Am I an Emotional Eater?

Aaaaaaabsolutely. I've met very few who would deny being such - and they're probably lying. Being human and having emotions go hand in hand. Its nothing to be ashamed of. It IS however something you have to recognize and deal with. Most people "fall off the eating healthy wagon" when stressful times come up. We eat "comfort foods" whatever those may be to you (typically loaded with grease, sugar, preservatives and long ingredient lists we can't pronounce half of) and we eat way too much of them. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but stressful times will always come up. For some of us, daily. If they de-rail you every time, then you HAVE to find another way to deal with it. You just have to. Eating until it "goes away" is just not going to work anymore. (ask yourself, has it ever worked?)

I've had a rough day today. In fact its been a rough and stressful couple of months. I birthed a child, I have a 2 year old, we moved out of state, my husband started a new job, I have a 2 year old, I quit most of my job(s) and am re-directing my career due to the move, I have a 2 year old, we are trying to purchase a home and are currently living out of boxes and off of dixie and oh yeah... I have a 2 year old. To name a few. Its only by the grace of God I'm not the size of a house. Its in these times more than any other to be consistent. Turning stressful times into an eating frenzy will only make it worse - always. Now not only do you have the stress - but you have the guilt of eating enough to feed a third-world country. Take these times to maintain control in the area of nutrition - if you never journal - journal during these times. Go to bed early, you will be glad you got the extra sleep. Bingeing on rice cakes is not gonna cut it either. If you can't find a way to deal with the stress, at least pick something you enjoy - good grief - make it good. For me, I choose different things to help, but most of the time I've learned what works best is simply turning off the TV and going to bed. I do admit, I'm not 100% successful. But every difficult day that doesn't end in a binge, puts you that much closer to your goal. And if you can learn ways to deal with these stressful times in your life without eating (again, MOST of the time), your that much closer to making this a LIFE change that will stick.

Its NOT a diet. Tomorrow's a new day with a fresh set of calories. Make them count!