Gaining

I know stress eating is very common and can cause some serious gains, but I’ve never been able to do it- is it possible to train yourself to do it, or is one’s personal response to stress relatively set in stone? Any advice is appreciated!

Lately, I have been very stressed, and it has made it difficult to gain. Just maintaining my current weight has been an uphill battle. My desire to gain doesn’t go away, but my appetite does and it is difficult for me to eat even small amounts, and I don’t enjoy what I eat. Overeating, for me at least, takes a lot of mental energy that I don’t have right now. The stress is unlikely to go away any time soon, so if it is at all possible to turn it to my advantage and change the way it affects my relationship with food, I’d like to.

The slippery slope is the most exciting part for me. I keep telling myself I'm just gaining temporarily for fun and that I'll lose the weight after I hit my goal. The problem is my goals keep shifting up...

I have this problem too. Heck, I’m having this problem today! I barely managed to eat a yogurt this morning. Ugh. I’ve found smoking pot helps (I’m a heavy pot smoker) though obviously I can’t do that right now since I work during the day. I’m in a state where it’s legal so obtaining it is as easy as ordering takeaway online and driving the half mile to pick it up!

When I’m stressed and/or my anxiety gets out of control I lose all interest in food. My stomach can be screaming to be fed but if I try to eat anything I can barely manage a few bites. I know it’s psychological for me. Personally, I’m going to see if my doctor can up my anxiety meds so this won’t be as much of a problem, if upping my dose works.

Hope it gets easier for you!

I think a lot of stress eating comes down to our body and mind's reactions to stress. When I'm stressed I never seem to feel satiated, even when I'm physically full. So the hunger tends to drive me to overeat.

But part of it to is the cravings for the side effects of over eating. There is a heavy, sleepy, feeling that helps the world and its worries melt away, and when really stuffed there is almost a high that comes with it. At least for me.

That latter part maybe you could train yourself to? But the first part sounds like one of those things that is pretty individual and could be a lot harder to change?