emotional eating
 

I have always been an emotional eater but it seems worse since dx in February. I know that nutrition is a key in fighting cancer, but can't seem to take the steps. I am doing the following to help myself: meditation, massage therapy, counseling, Thai Chi, Christian Bible study, walking 1/2 hour 3 days a week and physical therapy ( to help with scar lesions to chest wall after bilateral mastectomy). So why is this eating thing so hard? My husband will cook me ANYTHING! Yet I eat cookie dough when he is not looking. I eat when I am not hungry, by the way I am never hungry since starting chemotherapy. ugh!!

Re: emotional eating
 

Hi Alicia...I too am an emotional eater. I actually was excited after first chemo because I had no appetite and wasn't eating and lost 10 lbs... well, it came back. I still am not hungry often, but I just eat for eating's sake. I LOVE to just sit and eat and read or watch TV. And I am super picky as well, hate most veggies, love the simple carbs - ugh.

Sounds like you have taken a lot of good steps already; I haven't even been able to motivate myself to exercise/walk. I too was dx in February...I am in chemo now (neoadjuvant) but I still have 2 good weeks out of 3 that I could and should be exercising.

Just letting you know you are definitely not alone...

Re: emotional eating
 

Thank you. It's nice to know I am not the only one. It's easy to know what to do. It's the implementation that is harder.

Re: emotional eating
 

AliciaB,

It looks to me like you're doing a really good job of implementing healthier habits. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Is there a support group you could join, for bc or eating (or both)? Or have you asked your onc about meds for anxiety/depression? You don't have to do everything yourself. Reach out for help.

Hang in there. Just keep doing your best, and keep trying to do the next right thing.

Re: emotional eating
 

Amy, I do counseling on a weekly basis. I have not found a bc group yet that I connect with yet. The one at our university is good, but everyone is further along than I am. So they are on different issues than I am. I find that I want to rat for comfort, but then the comfort is gone the minute the food us gone. Just don't know how to stop the "addiction". Maybe the Acupucture will help to replace old habits. Thanks for support.

Re: emotional eating
 

Hi,

During chemotherapy, a lot of us put on a little bit of 'fluid' weight because of the steroid. It will gradually 'disappear' if you continue to exercise regularly after completing your treatment. Right now you might want to try to walk 30 minutes 'everyday' (or at least 5 times a week) instead of 3 times a week. This will help burn some of the calories and regulate your appetite.

Instead of eating cookie dough, how about getting some walnuts which contains the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acid. You can try to roast them with a tiny bit of sugar if you really can't escape the craving for 'sweets'. Sometimes because of the low-fat content of our diet, we end up craving for 'empty' calories such as sugar...

Since you are aware of the 'emotional eating' situation, I guess the key will be to figure out what 'emotion' has caused it and why. Be sure to be honest with your counselor. My husband had gone for several sessions of therapy a couple years ago. He would come home and tell me how he was not sharing his true feelings/stories with the therapist ...

Walking/exercising also helps improve the mood because of the increased release of 'endorphins' in our brain. The more we exercise, the happier/healthier we are, the less we crave...

Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying acupuncture - it could cause tiny bleeding sometimes if the traditional tiny needles are used.

Sending you good vibes.

Re: emotional eating
 

AliciaB-feel no shame about emotional eating! As a dietitian I can confess to some emotional eating too and think most of us can on one level or another. Have you even read Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink? It is a great book that really makes you think about food triggers. Google him and you'll be able to see some of his videos and studies. He has a great sense of humor to help us laugh at ourselves for our mindless eating habits.