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In the battle to lose weight, stop overeating, or break free from emotional eating, it’s important to pay attention to the things that trigger your eating to go awry. Learn about the 5 most common triggers now! In the battle to lose weight, stop overeating, or break free from emotional eating, it’s important to pay attention to the things that trigger your eating to go awry. Simply focusing on what to eat misses an essential point–Your eating choices may be strongly affected by your emotions and your environment. And your food plan is useless if something is preventing you from following it. Here are five common overeating triggers that you can take control of by taking some smart, proactive action before they sabotage your weight loss efforts. 1. Getting too hungry Do you stick to your plan through breakfast and lunch only to find yourself irritable, craving carbs, and ready to eat everything in sight by the time late afternoon or evening rolls around? The end of the day tends to be stressful for many. The transition between work and home, mealtime decisions, and other peoples’ hunger or tiredness can push a busy woman over the edge. When I start coaching a new private client, it’s not unusual to hear that this is THE most difficult time of day. The key here: take control of what you can. This means doing what you can so that you don’t arrive at the end of the day feeling exhausted and starved. Too many women who are trying to lose weight, eat too little in the middle of the day and, as a result, lose control and overeat before, during, or after dinner (or all three). Make sure you are eating a balanced lunch (with protein) and then calculate the hours you are expecting yourself to last before eating again. Most women do well with a small snack midafternoon. Again, adding in protein can make all the difference. 2. Evening eating Evening (and late night) is a strong overeating trigger time for many busy women. If you are working hard all day long, it’s easy to come to see the quiet of evening as your reward. And if you are too tired and depleted to really enjoy it, food and emotional eating can become a big part of the evening ritual. “I eat in the evening because I want to treat myself.” “It’s my me-time.” “It’s the only time of the day where no one expects anything of me.” Women also overeat in the evening because they are tired (but don’t want to go to bed because this is the only alone time they have). Breaking free of the evening overeating triggers can be challenging, but it’s essential. Start by creating a policy for yourself about eating after dinner. Be realistic but be firm. Now, identify the bedtime you need to honor so that you are getting a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep a night. This alone can make a huge difference in your overeating. Trust me. Create a new wind-down ritual that includes some nice things for you but that doesn’t include food. Finally, start carving out some me-time (even ten minutes) on the front-end of your day. You might need to get up earlier, but you’ll be focusing on you when you have the energy to do it. 3. Snacking on treats at work Are you overeating or grazing at work on the sugary treats that your coworkers leave all over the office or the break room? Make it easy on yourself by making one decision instead of hundreds. Set a policy with yourself about your eating at work. Make sure it’s a policy you can stick with. Sometimes something as simple as “I’ll only eat homemade food that is truly a treat that I can’t easily have any time” will do the trick. Spend a bit of time strategizing how you will avoid temptation and how you will reward yourself for doing so. And don’t forget to enlist support. If you are putting on pounds at the office, I guarantee that you aren’t the only one being haunted by the food. 4. Stress eating and overeating Emotional eating—using food to cope with feelings—is one of the biggest causes of overeating and weight gain. Smart women take this one seriously! Take the time to check in with yourself before you eat. Try to identify how you are feeling. Become aware of patterns. Are you a stress eater? Comfort eater? Boredom eater? The key to taking control of emotional eating is to create better strategies—ones that really address the emotions you are having. Start creating ways of addressing your feelings that you can use INSTEAD of turning to food. 5. Too much on your plate When you are too busy, stressed, and overloaded, overeating can seem like an easy way to sneak in a reward, some comfort, or a much-needed energy boost. The problem is that any benefits tend to be short-lived and the costs and negative consequences aren’t. If you want to take control of your weight, your eating, and your relationship with food, you MUST take control of your life. Learn to say no, cut back your schedule, carve out time that’s just for you and start practicing the art of asking for help. The best part of addressing overeating triggers is that when you take charge of what drives your overeating and emotional eating, you are almost always fixing a problem that’s bigger than food. When you get to the root cause of your overeating and address it head on, the triggers often lose their power. When you find strategies for dealing with stress, overeating, and overload, you are also creating strategies for living a better life.

