Wed Nov 30th
Emotional Eating! Let's talk about the Sad/Depressed Eating that we do to ourselves.
I think that after yesterdays topic we did cover a lot of this. And I believe Jen did a great job in detail on helping me/us understand a lot about emotional eating. (Jen...did I hit a Hot Button Topic for you?? LOL )
So today let's talk a little about why we eat when we are depressed and sad.
Why do we eat instead of doing something constructive or something to help us not be depressed? Doesn't it make more sense if we are sad/depressed that we wouldn't eat? I don't understand why when we feel bad we eat.
Let's face it, we find comfort in food. It makes us feel good!
But so do DRUGS!! DO we use food the same way some people use drugs or alcohol? Have you ever eaten so much you feel drunk? I have!
I want to share a little about my personal experiences and maybe you will find a little bit of you inside my own story.
When my brother died a couple of years ago it was obviously a very emotional time for me. Steve was the brother that was closest to me in age and was the one I really looked up to growing up. So when he suddenly passed away I remember one of the things I did was OVER EAT...A LOT!
I remember that all of a sudden mortality became real. And instead of really taking care of myself, I wasn't exercising and I was eating much more. So a few weeks later I went to the Dr. for a physical, and to get things checked out. What I found out was my cholesterol was high, my BP was higher than it had ever been and I was feeling very depressed. My Dr. recommended a few things to correct the high cholesterol and BP and he offered me a anti-depressant. I took his advice on the Cholesterol and BP but I turned down the anti-depressant. (I have my own opinion about those and won't mention it on here)
I got back to working out and started watching what I was eating again, started taking Fish Oil (lots of great benefits from taking fish oil) and shortly after I got back into a healthy routine again my mental attitude started changing as well.
Another side of this and a I throw this one into this category is when we get injured or hurt ourselves and all of a sudden we can't workout/exercise like we have in the past. This is where I have had most of my problems. When I am not able to exercise I GAIN WEIGHT!
Those who know me know that I have had numerous orthopedic surgeries (21). And when these things happen I can go from being in great shape, maintaining a healthy weight to ballooning almost overnight 30 to 40+ pounds. And as you can guess from the number of operations I've had, my weight has fluctuated a lot.
So, what can we do about these life changing events that effect our LIFESTYLE? How can we prevent/cope with these life events? What can we do to help maintain and stay on our Healthy Lifestyle path?
1.Talk with someone...friends, family, Dr., share what you are feeling, get it out, don't let it get bottled up inside you. Ask for help!
2.Reframing....Stealing this from Jen's post from yesterday. Please read Jen's post from yesterdays Blog, she has some excellent ideas and tips.
3.Be constructive Not destructive in your Lifestyle Habits!!!
Eat properly, continue to exercise in one form or another. When you find yourself eating for comfort...STOP! Do you really need this? NO, you don't!
4.Finding comfort in FOOD or Alcohol is NOT the answer.....Two of the worst things we can do to ourselves. Not sure which one is worse for you. Both can offer a warm feeling inside and make you forget about your problems for a while. But BOTH can also offer, useless and excessive calories, both can become addictive, and both things CAN NOT GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS TO YOUR PROBLEMS!!!
Remember we are not trying to just lose a few pounds here...We are trying to change our lives by making our lives better and by CHANGING OUR LIFESTYLES.
A Lifestyle change does not happen overnight, it takes time, trial and error, and a correction of bad habits. These things take time and we need to look for and ask for help when we have questions. And that's what I started this Blog for....to not only help myself but to have a place for us to share and help each other when we need it.
I hope you find some of this helpful, and if you have something to share please do, it just might help someone or help motivate someone to action.
Thanks again for reading this...Please share with someone you know that might find what we are doing here helpful.
Have a GREAT and Productive Day everyone!! See you tomorrow. :)
I don't really have any 'scientific' proof to back up anything here, but I believe my food addiction started out when I was very young. I was born to a single mother who was a drug addict herself (don't know if she used during her pregnancy with me). She already had a two year old to take care of and when she had me.....well, you can imagine what a good job she did.
ReplyDeleteMy parents tell me that when I was finally taken from her for good I had malnutrition and was hospitalized for a time. I spent part of my first year in a foster home and then at about 13mos was adopted by my parents. In my baby book it says my first words were "pie, pie!" (funny, but not my point!) I do remember sneaking food when I was young and have always sort of tried to 'hide' my binging. I AM an emotional eater. I eat when I am happy.
I think I may have established a stronger than normal urge to eat based on the lack of food/nourishment I received in the first months of my life??? I do not say this as an excuse. Just a possible explanation for some of my relationship with food.
I definitely eat when I am sad/depressed or anxious. I had a time in my life when I consumed a lot of alcohol to numb my hurts and now, since I don't do that (20 years ago) I think I have definitely made some foods my 'drug of choice.'
I am trying really hard to change this behavior. I believe that God is the only one who can change my heart. I know His desire is for me to take care of the 'temple' He has given me.
For me, taking moments of frustration or even boredom that usually cause me to run to food, I am trying to now spend some time talking to my Creator. After all, He knows me best. The good, bad and the ugly!:)
Thank you so much for sharing this....
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is you have become a wonderful mother, wife, grandaughter and great friend. I'm so glad you are working on changing your lifestyle and identifing your problems. I'm so happy you have shared your story and hopefully it helps you to tell it. Keep up the good work, and I will see you soon at the gym. :)
I thought about you this morning during my run, Leni. In your comment, you referred to your body as your "temple." This is great reference! You are spot on with this comment. Your body is your temple and no one is going to tend to its overall well being other than yourself. If we want to be healthy and happy, we must take care of our body, especially since it is the only one we will get. If you want to be unhealthy and unhappy, then by all means, please carry on with your current lifestyle. But I don't think that is why any of us are a part of this blog.
ReplyDeleteThis morning, I had a great run. I felt great during and after, but knew that I was a little tight from not stretching properly the day before. So this morning after my run, instead of doing my usual ab workout, I spent the last half of my workout stretching. I cannot tell you how good this felt and how wonderful I feel now. I plan on working my abs and calves after work to make up for it. But my point is that sometimes you just have to take time for yourself. If you don't, you will only hinder your progress and tear down your temple in the end.
Your story is heart wrenching, Leni, but you sound strong, which is great! You have a good handle on your past and seem to understand why it affects your current health situation. Food IS a drug, and one of the strongest. Like any other addict, recovery takes time and requires hard work. Keep up the good work, Leni, and thank you so much for sharing your story!