NationStates Jolt Archive

Okay, we're all familiar with emotional eaters, right? Essentially, these peeps--myself included--have a tendency to eat a lot more when they are feeling depressed or otherwise bad in terms of emotion. It is compounded as they typically tend to also either be clinically depressed or--like me--have personalities so sensitive that they are a rollarcoaster of emotions. Thusly, they become overweight and find it hard to lose that weight.

So, I've got a partial solution: create a substance--kinda like a flavored water--that can mimic the taste of food without actually giving us the calories. We could even go so far as to actually make it a vast variety of flavored waters that can fill us up without calories, thus at least putting a patch on the problem. A way of avoiding emotional eating, and giving them a hand up in terms of being able to lose weight and keep it off. Whaddya think? Good idea, or no?

BY GOD WE SHOULD!

Imagine the obesity rates going down!

BY GOD WE SHOULD!

Imagine the obesity rates going down!
Is that sarcasm or no? As I said, this IS a patch solution at best, and of course should be accompanied with other things to give them the best chance. It's definitely not going to solve anything on its own, as after all, they still need to diet and exercise. I attempt to do so, but I've still got a major problem with emotional eating. It's extremely difficult to stop myself, and I tend to lose the struggle more often than not.

you know they already make flavored water............


I doubt the feeling of comfort emotional eaters get is from the taste of the food, but more for the brain chemicals your body sends out when you eat (they are similar if I remember to the ones that your body sends out when you have sex)

what we need is a pill that can make your body release those chemicals, then we would see obesity rates go down.

I'm an emotional eater, and I've been using this product for several months. I call it Diet Mountain Dew. I can go through like 5 liters a day.

Of course, self-induced-obesitas just might be a li'l trick of good old Mother Nature to inform The Other Sex that it is wise to refrain from having relations with a fat git or girl with an emotional disorder...

*giggles*

So I'd go with doing squat, a natural analogy of stare decisis.

Of course, self-induced-obesitas just might be a li'l trick of good old Mother Nature to inform The Other Sex that it is wise to refrain from having relations with a fat git or girl with an emotional disorder...

*giggles*

So I'd go with doing squat, a natural analogy of stare decisis.
=/

Kunze: It's still packed with calories. The idea here is to eliminate the extra calories altogether.

Smunkee: There is that. Problem is, such a thing would be far too easy to abuse, and I'd hate for such a drug to become so. It'd be the new Ecstacy.

Smunkee: There is that. Problem is, such a thing would be far too easy to abuse, and I'd hate for such a drug to become so. It'd be the new Ecstacy.

yeah, I didn't think of that.

I am an emotional eater too, and if it wasn't for Bubble Gum and silly putty I would never loose any weight at all, I go to the gym 3 times a week, and most of the time I eat less than 1100 calories a day, but if I get stressed out, it's like I neeeeeeed the cheese fries. Chewing gum helps, (sugar free bubble gum) because I can taste it, and chew, so my body thinks I might be eating.

EDIT: I forgot to explain the silly putty, I just snap it when I am stressed out or nervous which keeps me from being so irritable, which keeps me from yelling at people, which keeps me from feeling guilty for yelling at people, which keeps me from eating when I feel guilty.

You know this exists with butter:

Take regular butter, add 50% water. Taste remains the same, people put the same amount of butter on, but they get less fat!

Aye. I'm satisfied by swallowing food. For a short while I tried using saled and other extremely healthy foods as an alternative, but the taste bit was a problem. It's why I suggest flavored water, for the taste part. Variety in taste to simulate foods. We could also make a flavored chewing gum, for those that are satisified more with the actual chewing, such as yourself, Smunkee. In tandem with willpower, proper diet and exercise, I think it could most assuredly help.

How can you eat less than 1100 calories/day and go to the gym 3x a week? You must either be a two foot dwarf, ungodly skinny, or doped on on speed. Also I like your silly putty thing. I want some of those Chinese stress balls.

