Hey there Loseweight! Cara from the Strip that Fat community here.
Today I want to share this story from my friend Chelsea about her battle with emotional eating. I sat down with her the other day and got her to tell me her story about emotional eating in her own words. Here is her story and what she said...
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What is emotional eating? It is my nemesis. For as long as I can remember, I have had a misconstrued relationship with food.
As a child I was what you would call a "picky" eater, preferring sweets, chips and cheesy delights such as pasta and pizza over vegetables, meats or fruit. My parents both worked full-time to make ends meet, so my brother and I were often left to fend for ourselves as far as meals went, which meant we prepared what was easy...microwavable dinners and pre-packaged foods.
I was not the most popular girl at school either, and eating these sugary treats, salty snacks or gooey foods would make me feel comfortable and safe after being taunted and laughed at all day at school. This became a vicious cycle because as I continued to eat for comfort, I began to gain weight, and soon I was not only being made fun of for being geeky, I was also made fun of for being fat. I would then go home to my "reliable" friends of Cheezies, Snickers Bars and Pizza, only adding more fuel to my bullies fire.
I became known as "Chubby Chelsea," a nickname that stuck with me through High School. I felt humiliated, alone and afraid, yet I couldn't stop eating. I would sit down after a long, horrible day at school with a bag of chips, and before I knew it, I had devoured the entire bag, scraping the bottom to get the last broken bits.
As an young adult, I still struggled with emotional eating. If I had a bad day or was feeling lonely or sad, I would go straight for a bucket of ice cream or a burger and fries to console myself. I had also started living with a boyfriend (who was not right for me, but I was elated that he even liked me after growing up thinking I was "gross" and "unlovable") who was also a heavy eater, and I found myself eating much larger portions than usual because he was, too. After we broke up (he left me because he said he wasn't attracted to me anymore) I decided it was time to lose the weight and the baggage that went with it I had been carrying around all of those years.
Unfortunately, instead of joining a gym and a nutrition program to lose weight in a healthy, safe way, I decided to go it alone, and essentially starved myself. I would eat a handful of Skittles and drink a can of Coke, and then not let myself have anything else. I felt proud when I didn't indulge, but of course this left me, literally, starving! And so, the binging would begin. After days of eating so little, I would gorge myself until I felt I was going to burst. Obviously, I didn't lose the weight and I felt more horrible than ever.
Today, I still battle with emotional overeating, but I have learned a lot about it and have changed my lifestyle to avoid it.
I did some research (no, I was not alone out there, and neither are you!) and found that there are certain triggers for overeating. They can be:
The first step in overcoming emotional eating is to identify what triggers you to overeat...a great way to find out is to write a daily food journal. Write down what you ate and how you were feeling when you ate it. After a week, go over your journal and try to find similarities in your eating pattern...do you always eat 2 large pizza's and a bottle of pop after a hard day at work? Do you instantly inhale a tub of ice cream and a bag of chips every time you argue with your partner? Once you learn your triggers, you can avoid the situations that caused you to overeat or be aware when you may be tempted to overeat.
(If you are having any feelings of loneliness, depression or feeling of disgust with yourself and your body, you should seek professional help from a dietitian and/or psychologist.)
The next step is to start "making-over" your lifestyle. Getting a healthy exercise routine and diet plan will instantly help you on your recovery. You can find help online through a community based weight loss program that will be there to give you the tools, resources and support you need to successfully lose weight and stop overeating!
Other great lifestyle make-over tips are:
-------------------------------
There is help. Discover how you can stop emotionally eating with the Strip That Fat program! It is a community that I am actively involved with so if you do decide that this program may be right for you, I will always be there to give you a hand.
I hope you have a wonderful and healthy day!
Cara M.
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition
www.stripthatfat.com
Today I want to share this story from my friend Chelsea about her battle with emotional eating. I sat down with her the other day and got her to tell me her story about emotional eating in her own words. Here is her story and what she said...
------------------------
What is emotional eating? It is my nemesis. For as long as I can remember, I have had a misconstrued relationship with food.
