Putting an end to emotional eating means that I need to find the courage to stand up for myself and my rights - especially with the people who mean the most to me.
It means that I will no longer be able to let those with more powerful energies railroad me into things I don’t want for myself.
It means that I will no longer pick up responsibilities that belong to other people just because I see a need not being met.
It means that I will no longer let people with passive-aggressive tendencies push my buttons and get a reaction out of me.
It means I will not let other people use their negative energies to contaminate my space and stifle my spirit.
Sometimes the situation will call for me to vocalize my non-acceptance of what is happening. Other times all it will take is a certain mindset on my part. “No, I do not accept those words. I will not even deem them worthy of a response.”
Just because the other person’s headspace is contaminated does not mean that I have to allow it to spill over and affect me even if they are a part of my world – and even if I care about them.
I came across a quote, from an unknown source, that I am going to keep with me for the next little while until these goals are second nature to me:
“Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher.”
Destroying myself with food is no longer an option I even choose to consider. Emotional eating is all about me abusing me so that I won’t say something another person won’t like hearing.
February 28, 2008 at 7:28 am
I was an emotional eater and here’s a little something I learnt from the Appetite Right people.
Regaining control of your eating behaviours
Although your strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take steps to control emotional eating and those cravings. To help reduce emotional eating, you can try these suggestions:
• Learn to recognise true appetite. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don’t have a rumbling stomach, you’re probably not really hungry. Try and monitor your appetite and give the cravings a few minutes to pass.
• Don’t let yourself get too hungry. If you’re not eating enough to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and aim for moderate fullness.
• Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of eating a chocolate bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read a book, or call a friend.
• Don’t keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-energy comfort foods in the house. Replace them with low GI options like whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the healthy options, you’re more likely to feel fuller, longer.
• Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it’s fit and well rested.
Remember, if you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that ensure better health.
Hope this helps!
February 28, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Thank you so much for sharing these very useful tips. I’m sure that I am not the only person who will benefit from reading these. I’m even hearing from my slender sisters that they, at times, eat for emotional reasons.
I’m guessing that they don’t stay stuck there like I do. They deal with what sent them into the emotional binge in the first place.
I will come back to these tips when I need to, so I will protect myself from emotional eating as much as I can. It is very likely that, while trying to turn this around, I will still fall back into this well-grooved rut. So, I will not beat up on myself. I will try to do as little damage to myself as possible while working on recognizing sooner, rather than later, what is happening and do something about the “people problem” that sent me to the food.
I expect for a while that I will keep turning to the food; but I will make every attempt for that to be healthy food while it is still happening. I also expect that my falls “into the food” will get farther and farther apart; and last for shorter and shorter periods of time.
April 23, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Thank you so much for this… I can relate to the entire post!
April 24, 2008 at 10:57 am
Thank you for leaving an affirming comment, chaze77. It is always encouraging to receive feedback. It’s easier to combat these human frailties when we know that we are not alone on the journey.
Drop by anytime and feel free to share.