of water gives you 20-30 minutes to reconsider.

If you eat a set diet each day, then put that list on the fridge and cross off the items as you eat them.  When you've wolverined your way through the day's caloric quota then you're done.  The reality is that you'll start pacing yourself somewhere around the 1200-1400 calorie mark.

Eat more protein & veggies, less sugary carbs.  Even a bowl of frozen veggies in the microwave or a carrot will cause less harm than a bag of chips.  The refrigerator's veggie drawer won't open itself, though-- you have to put them on a shelf in plain view.

Put a note on your fridge/pantry listing some go-to items for your crazed hunger.  I find that I'll be 400+ calories into chocolate before I regain enough cognition to remember that I could've had a bowl of oatmeal or a simple freakin' omelette.

Buy some 100-calorie snacks.  I'm a chocoholic who prefers Healthy Choice 100-calorie fudge bars or Dole frozen chocolate-dipped banana slices.  Of course the ninth one tastes at least as good as the first one, so figure out a way to pace yourself too. 

Identify someone whose health scares the crap out of you:  a family member/relative with severe weight problems, a high-school classmate who's gained 200 pounds, or a "Biggest Loser" contestant.  Put their most unflattering photo on the fridge (or wherever you put your snack foods).

[jordanread]

Drink more water.  Many people's systems misinterpret dehydration as hunger, and a big glass of water gives you 20-30 minutes to reconsider.

This is a huge one. Makes such a difference. I always knew this, but until I did my 30 day challenge of only drinking water, I didn't realize how big of a difference it could make.

Put a note on your fridge/pantry listing some go-to items for your crazed hunger.  I find that I'll be 400+ calories into chocolate before I regain enough cognition to remember that I could've had a bowl of oatmeal or a simple freakin' omelette.

I'm always partial to almonds or avocados (when in season). While I can eat a whole crap load of almonds, usually after a handful or two I definitely need something to drink, so it's like a built in speed bump.

I also make it a point to almost never go into the center of a grocery store. Stay to the edges, and then even if you do stress eat, at least it's better.

[sunnyca]

Put a note on your fridge/pantry listing some go-to items for your crazed hunger.  I find that I'll be 400+ calories into chocolate before I regain enough cognition to remember that I could've had a bowl of oatmeal or a simple freakin' omelette.

Thanks for the tips guys!  I do plan and track what I eat daily... and I'm generally pretty good about it... but if some crazy crisis at work or something occurs (which lately has been happening with increasing frequency) I ignore my nice, packed meals and start hunting down and eating any and all sweets and fatty foods in sight.  :/  It doesn't help that people are regularly dropping off yummy snacks in my office.  It is really nice of them, and I appreciate the sentiment, but still....

[unix_kung_fu]

I buy raw walnuts in bulk and eat an ounce a day, I used to do this at breakfast but now I eat half or the full ounce in between meals as a snack, or if I get stressed.

I learned that by storing sliced/chopped fruit like pears and apples, etc, submerged in water they never brown (at least not during the couple days it took me to eat them) and retain their crunchiness / texture for the most part (also learned that dumping an inch of water on top of guacamole it will keep it the same green color for a day or two!).

I also make low-fat hummus from scratch without the tahini or added oil, still tastes damn good - and some carrots and celery on hand.

For the times I want to eat in between meals I now have an easy go to arsenal that costs me pennies now and in theory should save me lots of money in healthcare related bills down the road.

[sunnyca]

Been doing well so far... I have the next few days off and will be camping, and will only be able to eat what I bring in. :)

Limiting sugar (anything refined and/or fructose-based) to very small quantities has definitely helped!

[jordanread]

Been doing well so far... I have the next few days off and will be camping, and will only be able to eat what I bring in. :)

Only bring good stuff. At that point you have to hunt for your sweets, and all I know is that the Chocolate Moose is extremely rare and crafty. :-) Good job!

[sunnyca]

LOL... thanks jordanread!

Chocolate Moose is definitely rare in the mountains... only seen in areas where its food source is found... which is, of course, Moose Munch! :)

[jordanread]

LOL... thanks jordanread!

Chocolate Moose is definitely rare in the mountains... only seen in areas where its food source is found... which is, of course, Moose Munch! :)

:-) Have a great trip!!!

[Thegoblinchief]

Exercise, exercise, exercise.

I still find myself eating sweets now and then (like today), but the fitter I get, the less interest I have in crappy fuel - even though I can handle the extra calories without gaining weight.

I think it's a combination of stress reduction from the exercise and my body's recognition that junk food is really shitty fuel. It's akin to putting stale gasoline in a race engine.

[sunnyca]

Failed yesterday...

Came back from camping in the Sequoias and was really hungry, but lazy... So I proceeded to eat a bunch of rice and eggs, followed by at least 1/2 jar of crunchy almond butter with some strawberry jam that I had around. 

I dumped the rest of the almond butter and jam when I realized that I was just going to keep eating it (I would have given it away, but there wasn't too much left, and I saved the jars), but still. 

This isn't a case of stress eating, more just a case of overeating, but still.  :(

[sunnyca]

Grr... stressful week at work, and I've been sick, so I did horribly all week- chips, chocolate, the whole nine yards.  And now I'm craving a pizza... which is totally unnecessary as I have tons of food in the kitchen that should be cooked and eaten. 

Trying to stay strong...

[jordanread]

Grr... stressful week at work, and I've been sick, so I did horribly all week- chips, chocolate, the whole nine yards.  And now I'm craving a pizza... which is totally unnecessary as I have tons of food in the kitchen that should be cooked and eaten. 

Trying to stay strong...

