Help for emotional/anxiety eating?

Hey CCers:

I need help!  I've lost about 120 pounds.  I'm hoping to transition from counting calories to intuitive eating.  The problem is that I struggle with anxiety which recently for whatever reason has become worse.  I'm eating when I'm anxious instead of when I'm hungry.

Do any of you know of any good resources/books on the topic that might be helpful?  There seems to be a log of books about food addiction that hit close to home, but I'm looking for a recommendation from people who really understand weight loss, and I know there are plenty of you out there who do.

Any suggestions?

 

I tend to eat when I'm upset, when I'm bored, and yes, when I'm anxious.  (I only have a small anxiety problem; my doctor prescribed me 10 pills last march and I've used six since then.)

My solution is to bring along everything that I'm going to eat, and work on a schedule in advance.  Keep everything extra put away, where I would have to work to get at it.  I have no money in my wallet right now; I can't go to the vending machine, so that leaves going to the ATM and cafeteria while it's open.

At the same time, I have to remind myself that if I screw up, it's not the end of the world.  If I eat too  much today, there's tomorrow.  I suppose that's the whole "way of eating not diet" perspective slowly creeping into my brain.

If you are looking for books that help you work through anxiety, search for books that discuss "cognitive behavioral therapy".  CBT is based on self-help exercises for coping with the ups and downs of life.  One CBT book that was very helpful for me in my battle against anxiety/depression is "Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burns, but there are many others out there that cover similar ground.

EDIT:  Sorry I don't have a recommendation for a book specifically regarding weight loss but my personal experience has been that once I got my anxiety/depression under control the weight just fell off (48 lbs lost and still dropping).

I'm currently reading a book that was I heard about on this forum called Shrink Yourself (Break from emotional eating forever!) by Roger Gould, M.D. It's fantastic! I think it might just be what you're looking for.

Good luck!

don't keep trigger foods in the house, work out.

and then take some motherwort