Weekly Meeting Topic: Managing Feelings without Eating

Tonight we talked about something I think everyone with a weight problem can relate to - eating because of emotions instead of hunger. Somewhere long ago, in all of our lives, we learned to use food to make us feel good. And when we are upset, sad, stressed, etc, food is often what we turn to because it's the quickest way to feel good when we are trying to avoid those feelings.

Of course we all also know from experience that the good feeling is very temporary, and is usually followed by feeling even worse - because not only will food not solve the initial problem, but it will add a new problem: ingesting food/calories we do not need, and then feeling bad about that too.

Sound familiar? I would be surprised if it didn't.

The fact is that in the long run, food is not going to help in these situations. I know we all realize that when we're not *in* the moment. Being in the moment makes it much harder for that logic to work. That's why it helps to think it through now, when you're not in the moment and can be logical and objective, and to come up with a plan. That way, the next time you identify that you are eating out of emotion, you are prepared.

We discussed some strategies for handling emotional eating. But before you can come up with plans to change your behavior, you should identify when it happens. First, think about when you've eaten out of emotion. Which emotions or situations cause you to eat? (for me, it's stress, frustration and sadness). Then question why you turn to a particular food (I turn to sweets), how it 'helps' (it's soothing and comforting), and what other non-food thing you can turn to in order to get that same sense of relief or satisfaction next time that feeling or situation arises (I like to play with my cat when I'm home, or go for a walk when I'm at work).

Lastly, remind yourself:

• If you eat, you may feel good for that brief moment; but you will feel worse later.
• To allow yourself to feel the feeling.
• Food is not going to help, and will likely create a new problem.
• Whatever you are feeling is only temporary.
• You are stronger than you think.

Feel the feelings. Don't feed them! :)

And last week I mentioned I wanted to answer the followig questions in my weekly blog post, so here goes:

What did I accomplish this week?

• My goal was to track at least 5 days, and I did just that! 5 days of tracking! Including one day when I consumed 51 points (yikes). Although I exceeded my weekly points because of it, this was a huge victory for me because previously, when I knew I was over in points, I did not track. I'm proud of myself for being accountable and recording the food. It wasn't as scary as I expected, and it felt great!
  
• A bad habit that I let myself develop recently is that when I go to Whole Foods or Target during lunch time, I buy a dark chocolate bar that's 15 points and I eat the entire thing on my walk back. The whole thing! 15 points! I only get 20 per day! This week when I went to Whole Foods, I wrestled with myself over buying that chocolate bar. Not only did I not buy it but I instead treated myself to a seltzer with lime. Zero guilt and zero points for the same price on the walk back to the office.
• I went back to face the Total Body Conditioning class that kicked my ass the week before. I made it through the class without being on the verge of tears, and I got a great workout!
• I signed up for a 5K in my neighborhood next Sunday. I'm sure I will walk the majority of it (quickly, of course) but want to do my little bit of running spurts I've been practicing on the treadmill.
• I bought a large bag of almonds and made my own 2 point baggies with it! This was an accomplishment because I've bought the big bag many times with the intention of making portion controlled baggies, but I never do. I just eat the whole bag without counting it.

What do I want to work towards next week?

• I will track at least 5 days again
• I will use my new heart rate monitor for my workouts and keep track of my stats

I can totally do that. Have a great week, everyone.