In the battle to lose weight, stop overeating, or break free from emotional eating, it’s important to pay attention to the things that trigger your eating to go awry. Simply focusing on what to eat misses an essential point–Your eating choices may be strongly affected by your emotions and your environment. And your food plan is useless if something is preventing you from following it. Here are five common overeating triggers that you can take control of by taking some smart, proactive action before they sabotage your weight loss efforts. 1. Getting too hungry Do you stick to your plan through breakfast and lunch only to find yourself irritable, craving carbs, and ready to eat everything in sight by the time late afternoon or evening rolls around? The end of the day tends to be stressful for many. The transition between work and home, mealtime decisions, and other peoples’ hunger or tiredness can push a busy woman over the edge. When I start coaching a new private client, it’s not unusual to hear that this is THE most difficult time of day. The key here: take control of what you can. This means doing what you can so that you don’t arrive at the end of the day feeling exhausted and starved. Too many women who are trying to lose weight, eat too little in the middle of the day and, as a result, lose control and overeat before, during, or after dinner (or all three). Make sure you are eating a balanced lunch (with protein) and then calculate the hours you are expecting yourself to last before eating again. Most women do well with a small snack midafternoon. Again, adding in protein can make all the difference. 2. Evening eating Evening (and late night) is a strong overeating trigger time for many busy women. If you are working hard all day long, it’s easy to come to see the quiet of evening as your reward. And if you are too tired and depleted to really enjoy it, food and emotional eating can become a big part of the evening ritual. “I eat in the evening because I want to treat myself.” “It’s my me-time.” “It’s the only time of the day where no one expects anything of me.” Women also overeat in the evening because they are tired (but don’t want to go to bed because this is the only alone time they have). Breaking free of the evening overeating triggers can be challenging, but it’s essential. Start by creating a policy for yourself about eating after dinner. Be realistic but be firm. Now, identify the bedtime you need to honor so that you are getting a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep a night. This alone can make a huge difference in your overeating. Trust me. Create a new wind-down ritual that includes some nice things for you but that doesn’t include food. Finally, start carving out some me-time (even ten minutes) on the front-end of your day. You might need to get up earlier, but you’ll be focusing on you when you have the energy to do it. 3. Snacking on treats at work Are you overeating or grazing at work on the sugary treats that your coworkers leave all over the office or the break room? Make it easy on yourself by making one decision instead of hundreds. Set a policy with yourself about your eating at work. Make sure it’s a policy you can stick with. Sometimes something as simple as “I’ll only eat homemade food that is truly a treat that I can’t easily have any time” will do the trick. Spend a bit of time strategizing how you will avoid temptation and how you will reward yourself for doing so. And don’t forget to enlist support. If you are putting on pounds at the office, I guarantee that you aren’t the only one being haunted by the food. 4. Stress eating and overeating Emotional eating—using food to cope with feelings—is one of the biggest causes of overeating and weight gain. Smart women take this one seriously! Take the time to check in with yourself before you eat. Try to identify how you are feeling. Become aware of patterns. Are you a stress eater? Comfort eater? Boredom eater? The key to taking control of emotional eating is to create better strategies—ones that really address the emotions you are having. Start creating ways of addressing your feelings that you can use INSTEAD of turning to food. 5. Too much on your plate When you are too busy, stressed, and overloaded, overeating can seem like an easy way to sneak in a reward, some comfort, or a much-needed energy boost. The problem is that any benefits tend to be short-lived and the costs and negative consequences aren’t. If you want to take control of your weight, your eating, and your relationship with food, you MUST take control of your life. Learn to say no, cut back your schedule, carve out time that’s just for you and start practicing the art of asking for help. The best part of addressing overeating triggers is that when you take charge of what drives your overeating and emotional eating, you are almost always fixing a problem that’s bigger than food. When you get to the root cause of your overeating and address it head on, the triggers often lose their power. When you find strategies for dealing with stress, overeating, and overload, you are also creating strategies for living a better life.

