Food: Pleasure, Rewards, and Emotional Eating

Pleasure/Rewards:
For as long as I can remember, eating had been a pleasure and a reward. Treats happened often, with no regard to the calories they contained. Whether it was sneaking Oreos or Mountain Dew growing up or stopping for a fancy coffee on the way to work and at Dairy Queen on the way home from work, this is something I had been used to doing for a long time. Habits do not build themselves over night. I've heard that it takes 21 days to build a habit, though this one was many years in the making.

Food can still be seen as a pleasure, and I never want that to end... but moderation is the key. Why shove 6 Reese's peanut butter eggs in my mouth and then suffer hours of heartburn? For 1,020 calories worth of crap? After changing my eating habits drastically 2 months ago and letting my tastebuds "reset", I now find pleasure in a 1/2 cup of raspberries and a 60% dark chocolate Ghirardelli square. That's a total of 85 calories. Or heaven forbid I should REALLY want that Reese's PB egg? Then I have one. I won't deprive myself from what I want, because that makes me resent healthful eating and sends me down a road where I establish a short-term diet that has an end as opposed to a lifestyle change.

I have had to switch my brain to think of food as energy. That's what calories are... energy. If I need a reward, I should go for a beautiful nature walk, see a movie, or do something that will not involve eating a bag of chips or hurt my body. All of these years of abuse have really harmed my body (and at times, my mind), though it's not too late to make amends.

Emotional Eating:
If you want to see what a "victim" of EE (emotional eating) looks like... I could have been the POSTER CHILD! And damn, it is frustrating when you are depressed and sobbing because you think you are a fat pile of nothing... and so you eat a bag of Cheetos... and you continue being fat and continue feeling like nothing. It's a vicious cycle that will consume you if you don't break it. The first thing to realize is that it is YOU who is responsible. YOU are the person who puts food in your mouth. YOU are the person who doesn't love yourself enough to stop. YOU are the person who is letting others take advantage of you. And... YOU are the person who CAN HAVE THE CONTROL TO STOP THE CYCLE! Here are the ways I have found to stop my evil EE cycle:

1. Take ownership. Say "It's on me. Nobody else is responsible for the eating."
2. Find a way to deal with the baggage you are carrying around. Does your partner treat you like crap (and why do you let them)? Does your job stress you out too much (maybe time to start saying "no")? Do you have depression you need to deal with? Trust me--we all have our problems. You aren't alone. But if you refuse to deal with the problems, you will continue to be emotionally dysfunctional and maybe even self-hating. Trust me -- you are worth everything in this world. Sometimes you may feel like you don't matter to anyone. Love starts within, so grab life by the kahunas and begin living it!!!
3. Find amazing, inspirational, honest people to talk to. Find people to chat with who have overcome their EE issues and who will call you on your BS and excuses. Don't call up the friend who has the same problem as you because you will both end up eating cake before that call is over.
4. Find a different route to/from work. I used to drive by at least 20 drive-thru restaurants and a Walmart on my way to and from work. It was really easy to pull over and get something. By changing your route so you don't drive by those places, you'll be less likely to go there.
5. Don't keep junk in the house. If it's there, you'll eat it. If you are like the old me -- depressed and lethargic, you won't bother leaving the house in the evening to go find something naughty. You'll sit there and mope for a few minutes and then the craving will move on.
6. Find a hobby. Keeping your hands and mind busy will prevent you from snacking or eating unnecessarily. Try knitting/crocheting or playing a musical instrument... journal... blog ;-) ... Whatever! Find something to do. If you tend to be depressed, find a nature trail to walk or a public place where you can see people and hear for a little while... less time alone to brood.
7. Track your intake. Whether you use a cool site (like loseit.com or sparkpeople.com or myfitnesspal.com) or a pen and paper, the first way to be honest with yourself is to write down what you eat. If you don't want to track calories at first, fine (although it is an eye opener). But so many times I had forgotten about that huge calorie-filled drink I had in the morning or that cupcake or two I snagged at the office before I stopped at a fast food chain on the way home.

And one final word... if this is your battle, your struggle, talk to me about it. Whether you post a comment or find me on Lose It, I am an honest, open book about this because it has been a long struggle!! 

YOU are not alone. YOU can make the change.