I’d have to say if I’d fully realized “then” that stuffing my face with food really didn’t provide any relief from whatever stresses I thought were bugging me, I might have done things differently. I used to eat (fatty / sugary / starchy foods) for lots of reasons, but stress was certainly one of the factors. I think it felt good as a substitute for really taking on the stressful factor: whatever that might be. For me, it was often work deadlines that always seemed to be coming up quicker than I planned on. So I’d be up late at night, working away on a project and stuffing my face much of the time. It really was a stress reliever or so I thought.

In hindsight though, eating under those conditions really did nothing to relieve the stress. Or if it did, it was short-term and psychological. The same deadlines were still in-place. Over time, the added weight did little for me except add more stress, albeit of a different type. It jeopardized my health and put my family at more risk of me having some weight-related medical issue. In the long-run, I now realize the behavior actually worked against me far more than any relief it may have provided.

Knowing that, I have changed my approach somewhat. I still eat under stress at times. However, I now choose to eat more mindfully. I tend to eat more or less ‘on-plan’ foods and low-calorie / point ones at that. I’ve also come to appreciate the value of making better choices and sticking to them. I feel like I know myself better and I like that I can navigate challenging deadlines while making choices that are consistent with my weight loss objectives. I’ve never been crazy about the term ‘win-win’, but in this case I think it’s appropriate.