Monday, August 9, 2010

What does emotional eating feel like?

I was thinking about this the other day.  When I am eating out of emotion, rather than to fuel my body or to enjoy the taste of my food, I eat fast, and I eat a lot.  It is literally like stuffing the empty spaces of my heart with food, so I don't have to feel the hurt any more. 

I wash down anger with chocolate.  (Incidentally, that sets you up for allergies... but that's another post.)  I wash down heartache with ice cream.  And I see a lot of us, especially women, doing the same thing. 

Or boredom.  Sometimes eating is just something to do.  Read a book, and eat eat eat. 

There are other ways to deal with low emotion.  No, I'm not going to recommend carrots as a comfort food.  Go out and take a walk around the block.  Go for a drive.  Talk to yourself in the mirror.  Go to sleep!  Anything but shovel the food in. 

Avoid the TV.  TV is an eating trigger for a lot of people. 

Make a commitment to yourself that the food you eat is going to be fantastic.  If you're going to spend the calories, oughtn't it be the best?  Learn to cook, and cook well.  My diet runs to grilled meats and salads, but the right rub makes all the difference in the meat. 

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