Is that sarcasm or no? As I said, this IS a patch solution at best, and of course should be accompanied with other things to give them the best chance. It's definitely not going to solve anything on its own, as after all, they still need to diet and exercise. I attempt to do so, but I've still got a major problem with emotional eating. It's extremely difficult to stop myself, and I tend to lose the struggle more often than not.

Actually, that wasn't sarcasm. Not at all.But every little bit helps.

How can you eat less than 1100 calories/day and go to the gym 3x a week? You must either be a two foot dwarf, ungodly skinny, or doped on on speed. Also I like your silly putty thing. I want some of those Chinese stress balls.
My doctor says if I do it long enough then my body will start to burn my excess fat......it's not working very fast though, it's been 3 months and I have only lost 25 pounds.

I do end up cheating on the weekends though, due to stress during the week, and stuff, and it almost cancels out anything I do during the week.

Believe me, I am nobody's idea of skinny.

Don't worry Smunkee. I'm sure you'll be able to lose the weight, as will I...eventually. We just need to find alternatives to solve our emotional eating. But, other than my suggestion, I don't know what we could do.

So, I've got a partial solution: create a substance--kinda like a flavored water--that can mimic the taste of food without actually giving us the calories. We could even go so far as to actually make it a vast variety of flavored waters that can fill us up without calories, thus at least putting a patch on the problem. A way of avoiding emotional eating, and giving them a hand up in terms of being able to lose weight and keep it off. Whaddya think? Good idea, or no?
Excercise is, I take it, totally out of the question. Sigh. :rolleyes:

25 pounds in three months is actually very good. It still sounds like a pretty extreme diet to me though, which is probably why you always cheat on the weekends. But hey, I'm no doctor!

Excercise is, I take it, totally out of the question. Sigh. :rolleyes:
...

Err...no. If you read the following posts, Eut, you'd know it was merely an additive to exercise and proper diet. Come on, Eut. You know me better than to think I'd suggest a magical EAT THIS AND LOOSE WEIGHT type of solution. It's meant to help emotional eaters. Nothing more.

...

Err...no. If you read the following posts, Eut, you'd know it was merely an additive to exercise and proper diet. Come on, Eut. You know me better than to think I'd suggest a magical EAT THIS AND LOOSE WEIGHT type of solution. It's meant to help emotional eaters. Nothing more.
True. I didn't read any posts other than the OP. Sorry about that. :(

True. I didn't read any posts other than the OP. Sorry about that. :(
No biggie. It's just another reminder of how the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" pans out to be true.

25 pounds in three months is actually very good. It still sounds like a pretty extreme diet to me though, which is probably why you always cheat on the weekends. But hey, I'm no doctor!
yeah, I have to lose the weight fast though or I will start to develop health problems that aren't reversible. I would rather be miserable for a year and live to be 90 than, be happy now and live to 30.

I'm only 19, and I have yet to develop any true health problems from my obesity, but I don't like having a large gut. I hate it, as a matter of fact. Emotional eating gets in the bloody way, though. Incredibly frustrating.

Ya know, maybe we should start a petition for something like this. See if maybe we can suggest it to a food producing company or something. There could be a ton of money involved in this for the companies, which should be more than enough motivation for them. =/

you are onto something, kyronea.

flavored water, sugar free drink mixes, diet sodas can all be used by those who need to "snack" constantly. dont forget herbal teas for when you want a hot drink. i add in chewing gum. give it a try on those times when looking like a grazing cow doesnt matter.

try weight training if you can. it makes what you have look better no matter what your size. the build up of muscle speeds your metabolism and stops that loss of lean mass when you are on a strict diet.

but you knew that

if you are going to try to substitute no calorie drinks for real food you have to manage you blood sugar. its the only way to avoid binge eating. eat nutritiously at the same times every single day. never skip a meal and never eat inbetween meals. decide in advance what you are going to eat at every meal. dont leave the table truly hungry. eat at least 3 times a day and preferably 6 times a day. your body will adapt to this behavior within a week and as long as you treat your emotional eating with the no calorie stuff youll be fine

I'm only 19, and I have yet to develop any true health problems from my obesity, but I don't like having a large gut. I hate it, as a matter of fact. Emotional eating gets in the bloody way, though. Incredibly frustrating.

