I used to come home from a business trip late at night and immediately raid the kitchen for a snack - and rarely was it a healthy snack of vegetables. Oh no...chocolate and cookies for this girl! I wasn't hungry and knew in my mind I shouldn't be eating it, but I just couldn't stop myself. Well, thanks to my accountability group, I figured out what was going on and came up with a different routine. Reaching for the food was a way to celebrate being home to a familiar environment after being on the road for a few days. It was a way to calm the go-go-go mentality of business travel. Once I realized that, a new routine was born -- walk in the door, put my bags down, and go directly downstairs (do not enter the kitchen). Once there, light a candle, sit on the couch, and sit quietly for five minutes to unwind. Brilliant! No need for food to comfort me. The five minutes of "ahhhh!" was just what I needed.
So...why do you reach for unhealthy foods in oversized portions? What emotions are driving you? And...what are you going to do to instead? Feel free to post your comments...that's how we learn and hold one another accountable.
And, we have the best accountability group ever! Just look at these beautiful people.
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| Panoramic photo courtesy of Liz Scull. |
The Emotions of Food
I'm so excited -
Let's celebrate with cake!
The stress is too much -
A treat to distract from what's at stake!
I'm so happy with life -
Points right now don't seem real!
The news makes me sad -
Chocolate will help me forget how I feel!
All the emotions inside
with food I try to hide!
Or, perhaps celebrate
and later my choices I hate!
It doesn't have to be so -
I am confident and strong!
Routines, tracking, and spaces -
a new me won't take long!
1 comment:
For me I think it basically comes down to a few emotional factors.
Right now I struggle most with nights and weekends. After work I am mentally and emotionally drained and am often frustrated by commuting in the ATL rush hour. I am prone to mindlessly reach for food(s) to soothe myself. Food is my drug of choice. So I'll go with being tired and frustrated. During weekends I can succumb to eating out of boredom if I am not careful. Feeling tired, frustrated, bored are my big three emotional factors. Hmm.
I can see now how I can easily benefit from some better planning. I used to eat an apple on the way home from work and remember now how well that worked. I'm going to do that starting this Monday. Space=car/Routine=apple and I'm going to schedule some Sat/Sun activities to alleviate boredom.
THANKS for questions. Nobody gains weight on food for thought!
Be well.
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