"Dieting Sucks" - Live Diet Free

What do you think? Do you stuff your emotions with food?

Whether tired, angry, overwhelmed, sad, or depressed, are you reaching for the refrigerator?

It recently came as quite a surprise to me that after a very emotional day, I did not turn to food for comfort. I was emotionally upset, drained, and angry. As a kid, I felt that way most of the time and always ran to food to alleviate those “empty” feelings. The result? I was fat and even more unhappy, ridiculed, and left out.

I highlight much of my personal journey in my upcoming book, Dieting Sucks…, where I dive into how I broke free from emotional eating, balanced my body, and finally found a way to maintain my ideal weight—without feeling deprived.

Recently, due to an emotional incident with my father, I was brought right back to those feelings from childhood. Amazing how, at sixty-six, I can still immediately react like a five-year-old.

But this time, I didn’t turn to food to fill those places of abandonment, fear, and shame. I still felt all those emotions. However, I didn’t run to open the refrigerator or rummage through the pantry.

After balancing my stress hormones and learning what foods work best for me, I have maintained my ideal weight for almost four years. This includes all-inclusive vacations, dinners out, and everyday life and work stresses.

Why the Change?

If you find yourself reaching for fast food, sweets, or salty snacks when emotions hit, here’s a simple but effective tip: Don’t keep them in the house. If you live with others who insist on having chips, cookies, or ice cream around, keep them out of sight. Make it as hard as possible to grab them in a moment of stress.

Instead, have something healthy on hand that you can reach for immediately. It may sound nutty, but often it’s the motion of grabbing something from the fridge or pantry that we do reflexively. Make that action work for you, not against you.

Try keeping these in your kitchen:

• Steamed veggies ready to go in the fridge
• Washed strawberries or blueberries
• Oranges and apples
• Low-sugar yogurt – look for no more than 9 grams of added sugar
• Walnuts – I find it difficult to eat more than a handful of walnuts (unlike pecans, cashews, and almonds)

I could tell you to count to ten, meditate for five minutes, go for a walk, or watch a cartoon you like—these are all great ways to shift your mood. But when you’re in that moment, reaching for food, the first step is simply having better options within reach.

As you become more and more aware of your patterns, you’ll be able to step back, pause, and NOT stuff your feelings.

What About You?

Have you struggled with emotional eating? What strategies have helped you break the cycle? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

DISCLAIMERS: The Client understands that the role of Debbie Harris and the Maynestreet program is solely for weight loss, not to prescribe or assess specific meal plans; provide healthcare, medical, or nutrition therapy services; or diagnose, treat, or cure any disease, condition, or other physical or mental ailment of the human body.