Ya know, maybe we should start a petition for something like this. See if maybe we can suggest it to a food producing company or something. There could be a ton of money involved in this for the companies, which should be more than enough motivation for them. =/
why would you want to pay extra money for some company to flavor the water for you when you can do it yourself? get some water, some ice and a lemon and youre in business!

you are onto something, kyronea.

flavored water, sugar free drink mixes, diet sodas can all be used by those who need to "snack" constantly. dont forget herbal teas for when you want a hot drink. i add in chewing gum. give it a try on those times when looking like a grazing cow doesnt matter.

try weight training if you can. it makes what you have look better no matter what your size. the build up of muscle speeds your metabolism and stops that loss of lean mass when you are on a strict diet.

but you knew that

if you are going to try to substitute no calorie drinks for real food you have to manage you blood sugar. its the only way to avoid binge eating. eat nutritiously at the same times every single day. never skip a meal and never eat inbetween meals. decide in advance what you are going to eat at every meal. dont leave the table truly hungry. eat at least 3 times a day and preferably 6 times a day. your body will adapt to this behavior within a week and as long as you treat your emotional eating with the no calorie stuff youll be fine

Righto. Will do. Thanks for the advice.

Ashmoria: See, the problem is that part of my emotional food cravings isn't just sweets, it's other stuff. I was thinking more flavored water, flavored like soup, turkey, chicken, ect. That's more along the lines of what I meant.

Also, I suggest to everyone that they add cayenne pepper to most of their foods if possible. The spicy flavor is great and it boosts your metabolism. It's helped me a little, though the emotional eating still has been getting to me.

my answer is YES

and to explain why: Because.

My doctor says if I do it long enough then my body will start to burn my excess fat......it's not working very fast though, it's been 3 months and I have only lost 25 pounds.

I do end up cheating on the weekends though, due to stress during the week, and stuff, and it almost cancels out anything I do during the week.

Believe me, I am nobody's idea of skinny.

25 pounds in 3 months is very good actually. The Limit for most people is 10 pounds a month, and more that that and there could be some health risks so the rate you're going at now is great. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last 9 months, i dont seem to be able to go any faster.

Righto. Will do. Thanks for the advice.

Ashmoria: See, the problem is that part of my emotional food cravings isn't just sweets, it's other stuff. I was thinking more flavored water, flavored like soup, turkey, chicken, ect. That's more along the lines of what I meant.

Also, I suggest to everyone that they add cayenne pepper to most of their foods if possible. The spicy flavor is great and it boosts your metabolism. It's helped me a little, though the emotional eating still has been getting to me.
oh ok

have you tried the bouillons in the soup section? they arent calorie free but they are extremely low calories. i find them a bit too salty but if "food flavored" is what youre looking for then beef bouillon might be for you.

its important to learn the difference between real hunger, blood sugar hunger and emotional hunger.

if you get home at the end of a rough day and need to eat to calm down, thats emotional

if you get home at the end of a good day and still feel inexplicably hungry, that is probably blood sugar

if you get home at dinner time and feel the need to eat, youre hungry.

you might also want to experiment with different things to deal with your emotions. it might lessen the need to eat.

For once, I think the french have the right idea on this one. Go ahead and eat when you're emotional... but go gormet. Eat small portions of tasty food. Eat slowly. Enjoy it. Have a dessert that is only three bites... unless you eat tiny bites, and make it 20.

But that means none of these "comfort foods" that you go for. Have a chocolate, sure, but make it a small one, and only eat one. Savor it. And eat slowly enough that you recognise when you're satisfied (NOT full) and then stop. And no snacking, and no cheating. You're allowed to eat. Just do it in moderation, slowly, and enjoy it. It'll get your mind off whatever you need it to just as well as cramming nasty food down your gullet as fast as you can, y'know.