Sorry I let this one go, as well as the last one. I did have a thought though. You said that you eat relatively healthily, and was curious as to what your standard diet is. I was just thinking of the glycemic indices of your food, and how the corresponding crashes (if you are sensitive) could be contributing to the issue of cravings crappy snacks.

[amyable]

When I want to stress eat, I make a cup of herbal tea and give myself time to drink it.  Usually the act of making and drinking tea is enough to help me de-stress.

[sunnyca]

My standard diet is pretty basic- a green smoothie (spinach or kale with a supergreen powder) and oat bran with chia/flax in the morning, a salad with chicken or fish or something similar for lunch/dinner.  Some dark chocolate (75% or higher).  I try to stay away from processed foods, for the most part.  I also have a bit of a sensitivity to fructose, so I really limit the amount of fruit I eat. 

Sometimes I think that my day-to-day diet is *too* restrictive, but I'm really bad at moderation. :(

[giggles]

I am tagging myself here as I also have this problem.  I am actually looking forward to maternity leave because of how much money I will save on Starbucks and $5 pizza lunches at work!

[Insanity]

I am a big stress eater.  But I don't eat a lot at meals.  I tend to nibble during the day, and not very healthy about it.

Working from home has its disadvantages.

[sunnyca]

Most of my stress eating is done at work.  I think it might help if I leave my wallet at home and tell my coworkers that I'm trying to stop stress eating. 

I have a food stash at work, but it's stuff like oatmeal and tuna. Hard to stress eat on things like that.

I'll let everyone know how this works out.

[sunnyca]

Day off today and totally jonesing for a pizza, despite having tons of food here at home. I'm guessing a large part of the reason has to do with the fact that I ate really badly this week- had a bunch of work-related events that required going out to lunch and eating unhealthy food, which leads to more junk food cravings...

Took a walk with the pup to try to stave off some of the desire for pizza. 

[sunnyca]

Ended up having pizza and Oreos over the weekend... But it's a new week, right?

Ate well today- Korean food, eggs, and a green smoothie. Hopefully I'll do better this week. 

[fallstoclimb]

Commenting here because I am currently stress-eating a second breakfast.  (I really should know better than to keep cereal at work).  You are not alone!

[tmac]

I have this problem as well. I'd be stress eating at this very moment, but I don't have anything junky to eat at the house, and I'm not (yet) so pathetic that I'll leave to buy a mid-morning snack. That's good, but it sure is annoying at the moment. So, I'm surfing a bit and drinking some tea. Maybe I can get myself under control by the time lunch rolls around.

[sunnyca]

Had a green smoothie this morning (lettuce, celery, cucumber, lemon, cinnamon) and am soaking oatmeal in chia seeds and coconut milk for later.  Good start to the day so far!

If only I can keep away from the chips and pretzels sitting in our office kitchen....

[train_writer]

I can relate here.. (not overweight, BMI of 23, loads of excercise but it tells nothing about eating habits)

Sunnyca, it sounds like your general diet is very healthy, though it seems the portions are quite small and "fatless" in the morning? Do you tend to overindulge in the afternoon/ evening?

I suffer from too much fried food when in stress situations, usually related to some kind of transportation (I have a long workday but usually need to commute somewhere by train or bus (or plane)).
This is where i really have no limit :(. I can always eat something that is fried, being Thai food or western food, it doesn't matter, it usually just is too much! Because as soon as i get home, i will eat dinner either way (even with a complete meal at 5pm, i will eat a full dinner at 7 or 8).

Personally, I finally found a good way to start my day. Instead of all or nothing, which in my case meant a 800 calories breakfast or no breakfast, I now prepare a very small breakfast and a "tenner", which I surprisingly eat at 10 am :D. I have also tried intermittent fasting and it is an interesting experiment, but only works for 14 hours in my case.

Usual day
7am Very small breakfast consisting of a few spoons 10 % fat yoghurt and some nuts/ fruits OR just a 1-egg omelet
10 am. A slice of rye bread with cheese (rye bread is actually the cheapo option in the Netherlands! While it is expensive abroad so i take it with me :))
 
Noon. Lunch consisting of soup and smth warm.
4pm Fruit
4-7 pm Emergency package in bag to avoid buying stress food, still thinking of what should be in there: chocolate, cellery, carrots, a piece of cheese(cracker) (i prefer savvy to sweet)?

Dinner

[sunnyca]

trainwriter - Thanks for the input!

I'm similar to you- not overweight, but how I eat has a definite impact on how I feel and how I sleep (which is a big problem for me).

I try to include a decent amount of fat in my meals- for example, my AM oatmeal includes canned coconut milk, flax seed, and chia seed.  I've also tried various n=1 experiments in regards to my macros, since I have so much trouble sleeping.  I've also tried upping my diet to 60%+ fat, eating spoonfuls of coconut oil.

Honestly?  I think the stress eating is a bad habit that I've always had and need willpower to enforce. :(  I have tons of healthy and yummy food both at work and at home, but whenever I get stressed (which can be fairly often, especially at work), I dive for the chocolate and chips.  It can be at 8am, or 11pm, whenever.  I will try the small, frequent meals approach though, and see how that works.  Thanks again for the tips! 

[train_writer]

also tried various n=1 experiments

Second the n=1 experimenting. I hope you find a good balance in order to get a good night of sleep! I currently have bad nights, but not related to food (though healthy food would help for sure).

[choppingwood]

For me, eliminating sugar from my diet eliminated cravings, even when I'm stressed.

I found I could make decisions about food with my head, and that I usually made really good choices.

[sobezen]

Working on eliminating carbs, sugar, processed and spicy foods.  Can be challenging when on the go so I find planning meals and snacks in advance really helps.  I have lots of healthy snacks around me.  Does anyone else have lots of snacks at work and in their coat pockets too? :P