Friday, June 28, 2013

Confessions of an emotional eater


This is me after a long day
  

Yes, I am an emotional eater. There I said it. They say admitting a problem is the first step right?


Let's be real. I love my kids more than anything in this world but they can be ALOT. They are demanding, they like to say my name a bazillion times in a row and throw themselves on the floor crying because the other one looked at them.

Don't let these sweet faces fool you


After a busy day at work the last thing any of us want to deal with is two whining, crying kids. However, this is the reality for most of us. OFTEN. Far more often than is necessary! I get stressed. Alot. Sometimes before I know it I am shoving a few cookies in my mouth to "ease" the stress. Sometimes after the kids are in bed I find myself mindelessly eating. Life is stressful and can throw alot at us.


Food and I have been around the block and have had our ups and downs in our relationship. We've come a long way though. However, as much as it has evolved immensily into MOSTLY healthy habits. I still find myself resorting to emotional eating or binge eating when stress or anxiety hits.

 I certainly don't have all the answers but here are a few things that I have learned along the way:


Don't let yourself get too hungry. Eating too little through out the day can often lead to unleashing the binge monster at night. If you are overly restrictive in your diet it WILL come back and bite you in the butt.

Get your sleep. I know that when I am tired and cranky I am much more likely to binge and eat things I wouldn't normally eat.

Distract, distract, distract. Most of us eat out of boredom or just because it is there. If you are not truly hungry then get out of the kitchen. Call a friend, read a book, go for a walk. Do something to take your mind off of it.

Wait it out. Sometimes I find if I am really craving something that if I wait ten or fifteen mintues the feeling will pass. If you still really want whatever it is then go ahead and have a little just don't over do it.

Go ahead and eat it. This follows with the last point. If you are constantly telling yourself that you can't eat that "bad" food ( I hate that term) then you are bound to binge. Use common sense. Eat healthy (80/20 rule) but still allow yourself the treats you love in small portions.

Don't beat yourself up. DO NOT get down on yourself if you mess up. We are human. We will all make mistakes but all you can do is brush yourself off and keep moving forward.

Rexamine your diet. If you are finding that it is happening often it may be time to sit down and look at exactly what you are eating. Often times if I am eating too little or not enough protein I will feel very "snacky" often. Myfitnesspal is a great application to hekp you track calories and see how many you should be eating, how many you are burning exercising.


We all have bad days. I have a bad day more than I care to admit.


See, me having a bad day
I am still working through my relationship with food. It is never the answer and I never feel better after stuffing myself full food. Hopefully some of these tips can help you too.



Do you ever emotional eat? Have found anything to overcome it? I also pray alot when I am having an especially hard time. I know it's not for everyone but this does help to ease my mind. God never ceases to provide me strength my I seek him.









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