Monday, January 9, 2012

Don't eat your feelings


Well it's easier said than done.
As I type this, my husband is in surgery, and I am sitting here waiting for the call to say he's in recovery.  The girls and I went shopping to pass the time while we wait, and that was a bad idea.

#1 I had McDonalds for Lunch
#2 I have blown my New Years resolution, and had fizzy drink.
#3 I have just sat down with a box of chocolates.

Why does stress cause me to eat bad things? Is it that the worry and stress is occupying the brain so it doesn't make wise decisions?  or is it the chemical release I get from certain 'BAD' foods that calm me down?  Or is it because I just don't care about anything else while I am worried about someone I care about?

I think that humans have been training themselves to emotionally eat for decades.  What happened when you were a kid and went to the Doctor for your shots? It hurt, you cried, they gave you a lolly and told you it would make you feel better!  And it did. 
I can attribute my two biggest weight gains in history to my two biggest traumas in life.
Our brains have been trained to believe that sweet or fatty foods will numb the pain, and to a certain extent it does, but it doesn't last long, and then not only does the original pain return, but it's accompanied by the guilt of the binge. I will be looking to learn new techniques to prevent this happening again.
Well I am still waiting on the call, and hoping that typing will stop me eating everything in the house.


***UPDATE***


He's okay! He was delayed going in, it was a more complicated procedure than previously thought so took longer (It was complete knee reconstruction before, not sure how that gets more complex).
Still not out of the woods, (due to other health complications) but we can definitely see the road to recovery.


Here is my lesson for today.


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