Do you tend to overindulge in fatty, high sugar foods?
When you feel stressed, bored or lonely, do you reach for food to help?
I know how you feel…
I‘ve done a lot of personal work to overcome my own emotional eating habits.
But years ago I was dependent on food to feel better – to fill an emptiness inside.
“Surely the lemon tart or the chips or donuts or chocolate will fill that gaping hole. And then I’ll feel better, right?”
How wrong I was…
After a few years, I started to become aware that this was a habit. So, I would try to resist the urge to eat something to make me feel better. I would start off with trying to eat something healthy, for example, carrot with hummus. But I would still feel horrible so I thought I would have some toast with vegemite but it still wouldn’t hit the spot.
And before I knew it I was reaching for the last Tim Tam in the packet and polishing off the rest of the Cadbury’s block. Then of course, feeling way worse than before!
As a result of this mindless, emotional eating all I was left with was an extra 10kg of fat on my arse with a healthy side order of guilt and self-loathing!
Know the feeling? Then read on….
It took me a long time to realise it’s never about the food you’re craving, but about the feeling the food helps you avoid.
Indulging suppresses the feeling(s), but only temporarily. It will come back and stronger than ever.
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you finish indulging, the original feeling of stress, anxiety, upset or loneliness is replaced by guilt and shame? You end up feeling worse than before you ate!
We eat to numb ourselves from our hard truths. But the good news is… the hard truths will lead us to growth.
So, before you dig into that tub of ice-cream, I want you to ask yourself –
1. Where is the feeling coming from? Am I really hungry?
2. What’s really bothering me?
3. And what could I do instead?
You’ve been giving your power willingly but maybe unknowingly to food for too long. If so, it’s time to take back your personal power and regain control over your choices.
Don’t let food have power over you any longer!
This is a good first step to take back control of your own feelings.
Remember, YOU have the power to steer your own course in life.