Dorrie...do you feel comfortable with the weight you are at now? At times I wonder if i will be able to get to goal? I have over 40 pounds to go and it is slow going, but I am still very committed. One thing about being in menopause is not experiencing the water weight gain around that time of the month..

My doctor changed my meds to get me off insulin, and the glyboride did wonders. My numbers are in the low 100's but it seems I have gained over 5 lbs while on it. He said it is known to do that. He is more concerned with good numbers, then the effects from the band. These are 2 different doctors.

It depends on the medication. Remind your OB that you're a bariatric patient and that you are concerned about weight gain. Wellbutrin is a popular one for its minimal impact on weight gain... However, it may not be effective for PMDD. Talk with your OB. If you don't like the side effects of the medication ask for something different. You do have a voice in your mental health care.

My Paternal Grandpa was born and raised in Ilocus Norte, Phillipines. My Dad was 1/2 Filipino. My Aunts were all short and chunky until they neared their 50's. That is when they all lost weight. I have the same body shape as them, but am heavier than they were. They all have said things about my weight over the years and it gets me so upset. They and some of my cousins talk about my weight as if I am the only one in the family with a weight issue. I will never criticize anyone's weight once I reach my goal. It is hurtful and we often don't know what led to the person's weight gains. In my case, it was depression after losing both of my folks while still in my 20's.

Good Luck!!! I was banded in 2006 lost 88 pounds then it slipped. Second band put in 2008. Not much success, weight gain, etc. Finally, sleeved August 8, 2012! You can do it! You will feel so much better!

. I can always lose more weight but at 35 my chances of getting pregnant again go down. Dont worry about weight gain, its part of growing a human being!!

Yepper, I am starving during that time. Thank goodness for skinny cow products- the icecream bars and the cheese satisfy my need for sweet without killing my diet. I also had a lot of water weight gain during that time.

So those of you who are post op and are using birth control have you had any weight gain or has your weight loss slowed at all? What type are you taking?

Nestlé Nutrition online offers "Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC" these are not sold in stores, but are great for weight gain. They are 8oz shakes and are 560 calories. So, 3 of these will add almost 1700calories to your diet.

Best wishes to you. I've been on steroids quite a few times and I know how wicked they can be, especially when it comes to weight gain. Hang in there, you can do this

How do you even GET IN 200 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbs a day? I'm not quite six months post-op, so a bit behind you, but I still can't get in 60 grams of protein a day, let alone 200! I know I should sympathize with you more, but I'm still trying to get over my jealousy at your problem - no offense, but all my life I've dreamed of having a metabolism where I couldn't put on weight no matter what I did! Seriously, as others have posted, you should definitely speak to your doctor and have bloodwork done. There may even be medical reasons for weight loss or lack of weight gain unrelated to the sleeve, which I once found out in a not so pleasant way. So this should be checked out ASAP.

I don't know about you but candy (sugar) was a big culprit in my weight gain. No candy for me. Also, in the 12 weeks of classes I took prior to surgery I was told spicy things can hurt my new tummy and gum is out because it creates gas. If I continue to do the things I did prior to this surgery then nothing will change and I will not have the results I'm looking forward to. I personally want to change my life and make healthier choices and live life not confined by my body. Old behaviors must die for me.

Already started my journey and I meet with my surgeon on the 30th to talk all about the surgery...but today has been a bad day. Went to go get dressed for the day and I noticed that I have so many new stretch marks all over my stomach that I'm in so much pain! For gaining 100 lbs in one year I'm so uncomfortable... I've been on prednisone for 3 years and the weight gain is so bad. I have been so strong about this because I know its the medication but going to my moms today.... I broke down. I am so looking forward to the surgery. . I want to just be comfortable and have a day where I go to put on a T-shirt I bought last week and have it fit!! Feel like I'm moving in slow motion!!!!

