I don't know all of the reasons that lead up to me being Captain Fatass of the SS Lardy, but one of them I am sure of is emotional eating. If I'm happy, I want to celebrate with a huge, decadent meal and when I'm sad I want to drown my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry's with half a can of RediWhip on top. You think I'm joking?
The past few months have been an emotional roller coaster for me and just because my mind says "Diet! Exercise! Health!" my heart says "Sad. Angry. Hurt. Depressed.Overwhelmed" - and I have to ask myself, does today count? Should I just throw my face into the nearest container of anything deep fried or covered in chocolate for comfort? Oooh, a bottle of something that has a proof and you have to be 21 to buy. Yeah, baby.
No, baby.
My first step into taking control over my body was to realize there aren't any days off. No days don't count. Every bite,sip, step, crunch and squat matter.Your body works for you. Don't let the employee become the boss.
My key to success over emotional eating was to not limit myself and make things out of bounds. If I am feeling low and think some chocolate would help, I know denying myself will make me want it even more. I've found those 100-Calorie packs of sweet stuff have been my savior in stressful times but they wouldn't have been if I'd been left alone with them. Have someone keep you accountable. Enjoy the treat and let it go. If you live alone or don't have a support or workout/fitness buddy, keep them in the car or even at a parent or friend's house. Make yourself work for the treat! Small candy bars or a small sundae work too. Yes, they are calories and yes, you need to work them off. Don't buy anything King Sized or Large. Seriously, people, why do we do that shit anyways? We ain't royalty or giants but we've made ourselves royally giant by doing so.
If you're going to have a drink, I've found that either Wine or Hard Liquors are the easiest on the diet and the most effective to get that buzz going enough without killing your entire day. SparkPeople.com has an excellent guide to diet-friendly alcohol consumption that I refer to here.
And before you take that stress relieving bite or drink -- try a workout. Even 10 minutes of yoga or intense cardio lift my spirits. Go run up and down your stairs or yard. Make sure you're in control so that your treat is yours - not the other way around.
My mantra today has been "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." - ain't that the truth.
I can't tell myself I can't have anything. If I take chocolate out of my diet completely, the moment I let myself have something, a whole snack size bag of snickers later, I regret it. One of my little tricks is that I keep a bag of Hershey Kisses in the freezer. I'm a sucker for needing to end any savory meal on a sweet note. When I am done eating, I grab a kiss and let it dissolve. Because it is frozen, it takes longer and almost tricks my body into thinking that Ive have a lot more.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a client of mine said she started drinking after she started dieting and what she does is vodka or gin and mixes in the sugar free Crystal Lite packets. She says they are delicious and its just like having your normal cocktail with the girls.