Don't Eat Your Feelings

My food choices for today were healthy for breakfast and lunch. So far, so good. But then I received a phone call from my daughter who was smelling smoke coming from her engine. Stress is starting to set in. The other daughter needed emergency gas money and found out that she submitted all of her work for last semester's history class to an incorrect email address. Pretty stressed by now.

Zipped home to figure out to make for dinner but before I could get to the family I had to get back in the car to run out for cat food since she hadn't eaten all day. Exercise was supposed to be on the agenda after work but by the time I cleared dirty dishes to get to the stove I was in no mood to do any more than I had to. My husband had grilled some chicken, as he often does on his backyard smoker. I ate while cleaning and catching up laundry, simultaneously helping everyone get the WI-fi restarted so homework could print. On the bright side I was burning calories because I ate dinner standing up.

Some days are easier, some harder. But I do know that food for me has always been an emotional thing. I love food. In fact, I'm fairly certain that if I never eat cheese again I'll cease to exist. Be prepared and instead of wondering IF you're going to be surprised by extra stresses in your life, plan on them. Not only will you have pushes and pulls that tell your brain to find the nearest Taco Bell, you will also find the wrong foods everywhere you turn. Know that they will be there, and have a plan for how to react to them. One thing that usually works for me is to tell myself that I can eat it tomorrow if I'm still craving it. I've never found that I have the same craving two days in a row so that does the trick. Cravings are usually for a food that I didn't know I wanted until I saw it.