Help me come up with an acronym that helps me combat bored eating!
April 13, 2020 6:34 AM   Subscribe

I struggle with emotional eating at the best of times, and sheltering in place has been pushing all of my buttons about food, boredom and deprivation. I'd like to come up with an acronym like HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) that I can pull out when I'm tempted to eat when I'm not hungry. However, I'm not coming up with anything. Given the emotions I feel that are associated with this behavior, can you help me come up with something better than "bonefruited"?

Yes, "bonefruited" -- bored, neglected, frustrated, tempted, deprived. I'm not all that thrilled with "bonefruited."

Here's a list of the emotions I feel that are associated with eating food for reasons other than "I'm hungry and eating this food will be emotionally satisfying and will make my body feel good."

• Boredom
• Tempted
• Trapped
• Annoyed
• In need of pampering / other forms of self-care
• Deprived
• In danger (real or imagined) of deprivation
• Like I’m owed something
• Malnourished (physically)
• Malnourished (spiritually)
• Want to reward myself
• Want to treat myself
• Neglected
• Obligated (as in, the conditioning to eat three meals a day at the usual times, or to eat with people)
• Compelled
• Stressed
• Pressured

Of these, the major ones are "bored" and "tempted." The acronym can't possibly contain all of those ideas at once, but it should definitely have "bored" and "tempted," or words representing those ideas that fit with the acronym.

I wouldn't want it to be too long -- HALT is ideal, four or five words.

I am not looking for any other advice about weight loss or emotional eating, although I appreciate the impulse! I just want a nice acronym that I can pull out in that time between the urge to eat and the action.
posted by shirobara to Health & Fitness (21 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
3D: Depressed, deprived, dulled.
posted by adamrice at 6:38 AM on April 13, 2020 [2 favorites]


STAND? Stressed, trapped, annoyed, neglected, deprived?
posted by Vigilant at 6:58 AM on April 13, 2020 [4 favorites]


BATS: Bored, Annoyed, Tempted, Stressed.

Though I think an acronym with suggestions might be better. Like, ICK--you should try to distract yourself by trying to do something else that is Interesting, Calming, or Kind.
posted by gideonfrog at 7:01 AM on April 13, 2020 [19 favorites]


DON'T B
deprived, obligated, neglected, tempted, bored
posted by teremala at 7:03 AM on April 13, 2020 [2 favorites]


BUNDT: Bored, Underserved, Neglected, Deprived, Tempted
posted by Jon Mitchell at 7:36 AM on April 13, 2020 [2 favorites]


Oh, a better "inspirational" acronym would be HECK: Helpful, Engaging, Calming, Kind
posted by gideonfrog at 7:45 AM on April 13, 2020 [6 favorites]


I am absolutely using bonefruited over here, now. (sorry. and thanks.)
posted by VioletU at 8:00 AM on April 13, 2020 [6 favorites]


Adding that I love boneffruited. The silent F is for feelings.

Thank you for this gift. It’s not snacks for me, it’s endless games of a flash thing called farm hustle. But it hits all of these same buttons.

to actually answer, with a different word, I submit TAMBORINE THE r is in pressured but could also be REACTING, as opposed to being proactive.
posted by bilabial at 8:14 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Another vote for choosing a positive, rather than negative, acronym - otherwise you are just thinking more about the emotions you want less of! What state do you want to be in when you eat? Maybe Calm, Attuned, Hungry, and Mindful? (which would be "CAHM", like a new englander saying calm).

I hope this is not too off topic, but I think it might be interesting and useful - if you aren't feeling an acronym that resonates, you could think of your intention, like "eat when truly hungry" and make it into a sigil, a symbol that represents that phrase to you. This is traditionally a magical practice but I think it's fun and effective for anyone trying to make a change. There's a lot of super detailed guides about how to do this, but I found this simple explanation through a quick google search.
posted by beyond_pink at 8:21 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I truly appreciate everyone’s answers so far and am grateful for the time and thought you’ve put into them! I would like to gently remind people that I’m asking for something that’s pretty narrow, which is a way to slow down, identify and validate the emotions I’m feeling in the moment. I don’t consider this focusing on negativity — it is essentially the core of my CBT practice, which has changed my life for the better. I appreciate the impulse behind trying to provide more helpful ideas and information to me, but my issues with emotional eating and weight turn that into a stressful thing for me. Thank you for understanding!
posted by shirobara at 8:31 AM on April 13, 2020 [4 favorites]


Best answer: After Vigilant, STRANDED: Stressed, Trapped, Restless, Anxious, Neglected, Deprived, Entitled, Desperate.
posted by jamjam at 8:39 AM on April 13, 2020 [4 favorites]


I like the sound of BLATT. Bored, Like I'm owed something, Annoyed, Tempted, and Trapped.

(It's a fun word to say, and it's also one of my favorite sandwiches outside the virus, and without the extra T: Bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato.)
posted by hydra77 at 8:48 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


BOAT: Bored, Obligated, Annoyed, Tempted

Or I guess you could do BLOAT: Bored, Like I’m owed something, Obligated, Annoyed, Tempted
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:23 AM on April 13, 2020 [3 favorites]


Feeling BAITed - Bored, Annoyed, Itchy (or any of the I expressions you listed), Tempted.
posted by trig at 9:29 AM on April 13, 2020 [2 favorites]


More options for the I: In search, In need, Incomplete
posted by trig at 9:45 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Tapped Out?

Tedium (for boredom), Annoyance, Pressure, Peril (for danger), Entitlement, Deprivation +
Obligated, Undervalued (for neglect and lack of self-care), Tempted

Yeah, it's a stretch. Will try to think of something shorter.
posted by Bella Donna at 10:32 AM on April 13, 2020


Am I truly hungry, or is it more that I'm driving myself BATT-y? (Bored, Annoyed, Tempted, Trapped)

I'm really BATTIN' a thousand today (Boredom, Annoyance, Temptation, Trapped, Insecurity, Neglected)

TAB is back / I think I'll put this craving on my TAB (Temptation, Annoyance, Boredom)
posted by furtive_jackanapes at 11:03 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Bored
Entitled
Annoyed
Tempted
Insecure
Trapped
posted by rikschell at 11:46 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Also maybe will make you start singing the Weird Al song
posted by rikschell at 11:47 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Ooh, I like furtive_jackanapes "put it on my TAB" since it gives you a way to acknowledge the feelings and a place to put them aside.
posted by doift at 1:24 PM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: You all are amazing! Thank you so much for all of your suggestions.

I really like STRANDED because it hits the right emotional notes for me. It's already started lodging itself in my brain: I have that urge to eat something, then I think "I'm feeling STRANDED again aren't I?" and the emotional resonance between the word 'stranded' and that nebulous cloud of bad feelings just seems to fit.

I really appreciate all these answers! Thank you again!
posted by shirobara at 8:18 AM on April 14, 2020 [3 favorites]


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