emotional eating and self-sabbotage

Hey! Ya made it through the night and you're still here... checking in on MFP... woot! We all do the self pitty-self sabbotage-self loathe thing once in a while. You had your turn on the pitty cycle. Now it's time to get back to work. My favorite way to break the cycle is a good old fashioned tantrum. Do you have a treadmill or a safe trail near your home? Put on the meanest music you can find and run like hell. If you can scream and punch and kick a training bag without scaring people around you, that will work too. Everything looks better after a good adrenaline-pumping tantrum... but they might put you in the nut house if you don't make it look like exercise. :noway:

An aggressive exercise tantrum has definitely been a good thing for me... and probably the kids... and maybe even the dog. It releases the pressure that was making me so anxious, gives me a dramatic way to express my intense feelings, frustrations or disappointments, and gives me a way to counteract my sick "non-coping" binge habit. Sometimes you just gotta throw your head back and really wail!

My dad's favorite words for everything good, bad or ugly is: "It won't last." Just remember that nothing stays the same. Times will always get worse or better and all you can do is make your time count for better. Break the cycle! A Donut bender won't fix it and it won't even make you feel better. I guarantee you, an aggressive exercise tantrum will make a change for the better. The situation may not change for the better, but you will. It's empowering. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

I'm definitely an emotional eater too. Jillian Michael's actually sent this out today so I though I'd share....

How To Turn A Problem Into An Opportunity
By Jillian Michaels


Sure, it’s tough to pinpoint the root of your problems. However, if you've been examining your emotional eating habits, you should be seeing some behavioral shifts. Are you checking to see if you're actually hungry versus just looking to feed your emotions? Do you have go-to non-food outlets to help you express your emotions? Whether it’s grabbing your journal and getting your feelings out on paper or getting together with a friend for a hike or manicure and some feel-good bonding, you CAN make sure you get on (and stay on!) a healthy path.

There's one final aspect of emotional eating you need to address — what to do when you can't resolve an issue or a situation at the exact moment when it is triggering you to behave self-destructively. Certain obstacles can sometimes seem insurmountable, and the next time you encounter one, I want you to ask yourself the following question:
How can I turn this problem into an opportunity?
Instead of allowing this event or emotion to cause permanent damage to your self-esteem, try looking at it in a different light. If you've recently gone through a breakup, for example, realize that the end of one relationship simply means that you are free to find someone better for you. Allow yourself to feel sad, but try to stay positive and find meaning in the pain rather than numbing it with food and indulging in other destructive habits. You will grow from it in amazing ways, I promise.