Had a bad day… Eat! Tired …. Eat! Bored…Eat! Sad…. Eat! Happy…. Eat! Screw life….. Eat!….
Find a reason... EAT!!!!! Yep that can and has been me and the more people i talk to, mostly women open up about this can to relate.
Why talk about this well simple cause this is something i have struggled with for a LONG time my passion for exercise v's my passion for eating. One would think in the past that the more exercise i do the more i can eat….. what a joke i was telling myself!
Lets go back to the beginning…. Where does the emotional eater stem from? Well for me it was something i would say over and over to myself "I am an emotional eater" When you repeat something to yourself over and over again you start to believe this. It was not until one day not so long ago (post USA trip) i addressed this with myself, probably after a nice big binge session. "Hannah honestly why did you do this and how do you feel" Answer was "Because i have allowed this and i actually feel like shit" next question… What did it achieve? Answer = Nothing but the start of that harsh circle of negativity spiralling through my head! How do i fix this? make the decision to 1) stop telling myself I'm an emotional eater and 2) channel this energy into something more constructive that will make me feel better.
After my trip to America in May/June 2013 i found myself starting to get back in that headspace above and that was then when i made a commitment to myself instead of eating when i was feeling emotional i would save that emotion for my training and put it into my workouts, i worked with Layne post trip with a mini cut to get my weight back down to a place i felt more comfortable this is where i too addressed my issue with picking a number on the scales that i wanted to reach, for years i had a number in my head that is my "happy weight"! I went into this mini cut just enjoying the process and not being tied down by thoughts of the decrease in food, or what the scales were saying! Not once did i feel like i was missing out, not once did i really care what the scales were saying and for once i accepted me for me, not what i was eating, not what i was weighing. I realised how much energy i had put into what when and how i was consuming food, what weight i was….. I was the only one that truly cared.
Once mini cut was done and i was feeling in a much better head space we started a reverse diet where we increased my intake for the past 7months.
(the above was written last thursday…. that night i let lose)
Why did this happen as always i allowed it and didn't address the usual questions of am i actually hungry or am i doing this to try satisfy an emotion?!?! The excuses i gave myself were * i am tired, *i am hormonal * i am unorganised * i am out of routine. EXCUSES. I am much better at letting go and moving on and that is what i have done.
I think it's really important to have a supportive network you can turn to i am blessed to work with an amazing coach and a wonderful team as well as very supportive and encouraging friends. And to know that there are others out there that feel alone and battle this tough moments and days.
Remember at the end of the day the choice is yours, stop and ask yourself those questions and really take the time to answer yourself honestly. Find a nutrition plan/coach that offers you support and options, don't restrict yourself, don't be so hard on yourself. We all human we all have good and bad days yet some people are afraid to admit it.
Your journey is your own, enjoy life and remember that everything in moderation is good for you :)