As a child I was what you would call a "picky" eater, preferring sweets, chips and cheesy delights such as pasta and pizza over vegetables, meats or fruit. My parents both worked full-time to make ends meet, so my brother and I were often left to fend for ourselves as far as meals went, which meant we prepared what was easy...microwavable dinners and pre-packaged foods.
I was not the most popular girl at school either, and eating these sugary treats, salty snacks or gooey foods would make me feel comfortable and safe after being taunted and laughed at all day at school. This became a vicious cycle because as I continued to eat for comfort, I began to gain weight, and soon I was not only being made fun of for being geeky, I was also made fun of for being fat. I would then go home to my "reliable" friends of Cheezies, Snickers Bars and Pizza, only adding more fuel to my bullies fire.
I became known as "Chubby Chelsea," a nickname that stuck with me through High School. I felt humiliated, alone and afraid, yet I couldn't stop eating. I would sit down after a long, horrible day at school with a bag of chips, and before I knew it, I had devoured the entire bag, scraping the bottom to get the last broken bits.
As an young adult, I still struggled with emotional eating. If I had a bad day or was feeling lonely or sad, I would go straight for a bucket of ice cream or a burger and fries to console myself. I had also started living with a boyfriend (who was not right for me, but I was elated that he even liked me after growing up thinking I was "gross" and "unlovable") who was also a heavy eater, and I found myself eating much larger portions than usual because he was, too. After we broke up (he left me because he said he wasn't attracted to me anymore) I decided it was time to lose the weight and the baggage that went with it I had been carrying around all of those years.
Unfortunately, instead of joining a gym and a nutrition program to lose weight in a healthy, safe way, I decided to go it alone, and essentially starved myself. I would eat a handful of Skittles and drink a can of Coke, and then not let myself have anything else. I felt proud when I didn't indulge, but of course this left me, literally, starving! And so, the binging would begin. After days of eating so little, I would gorge myself until I felt I was going to burst. Obviously, I didn't lose the weight and I felt more horrible than ever.
Today, I still battle with emotional overeating, but I have learned a lot about it and have changed my lifestyle to avoid it.
I did some research (no, I was not alone out there, and neither are you!) and found that there are certain triggers for overeating. They can be:
- Stress
- Loneliness
- Depression
- Anger
- PMS
- Boredom
- Feeling Deprived
- Feeling Disgust with Yourself (your body)
- Feeling Overwhelmed
- Social Situations (living with someone else who overeats, for example)
- Poor self-esteem
- Lack of Energy
The first step in overcoming emotional eating is to identify what triggers you to overeat...a great way to find out is to write a daily food journal. Write down what you ate and how you were feeling when you ate it. After a week, go over your journal and try to find similarities in your eating pattern...do you always eat 2 large pizza's and a bottle of pop after a hard day at work? Do you instantly inhale a tub of ice cream and a bag of chips every time you argue with your partner? Once you learn your triggers, you can avoid the situations that caused you to overeat or be aware when you may be tempted to overeat.
(If you are having any feelings of loneliness, depression or feeling of disgust with yourself and your body, you should seek professional help from a dietitian and/or psychologist.)
The next step is to start "making-over" your lifestyle. Getting a healthy exercise routine and diet plan will instantly help you on your recovery. You can find help online through a community based weight loss program that will be there to give you the tools, resources and support you need to successfully lose weight and stop overeating!
Other great lifestyle make-over tips are:
- Clean out the fridge and re-stock it with only non-processed, natural foods
- Walk outside - getting fresh air will instantly give you a mood boost
- Take Time For Yourself - If you are anxious and stressed you will need to take time to relax. Make a bath, a walk, or just some meditation time a part of your daily routine.
- Start a Hobby - If you eat out of boredom, start a hobby! This is also a great place to meet new friends
-------------------------------
There is help. Discover how you can stop emotionally eating with the Strip That Fat program! It is a community that I am actively involved with so if you do decide that this program may be right for you, I will always be there to give you a hand.
I hope you have a wonderful and healthy day!
Cara M.
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition
www.stripthatfat.com
Strip That Fat
P.O Box 33007 310 Goldstream Ave.
Victoria
British Columbia V9B 6K3
Canada
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