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sim I cant stop eating, Ive gained 8 kilos in the last 5 months and I dont know what to do. Im so upset about it but cant stop stuffing my face, also I feel like I have stretched my stomach and now need to eat greater quantities to feel full. Ive been away for a while and going to see my friends tomorrow and I know theyre going to think ive exploded, I feel so uncomfortable :( I didnt think it was this bad but when I weighed myself I was so shocked at how much I had actually gained...

I am so sorry things haven’t been well these last few months, Please know so many people are & have struggled with what you’re going through (including me!), but managed to overcome it. It is natural for us, as humans, to look for different forms of relief when we are struggling & unfortunately food is a really easy one to hold onto. With that said though it can be just as easy to re-train the brain to resort to ‘healthier’ habits of stress-relief. 

Firstly, I know how uncomfortable you feel right now & food ends up becoming a bad cycle - you eat because you’re stressed, you then over-eat, feel bad about over-eating, so eat more. How to overcome it? One step at a time!! Forget the whole “shit I ate too much today, I need to exercise so much tomorrow or restrict tomorrow” - no. Simply start with one small ‘healthy’ habit you can do everyday that will help make you feel better & that you will do no matter how bad you feel - for me, this was things like a daily swim in the ocean or a walk in nature - it would clear my head immensely, help me feel better about yesterdays decision & most importantly, break that cycle, Also don’t restrict on food in general, just don’t. 

From there, start working on 2 things - being more aware of where you are at (aka symptoms or triggers, such as stress) & actively trying to use other methods of relief. The key to re-training your brain to use ‘healthier’ methods of relief is actively doing those activities when you’re in more control and aren’t too bad. The later you leave it, the less control you feel you have & the more likely you are to revert to old ‘bad’ habits. You could try rating your stress levels for example - once you get to a 5/10 you have to practice a ‘healthy’ relief activity - e.g. going for a walk, meditating, exercising etc. Try to avoid getting any higher as the risk of you reverting to old ways only increases. Also, go figure, but try to learn other things that make you feel good, help you deal with your feelings & keep you more present. 

That’s the general approach I believe works to overcome over-eating/reverting to food as a relief from other issues. However here are some more specific tips & tricks to help with things:

Get uncomfortable. Do you have a comfort eating ‘routine’ - aka do you eat/binge on certain/the same foods, eat in certain places (aka in a particular seat or spot in your home), doing certain things (aka watching TV) ? If so, stop doing them! It’s really common for the body to find relief in comfort & sometimes it’s not just the food but the whole routine that is keeping you stuck - breaking that routine & getting uncomfortable can help break the brains association of food with comfort. 

Don’t focus too much on food, instead focus on how you feel. When trying to overcome food issues we often go into this obsessive mode of suddenly trying to plan every meal to be those instagram-worthy smoothie bowl, salad, green things, when in fact the less focus on food the better! Trying to be super controlled with food when you’re struggling with being uncontrolled with food just never works; restriction only makes you want to be unrestricted. Focus on eating intuitively, being social, being balanced & doing the best you can; don’t over-think it. 

Don’t isolate yourself! I know it can be really hard to socialise when you feel self-conscious but it’s during those times that it’s most important to keep up socialising! The more you isolate yourself, the more you revert to emotional eating, whereas socialising helps things get back to normal & move the focus away from food, body & stress. If you’re really struggling with being self-conscious do a. little shop & find non-restrictive clothes that you feel comfortable but spicy in :)

See a therapist! I can’t express how helpful talking to a professional is about this kind of thing. They can help monitor your progress, give you more ideas for how to overcome things & most importantly get to know you personally so they can personalise methods that will work for you the best. 

Spend more time in nature!! I know it sounds a little cliche but I truly believe nature is incredibly healing & really helps you feel more grounded, thus stronger, in life. I incorporate coastal walks and ocean swims almost daily in my routine & it is absolutely key to clearing my head & helping me stay on track with my goals & not reverting back to old ways. 

I know this was really long but honestly I’ve been there & if I’d just focused on trying to re-train my brain instead of trying to look for the solution in food, I’d probably have overcome my issues a lot sooner so I hope this helped!! Sending so much love & hugs xxxx