Is this comfort food eating?

I really don't know I am hungry all of the time. Ran out of food way too early,.

What mood are you in when you decide to eat? How do you feel when you look forward to food, or a certain type of food? What time of day do you eat, and what activity do you normally do at that time? If it is emotional eating, you can figure out your trigger by asking yourself some questions and paying attention when you are eating.

The thing about emotional eating is that you don't have to be physically hungry, you just feel like you "need" something, and you reach for food, whatever the reason or the need. It usually ends up being high fat, high salt, high sugar or carb, or chocolate. Rich tastes, rather than regular foods.

Personally, I eat when I'm lonely, and also use it as a kind of reward. When I have had a hard day at work, and know that I'm going home to no one, I fill that void with food, and sometimes it becomes unstoppable.

Tell us more about your experience. Have you changed medications recently, or increased your activity level? Have you been spending more time alone, or having difficulty during your daily activities or relationships?

Or, boys may not want to read this part: could this be part of your hormonal cycle? I'm more hungry, and for different foods, at different times in my cycle.

See if you can answer any of these, and let us know

I genuinely feel hunger pains and eat when I do, like I just ate a bowl of brocoli / cheese soup & my fav. a grilled cheese sandwich an hour or two ago and am hungry again, going tom ake a pb & j sandwich will eat dinner at around 7. beef stew and rice.
Ummm I am going throiugh remembering childhood trauma something I have sort of remembered over the years but have disocciated from it qquite a bit, I went from living with nine people, 2 adults 7 kids for 3 years to living on my own 2000 miles way from my hometown Lost alot in the past 3 years and am trying to rebuiold my life, suffering with flashbacks and intense body memories in past few weeks an dhvae just started to go back to therapy

Hm. Well, this would definitely be something to talk to your therapist about. The fact that you are having body memories suggests a very close tie between your emotions and physical perceptions. So perhaps the two events coinciding - the recent emotional stress and increase in negative emotions, as well as the increased appetite - are meaningful.

If you do feel like you are over-eating, or are eating until you are physically uncomfortable, ask yourself why. If you feel hungry and think to yourself, "I just ate half an hour ago!" ask yourself if there could be a different reason for wanting to eat. It's good that you are not going for high-sugar foods, because that can mess with your mood big-time. But sometimes, we're just more hungry than usual. Our bodies go through different phases, and our appetites change with demand for calories, etc.

In the mean time, as long as you are not feeling physically uncomfortable or feeling as though your are binging and unable to stop, don't worry too much about it, but definitely bring up your concern next time you see your T.

Let us know if there's anything else you think of, and how you're doing.

also been eating mountain trail mix for a snack love that

Also, you made me hungry for grilled cheese
Now I have to go to the grocery store, heh.

awww vision u are so sweet, I am eating healthy and walking daily so that's good, I just seem to be hungry more often and i am not sure how tied in it is with the trauma memories I seem to be going through I will definitely tell my T i had to stock up on bread cheese and butter as that is pretty much what I eat for breakfast and lunch but not dinner, but for a snack at night sometimes. I have an underactive thyroid that was untreated for a while caused by lithium that I take for bipolar disorder, my thyroid is normal though and I am back on meds for that as well. I have lost 20 lbs since moving in to this apt complex. I drink water and raspberry iced tea for the most part and I have to stay hydrated due to the lithium and occasionally treat myself to a cherry pepsi once in a while, usually when I am tired and dont want to go to sleep yet I tendt o push myself to stay awake for a long time. I got put on disability five monhts ago and have gone through major life changes, first year in colorado, after losing my job, dog cats car insurance huge support network some of whom I still have in my life, I lost my apt. my independence etc I had 3 hospitalizations in the first year I was here. I got approved finally for SSDI , after 2 year struggle and am now living in a great apt in beautiful colorado springs I am tring to learn buses and i always drove before despite my fear of it. I have gone through mental physical emotional and sexual abuse and a sexual assault i struggle most to accept that I was sexually abused my mind has been safely in denial for a lONG time about that and never made the connection betweenmind and body but i feel my mind is no longer going to protect me from the truth and it is very frightening. I dont turn to food for comfort I turn to the internet, I have become a bit hypersexual and have started to exhibit some behaviors that concern my friend but he said not to overreact but to just be aware of it. I feel a lot of guilt fear and shame and at 39 sex drive for women really does seem to intensify and increase and I associate that with some bad things sadly. Ty for listening going to shut up now

i also hvve poly cystic ovary syndrome and very sporadic periods unable to have children sadly

Sounds like you have a lot of factors in your life, physically and mentally, that have really big effects. The fact that you are getting regular exercise, and that you have lost weight in the last while, seems to show that your eating patterns are not having a negative effect on your health. So that's good news!

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More girl stuff, maybe this should be posted in the ladies section but it's pertinent to the conversation:
Hormonal balance really changes eating behaviours, and you've got a lot of those too due to underlying health problems. From personal experience, I understand where you're coming from with women's health issues. I have ovarian problems as well, I can't remember what my gyno called it... basically like misfiring, lol. I could get no period for four months, and then get one twice a month, or on and off for a while. They were also incredibly painful. It was chaos. But I've been on the pill for a couple of years and I'm SOOOO happy with it. I feel like a normal person (as much as that's possible!). But now that I do have a regular schedule, I notice when I'm having emotional, physical and eating changes at certain parts of the cycle, and it becomes really obvious at that point what the reasons are. I dread the day I won't be able to take the pill anymore.

About the concerning behaviour; just be safe, in all ways. I have been through some times that made me really not enjoy that part of life, but embracing it in a healthy way is good for you. Just be careful Your friend has some good advice there. We can feel and think and experience things, and still take a step back and be objective at the same time with a logical view of things that are not logical, if that makes sense, heh. Examine the reasons before acting.
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Back to regular stuff:
It sounds like you are really getting some things sorted out, despite what has happened. Sometimes it takes breaking everything down in order to build something new, and it happens to us whether we like it or not. Accepting our limitations is extremely difficult and can be disheartening. I've never had a car, so I use public transportation almost every day. I used to have panic attacks on the bus, and get really nervous before my stop. It's a challenge, and not as convenient, but it does make you a bit more confident once you know that you can use it. It's absolutely normal for me now. Have courage! You've been through a lot, but it sounds like you have found some strength out of it all.