Alright ladies I need your help! Guys feel free to chime in too if you like! But seriously I have been consuming around 500-800 calories a day! I gained 4 lbs in a week! How? Do u gain weight before your menstrual cycle? I have done great I'm 7 weeks out! But wth? I am needing some advice & support! I work out 3 times a week! Ughh

Hey all!! I had to express my thanks to all in the forum who have been so motivational and inspiring. I hope that I can pay it forward to the newcomers as well as the regulars!!!! Well here I go.... (rather lengthy) I was 130-140 my whole life until I turned 25 years old when my thyroid went byzeric. I got down to 120lbs and my doctor had to "kill" it. In two months time I went from 120 to 190... Oh yes stretch marks and I haven't birthed not one child yet. Since I was 25 years old I have struggled with my weight and was diagnosed with PCOS as well as Type 2 Diabetes..... I gained an additional 27 lbs last year in June when my ex passed away tragically. Yes we were separated, not together, but we always kept our love evident. We always said life was leading us back to one another. Needless to say his death was a tragedy and had a major affect on me. Thankfully I have great family and friends that helped me to mourn and recover. I still felt like "Dang I'm 33 years old, with no children, and no prospects in site". I tell you God works in mysterious ways. 6 months ago, by chance, maybe fate, I had the chance to reconnect with a guy i really cared for when I was 23 years old. Who would have thought 10 years later we would have found eachother, not to mention being 80 lbs heavier. He never judged me for the weight gain and always told me I was beautiful no matter what size. In May i decided to go ahead and get my health right, and started the lap band process. He couldn't quite understand why I wanted to get WLS because he felt I wasn't that overweight, but my health told me different. Since losing 31 lbs, he is now my biggest cheerleader. I've even got him eating healthier!! So basically in saying all of this is... Congrats to everyone who has started their journey. This is a start to your new life and new lifestyle. Don't ever think that it is a quick fix, but a tool to help you along and motivate you to eat right and do better. Also, that you never know who your admirers are, but I am thankful I met someone who could love me whether fat or thin, and accept me with the good and the bad!! Have a great night!!

Hey guys. I'm 29 yrs old and I had my band put in March 19,2012. Went into surgery 273lbs and went into surgery yesterday morning 209lbs. My hubby says that I should've just taken off my band but HELLO!? I've lost 64lbs in 5 months and not only that I paid $14k cash to get rid of my investment just like. But my main concern is weight gain, I weighed myself 2day and I weigh 8 more then yesterday. And I've gotta wait a whole month and a half before getting my band re placed properly.

Well Here I am 4 days post op and I have to say that today is by far my best day. Again no problems with surgery, but I highly recommend not getting teeth done the same time..LOL. its like a double whammy on your body. This morning was the the first that I woke up without that excruciating pain in my jaw, and i was actually able to talk without feeling like my jaw was going to explode. I have shied away from the boards because of this. As far as the surgery, I feel wonderful!. I am unsure how much fluids I am getting down cause I keep forgetting to track it, but I do know it's enough as my urine is running very clear. I have no head hunger, but there are times that my tummy lets me know its time to feed it more fluids. I am very sorry for not updating as soon as I should have been, as I was taking all the time I needed to feel better in my mouth. The weight gain after surgery is horrid. i was down 14lbs before surgery from 322 to 308. The day I left I noticed I was weighing almost 2lbs heavier which I figured was water retention from nerves. Day of surgery i did weigh 310 on doctors scale. Day I got home Wednesday the 8th I weighed 319 lbs. I knew and read over and over about retaining fluids after surgery, but I guess you never really expect it or believe it until you see it. today, day 4 I am finally dropping a few, but I am staying off the scale until my weekly weigh ins. I have not tried too many different drinks so to speak. I am living off water and some gatorade. I did try some watered down apple juice, but in all honesty that gassed me up so bad. I am hesitant to try skim milk yet, but I sure am craving it. Today was the first day that I tried some chicken broth- again had to dilute it. I am not eating any jello as I am worried about jaw pain and not being able to chew very well. Everyday that passes is another day of my journey!

