emotional eating – Betsy Schow

Food is not a bandaid

This has been a tough week for me. The No Crap challenge has been tough to keep when there’s so much crap going on.
I’ve always been an emotional eater. When things are good I celebrate with a milkshake. When things are rotten, I devour a cake. It’s taken a conscious effort to break that cycle.
And I’m not going to lie. Sometimes that first bite still makes it to my mouth. And then I think, “Betsy what are you doing? Is this going to make you feel better? No. You will only feel worse because you let yourself down and you’ll regret it. So stop.”

Food is not a bandaid. It can not make the pain go away. I might cover it in chocolaty goodness for a second. But then the guilt will kick in and you’ll feel worse. If you really want to feel better, go for a run, or a walk, or a dance. Get those endorphins pumping and give your brain a pick-me-up.

Fighting Fido

When you eat, do you have dog-like tendencies? Here’s what I mean

Is this you?

Or maybe this one over the last buffalo wing?

Maybe this one hits home.. staring longingly and begging for a taste of the food you can’t have.

Yeah, I’m right there with you. I had this epiphany yesterday when I found myself giving my three year old puppy dog eyes, hoping she’d share just a bite of her cookie. She didn’t.

I need to better control my food behavior. I am not an animal, licking the plate clean or fighting for the last scrap of food. I’m in control. I decide what I will eat and what I won’t. And if I’ve budgeted correctly, then there is no need to feel guilty. But swiping those last few fries off the kids plate… adds up real quick.

So stop fighting with Fido over the leftovers. Make your choices wisely and let the dog get the crumbs under the table.

Exercise for the Soul: Emotional Eating

My big fat waistline was a physical representation of an emotional issue. They were so inextricably linked, that I couldn’t solve one without the other.

I was happy– I needed cake to celebrate. Rough day– Ben and Jerry’s had a flavor custom made for the heart ache.

I personally had to take a good hard look as to why I was fat, and it wasn’t just because of a love of food.

Take a deep hard look at your eating habits and figure out if a love of butter is making you hefty. Or is it more that the self esteem issues are keeping you from getting thin?