Can't stop

I have major surgery coming up in October and I can't stop eating. It's difficult to exercise (with or without forest fire smoke) and has been for quite some time because of my health so my weight was already creeping upwards. I know I should actually try to lose weight before the surgery but I seriously can't stop eating. I try to distract myself with other things but, because the recovery from my surgery will take months rather than weeks, it doesn't seem like the right time to start looking for work again (lost my job due to COVID) or even going back to school to learn new skills that would make me more employable in the future. I should try to talk to someone about this but I can't afford therapy - I'm watching every penny so I can make rent (thank goodness for the CERB). Maybe the hospital has someone on staff who can talk to me about managing my pre-surgery anxiety? I need to find a way to cope that doesn't involve stuffing my face!

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I hear you

Sep 13, 2020 at 6:55am

I gained the "covid 10" even though I really needed to lose it, and more. Emotional eating is my go to, especially chocolate! The only thing that really works for me is going outside for a walk. It also helps not to have the offending food in the house. But right now you're probably anxious about the surgery etc so need some comfort. If you can distract yourself with something else, like reading, knitting, YouTube, whatever you enjoy, that might help. Also, there are probably resources online to deal with comfort eating. Good luck!

7 3Rating: +4

Feels!

Sep 13, 2020 at 7:20am

Addiction to food isn’t much different than other types of addictions I think. Some people can’t eat when they’re stressed or depressed, but others just eat more. I know someone who has been stress eating for years now and has become morbidly obese as a result. I wish there were more programs to help people with a food addiction, but unfortunately there’s very few. Meditation may be of some assistance for you to manage anxiety however. Good luck to you!

10 3Rating: +7

It’s going to be okay!

Sep 13, 2020 at 11:42am

First off, I’m sorry you are experiencing health problems-especially during Covid times it is scary.
Now let’s get to what we can do to help!
Try meditating and deep breathing techniques. These are free things that you can do at home at any time. Get an app or download a podcast to learn about it.
It’s important that you realize that you can’t change everything at once and if all you can do for the next five minutes is focus on breathing slowly with intention inhale, exhale, that is okay!

You will get through this and you WILL become stronger for having learning how to cope.

Just slow everything down right now. Focus on that breath and then build on that in the next few weeks to encompass learning about the binge eating. But for now , just focus on the inhale & the exhale.

You can do it! I believe in you!

7 3Rating: +4

Always upgrade your skills

Sep 13, 2020 at 12:01pm

Never pause your skill building. You can learn how to do new things via YouTube for free. Might not be obvious but people are acquiring new skills right now, and you are stuck with what you have today. The pandemic will end (when, who knows) and then companies will hire again. Don’t be that person who only knows X, when your competition has mastered X, Y AND Z. I’ve already seen this happen. The middle management in my company landed their positions because they were friends with the owners. Then new owners came in, and saw that none of middle management could do anything relevant to the needs of the business. They were ALL pushed out over 2 years. Doesn’t matter if your in management or not: you have to have the skills your employer needs, and have skills that set you apart from others. Your compulsive eating needs to be addressed of course and I’m not a therapist who knows anything about compulsive eating. But I do know that it’s going to be an employers market once the pandemic is over. And the employers are going to choose the most skilled and reasy-to-work people first.

7 4Rating: +3

Food...

Sep 13, 2020 at 5:47pm

Is my only friend

4 3Rating: +1

EFT

Sep 13, 2020 at 8:15pm

Tapping
Check it out on YouTube
It works

4 3Rating: +1

therobotmonster

Sep 13, 2020 at 8:58pm

Maybe you could switch to foods that won't make you gain weight. Vegetables like celery, cucumber, carrot, lettuce etc are great for snacking and you could stuff your face with them all day. Also it starts at the grocery store. You can't eat what you don't buy. If you buy cookies and ice cream, it will be hard to not gorge on them. But if you just don't buy them, it might be easier. Also this is almost certainly a coping mechanism for a deeper issue, so I encourage you to be brutally honest with yourself about what that deeper issue may be. You can rise up and overcome this!

8 4Rating: +4

Helpful suggestion

Sep 14, 2020 at 9:03am

Try contacting your local mental health team, it is usually called a mental health team because there are doctors as well as case managers . It sounds like you are really struggling with compulsive issues that can affect your health long-term. I think it's time to see a psychiatrist and its actually covered by your health care (province) . I am guessing you need some meds to help regulate your highs and lows, according to what you have depicted here.

4 4Rating: 0

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