I have had luck shocking my metabolism. I normally eat around 900-1000 calories a day. When I hit a plateau, I will have 1400 calories one day, 700 calories the next day, then back to 900-1000 calories a day. I don't do this unless I've gone at least 2 weeks without a loss, I know I've been eating right so it's not a matter of food choices, and I'm not on my period (because I know that can cause Water weight gain). But the two times I've done this, it's worked and I started losing again.

If you are undecided, and feeling like you need to overcome being scared about the surgery, it tells me that you are not 100% committed to making the life style changes required to be successful with using the band as a weight loss tool. For a bandster to be successful with weight loss, it requires daily compliance with your diet, a commitment for regular exercise, and letting go of the maladaptive eating patterns which contributed to your weight gain. If you don't have that level of commitment for change, then I believe you will likely set yourself up for negative feelings about you, your band, and may even label yourself as a failure. It's a better choice to wait until emotionally you are ready for these required changes. Best wishes...

The Most Evil of all Man’s Inventions - When we were getting larger, the scale was an evil evil device. It was originally designed by man to assist in the development of early commerce, but over time it took on a new and insidious venture. It became the device that quantified what we already knew - we were getting bigger. It was not a secret. We knew it. We knew we were not eating right and could tell we were getting bigger. But as long as those elastic waists and comfort fit pants hung in there, we could kid ourselves into believing that it was not that much weight gained. It was all so vague and easy to ignore. But the evil scale ruined all that. That "couple of pounds" we had gained since last summer was actually 14.7 pounds!!! And what total chucklehead decided we needed a decimal point on a bathroom scale? What an idiot. I am not a pharmacist carefully measuring out a deadly drug. I am just a fat guy on a bathroom scale. The size of the number is bad enough, the decimal is just sort of an insult. "I weigh 277." Scale: "No, actually you weigh 277.6!" GRRRRRRRR, Stupid scale! I will tell you where you can put that .6 pounds…. BUT NOW…. I have come to reconsider my position -- and being down 50+ pounds has everything to do with it. That decimal point is an amazing and important invention. When I lose .6 pounds, you can bet I want to know all about it!! Don’t be depriving me of my 9.600 ounces of hard earned weight loss! I did not just go to the bathroom, dry my hair, clean out my ears, burp, get naked and take off my glasses to get some vague estimate!!! I have concluded that the scale is, in fact, not inherently evil. I have come to this based on recent events. Since I have had my surgery I have noticed something amazing that I had never noticed before. It may have been there all along, but I just did not know it. Maybe you knew….but until just recently, I did not know that ….. (wait for it) ….. The scale can actually go DOWN!!!! 　 Here are three great scale jokes!!! 　 A lady noticed her husband standing on the bathroom scale, sucking in his stomach. Thinking he was trying to weigh less with this maneuver, she commented, "I don't think that's going to help." "Sure it will." he said. "Now I can see the numbers." ______ 　 Two youngsters were closely examining bathroom scales on display at the department store. "What’s it for?" one asked. "I don’t know," the other replied. "I think you stand on it, and it makes you mad…at least it does that for my Dad." 　 　 ______ Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry with him. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 250 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!" The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. It was not big enough to be the sports car she demanded, so she put on her robe, ran out to the driveway and brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Bob has been missing since Friday. ARE WE LAUGHING YET!!!!!!!

I had my surgery August 6th. I wasn't nervous about the surgery because it was #6 for me. I was nervous about the changes, but I don't regret it for onesingle moment. The first few days have been a little rough, but nothing compared to dying an inch at a time. That is what the weight gain felt like to me. Slowly loosing energy and mobility, being a slave to food,feeling like people were constantly staring and judging. Now I feel like I am back in control of my life, living it for me and my familiy. That is what prompted my decision to be sleeved and that is the decision I will stand on. Good luck to you and may you have a blessed and speedy recovery!

I had the same exact fear. I knew I was depressed because of the weight gain, and I was afraid this would hinder the clearance. took a 600 question true false test. The psychologist basically said " I know it will come back as your depressed". They really just want to make sure that you don't have any eating disorders or any other self sabatoging behavior that will put you at risk after surgery. Don't worry it will be fine.