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Psychology of stress eating...

zauberflote

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,476
Location
VA, US
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
okra. Cigarette smoke, old, new, and permeating a room, wafting from a balcony, etc etc. That I have so many chronic diseases. That I take so very many meds. Being cold. Anything too loud, but specifically non-classical music and the television.
Yesterday was my birthday, a great day for making money, and one of the most stressful in a long time. We'll cut to the period that caused the tipping point stress (morning had had its own, emotional stress). Our evening out ended abruptly with having Mom transported to ER for severe back pain. By 11:45pm she was tucked up safe in her own bed at her residence. In the meantime, I fought off needless lab work, entertained the heck out of her to the point where everybody in the ER loved her and thought she was cute (91, cute? LOL), and was very very grateful for Mr ZF's presence (and cheese and nuts he brought because I had only been able to eat the green salad at supper. I was still planning to do well at that point. I was completely exhausted-- and had had only 5 hrs sleep Saturday night. Took myself home, knowing there was going to be a food-fest when I got there. I Did Not stop, as I used to, at the all-night McD's for a double-shot chocolate or caramel sundae. 90% chocolate didn't even occur to me until I was heading up the stairs for bed. No, I ate lots of almond butter with butter (the sandwich without the bread, you see). FBG forgave me!!!!!!!!
Cut to today, and the stress gene has activated again. Took Mom lunch just to check on her. She has no memory of last night, thank God. I located her macadamia nuts and binged on them before my own lunch and after, until I decided to just finish up the celery and be done with it! Came home, couldn't stay awake (another 5-hr night last night). So, a square of 90%, and another mug of decaf with lots of cream. My belt is tight, and supper is in 45 minutes before I go out to work; a rehearsal.
Conclusion: my food tastes may have changed, but I have not yet lost my "addictive personality" as Mom used to call it. Fairly accurately, describing herself and her sibs. And me. And bro. Anybody has this experience? I'm thinking time and "will power" are my only hope. Thoughts comments?
 

I can indentify with this very much, eating to change your emotional state rather than for hunger/nutrients. I have no answers just a #metoo similarity. I'm hoping time helps too, I've been soothing myself with food for about 40 yrs so new behaviour patterns are going to take a while.

Having said that much like the above poster said, you actually coped really well. In the face of such an onslaught of stress you cope the best you can, if that means loads of nuts and cream and dark choc so be it. Don't be hard on yourself, we are not robots

x
 
Thanks @Antje77 and @VioletViolet ! And especially for the encouragement just now! It is getting worse this evening
Just had to stop in a CVS to pick up some supplies for my mom, and visions of Snickers ice cream bars and bags of Fritos floated past my mind’s taste buds - ok so far, but I didn’t feel the sense of revulsion almost that an ice cream bar would have given me a few days ago. The brain is a wondrous and mysterious beast, is it not! Just have to outsmart it! Not being able to test much for two days due to scheduling is a definite factor. That was my carrot! Arrgh.
 
Hi @zauberflote what a stressful day. Hope your mum is soon recovered. Sounds like you limited the damage by eating lower carb stuff, even if in larger quantities than usual.

Completely recognise what you say about addiction - think many of us (including me) struggle with the same thing. There was a really interesting thread on this topic a while back. I’ll try and find it and post a link as it may be helpful.

Take care.

@zauberflote found it! Here’s the link to the thread I mentioned. Very thought provoking video in the first post:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/food-addiction-and-diabetes.156651/
 
hello Zauberflote,
I think you did really well in your stressful situatons to steer clear of the high carb foods. Temptation (you mentioned icecream) was almost certainly exacerbated by lack of sleep. Will you be able to get some rest soon?
Best wishes Liz
 
Very glad your mum is OK, and while forgetting the incident is a sign of her condition, in these circs it would appear to be quite a blessing.

Regarding the food cravings, I think you could be being a little hard on yourself.

You had a very stressful time. Massive anxiety, all the stress hormones pumping around, brain working overtime, emotions flooding. That all takes a lot of physical resources. Heck, the brain takes about 20% of our energy intake on a normal day. On a day like you had, it will have used more. While all those stress hormones have an effect on blood glucose. Their purpose is to get you in a condition where you have enough energy to deal with a fight or flight response.

Under the circumstances, it is perfectly understandable that your body would like to replace all the resources it used up - and also quite understandable that it would like to do so with quick access, easy to digest foods, that it knows from previous years will hit the spot. I think it is normal. Although of course the extent to which it happens can be extreme for some people, which is where it goes into bingeing and steps outside normal.

So the fact that you ate more isn't surprising, or that your body wanted it.
Having said that, you did brilliantly to stay on low carb foods for your replenishment. Not something I always achieve!

Last summer I had a 250 mile trip to sit beside a hospital bed (with a very happy outcome, I am glad to report), but my chocolate consumption tripled for several days. And so did my attention to food. Partly distraction/avoidance. Partly food replenishment. Partly being out of my comfort zone and staying with family members.
 
You did great, especially under the circumstances. I can't put it any other way.

Speaking as someone who truly does have an addictive personality, my hat's off to you!
 
Hey @Goonergal thanks so much for that link! I’ll check it out

@SlimLizzy Liz, well I certainly did get that rest you mention... inadvertently slept until nearly 10:00 this morning. Feeling more rested indeed. Starting my day this late is fairly awkward
@Brunneria oh yes, the forgetting is a huge blessing, for her and for us. I’m on a forum with people who care for their loved one At Home
I cannot imagine the stress they endure.
Thanks for your praise and reassuring encouragement! Now I will match your confession: about 18 months ago, bro and I traveled to Mom’s then-home, to manage a hospital stay and discharge. Mom had been well enough one day to go out to lunch, and we went to our fave place, Grandma’s Pies and Diner. You can see where this is going. In order to get the cherry pie all three of us wanted, we had to buy a whole pie. They are THAT GOOD and I’m drooling now for real. So we ate our dessert slice, went back to her room, and she took a long nap. We both sat there....and had a piece of pie. An hour later.... piece of pie. There was one tiny portion left for the BFF across the hall. Bro is diabetic and for his FAA airline pilot flying certs he must control without drugs. I had no dx but knew I’d been out of control for probably 6 months. I think that was also the trip where I finished off Mom’s box of Andes after dinner mints. Bro and I were trying So Hard to be good. Now Mom is in my city, that much older, and friends’ experience tells me simply to pray for “a perfect death”.
@JoKalsbeek thank you so much for your encouragement! This addictive personality thing ran in Mom’s family - she had an alcoholic brother, another who was likely HF alcoholic, and herself fought the food all her married life, although she remained slender always. I am a food sneaker From Childhood!....ugh.
Just went for a tiny but brisk walk, arrived home just as my two hour bg timer went off, and hope to do it again this afternoon and who knows tonight too!
Edit for clarity and typo
 
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@Goonergal I’m through the standup warmup game they played in the video. I felt so at home.... thanks so much for locating this for me!
 
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