THIS is my "diet" prescription for all you overweight people out there. There's nothin' wrong with eating. Just do it right.

drink a slim fast. 24 vitamins included...

Ash, I can say I haven't tried those. I think I will, perhaps. I am, also, attempting to deal with my emotions via therapy, though it can only do so much.
Qwystyria: Always easy to say, but difficult to practice. I certianly attempt it though. Methinks I'll have a salad for lunch. No dressing, of course: I hate dressing anyway. =/

I have an idea: Stop being such a pussy.


Well, no, just kidding.............. somewhat.
Physical exercise and eating tasty foods that are actually good for you, and remembering to ignore the stupid bulls--, would do better then some friggin miracle product.
Don't look to something else to fix you. Do it yourself.

Qwystyria: Always easy to say, but difficult to practice. I certianly attempt it though. Methinks I'll have a salad for lunch. No dressing, of course: I hate dressing anyway. =/

Yes, well it takes discipline, I guess. Really what it takes is learning how. I find the best way is to take time in preparing it. Go ahead and take little tastes. Make it look pretty, and gormet looking. Makes it feel more special. Then talk to someone while you eat if you can. Or read a book while you eat. Don't watch TV, that doesn't help you slow down. Count chews until you get used to taking a while at it. Savor the taste. Means it has to taste good, too, no dressing-less salad unless you like it. Personally I hate dressing, but my salads tend to be unique anyway.

I was thinking about making myself a grilled cheese-and-ham sandwich for lunch. Mmmm.... sounds tasty. And maybe a handful of chips - off a plate, not out of the bag, so I know how many I had and don't eat half the bag.

Oh, and I should say my "diet" theory includes VERY limited soft drink consumption. And don't ever drink them when you're thirsty. If you don't like drinking water (I hate drinking plain water) flavor it - tea, real or herbal, or fruit juice in it, or just flavored water, maybe gatorade, or eh, I dunno. But not soft drinks.

And it's not really that hard - you just have to make it practical, not ideal. It's just a matter of changing a habit - which is hard, whether it's scratching your head, or eating, or what order you do things in the shower. It IS possible, though.

I have an idea: Stop being such a pussy.


Well, no, just kidding.............. somewhat.
Physical exercise and eating tasty foods that are actually good for you, and remembering to ignore the stupid bulls--, would do better then some friggin miracle product.
Don't look to something else to fix you. Do it yourself.
Once again: I am not talking about a miracle EAT THIS AND LOSE WEIGHT PRODUCT. I'm talking about a patch solution to keep emotional eating from counteracting one's diet and exercise. Nothing more.

I've been dieting and exercising, to a somewhat limited degree. My problem is being unable to stop my emotional eating from counteracting it, which, of course, is why I suggested what I did.

Qwystyria, your advice is quite sound. I shall certainly impliment it.

No biggie. It's just another reminder of how the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" pans out to be true.
And yet so very many on here do just that! Sigh.

See, the problem is that part of my emotional food cravings isn't just sweets, it's other stuff. I was thinking more flavored water, flavored like soup, turkey, chicken, ect. That's more along the lines of what I meant.

I have found out that I like plain popcorn with seasoning, just get the plain, no butter popcorn and put whatever seasoning you like on it (taco seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, ect.) it tastes good, it's low on calories, and has no fat. You do have to watch your sodium intake though.

I have found out that I like plain popcorn with seasoning, just get the plain, no butter popcorn and put whatever seasoning you like on it (taco seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, ect.) it tastes good, it's low on calories, and has no fat. You do have to watch your sodium intake though.
Woah. That sounds fantastic. I think I'll try it as well.

Hmm...might have to start putting together a new grocery list. =/

*didn't read last few pages*

Would this water have protein to fill you up?

Why not just drink protein shakes?