I have been a stress eater most of my life… If that’s you, I feel your pain.
Food, had become my go-to; for years. It had to stop.
What can I do instead? Surely there is something better.
You feel the pressure of the day, the pressure of the conflict. The pressure of the world.
You eat! And, you feel better. You know why? Because it releases serotonin, the feel-good hormone. You actually do feel better. So, mission accomplished, right? Wrong!
If you are like me, you will start beating yourself up.
Why’d I do that? That was stupid! You’ll go on and on, berating yourself. Guilt, shame and who knows what else. So there, now you feel bad again.
Unfortunately, you still have the same pressure and now you blew your diet too.
What a dreadful and vicious cycle. It is a hard battle, like any addiction. I know, because I quit smoking after 27 years. When I was younger, I also craved alcohol; I chose not to drink because of the alcoholism that runs rampant in my family. So, addiction, I get it. Here’s the thing that makes it harder for food. Cigarettes, alcohol or any other drug you can just abstain. Just quit. Once you decide, you just don’t do it anymore. Don’t buy any more, stay away from places where people smoke or drink if possible. If you don’t want to it, don’t! Set your mind and keep it set.
Of course, food is a different story. We have to eat. We can’t stay away from food. We have to buy it; we have to be around it. We need it. There are no if ands or buts about it. But we need the right foods. Good food that serves us. Food that supports our health and wellbeing. Food that makes us healthy and strong. We all know that.
If you are a stress eater like many people, I have a suggestion for you. Please keep in mind that this will not stop stress eating. It will however, not cause the crazy amount of damage that a bag or Doritos, a pint of ice cream and a coke will do. So it is a great place to start; and you can start today.
Make a commitment to not eat processed food. Just start there. You can do that. You will feel better in no time. Once you stop eating garbage, junk food, you will stop craving it. It’s true. Here’s a valuable tip for setting yourself up for success. Get rid of chips, crackers and other junk food. Don’t even keep it in the house. It doesn’t serve you. Throw them out, or give them away. You don’t need them, and neither does your family. You can set a great example by making healthy choices for yourself. I keep veggies cut up in the fridge. I love the crunch. For sweet, I have sugar free Jell-O. I make it every other morning because I don’t care for the instant. But they make instant too, so no excuse. I love it; I eat it almost every night. They also make sugar-free Cool whip. Put a spoonful of that on top, delicious. I think it’s about 30 calories a bowlful. You can eat tons of veggies, and it’s good for you! Try them with salsa or make a lite dip from fat free Greek yogurt. Lots of bites, little calories or fat.
Admittedly, this doesn’t stop stress eating but it controls the damage caused by it. So just using these two little ideas, you can give you a jumpstart on the problem. I believe it will help get you going in the right direction; to the healthier version of you!