How I Overcame Emotional Eating and Transformed My Body!!
I grew up in a family that absolutely loves food, especially desserts!!! My family celebrated all the time, and at every celebration came an abundance of food, people, laughter and love!! Because of this, food always brought me a sense of comfort. I never thought about food in regard to fueling my body, I viewed it as something you do when you are hungry or happy, sad, bored, whatever the feeling was, you ate!!
In 2012 my stress level with work, college courses and kids, along with my grief from losing my twins, caused my emotional eating to rear its ugly head. I ate mostly clean options at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I binged on disgusting amounts of candy (like bags of candy) or dozens of cookies in one sitting the remainder of the day, every day!!! I gained about 85 pounds in 3 years. I would lie about why I had to go to the store, hide wrappers in the garbage, and hide the remainder of what I baked. I was so ashamed of my eating habits, but I could not break out of the cycle (binge, feel ashamed, binge because I felt ashamed, repeat).
In 2018 I decided it was time to make a change after being completely embarrassed about how I looked and feeling my absolute worst. My cousin had also just been diagnosed with cancer and I wanted to be as healthy as I could for my kids. I learned as much as I could about clean eating and incorporated this into my everyday life.
However, to stop emotional eating, it’s more about changing your mind set than your eating habits. You have to make a shift in your thinking before you can exercise clean eating effectively.
Food is Fuel for Your Body:
You need to shift your thinking to view food as fuel for your body. When you make this shift, you can apply the principles of clean eating…eat appropriate food, in the right amount, at the right time.
Replace Old Habits with New Healthier Habits:
Instead of thinking you should eliminate old habits, practice replacing them with new, healthier habits. For example, when you are feeling overwhelmed…journal, mad…work out, sad…listen to upbeat music, bored…spend time on a hobby.
Support:
Identifying your triggers is the key to a successful end of emotional eating. Once you identify your triggers you can create a plan to eliminate or manage them. Therapy is a very beneficial tool that can aide you in this process. Also, choose an accountability partner who is able to support you through this complex journey. Someone to keep you in check with your goals and boost your motivation on the days you are struggling.
The following are online courses that I offer and will help you reach your wellness and nutrition goals!!!
Weight Loss: Essentials For Success (Online Course)
Nutrition For Weight Loss and Overall Health & Wellness (Online Course)
