How To Lose WeightWelcome back to another week of Thinking Thin Thursday.  It’s been no secret on my blog about how much I’ve struggled with my fluctuating weight and relationship with food over the years.

If this is your first time here, Thinking Thin is a weekly therapy post where I can explore what helps me to stay in control of my diet and learn more about my relationship with food.

I cannot stress enough to you all how much of an impact giving up caffeine has had on the progress I’ve made.  If cravings are something that keep derailing you on your weight loss journey, removing caffeine from your diet should make a difference.

Stimulants Were Masking Issues

Now that I’ve learned how sensitive I am to stimulants like caffeine and sugar, it’s allowed me to understand other aspects of my relationship with food better.  Having so many stimulants in my diet was masking some of the emotional issues about why I eat.  I know I’m a comfort or emotional eater, but I really need to understand more about the triggers to help me gain control of these aspects of my eating.

Becoming More Aware Of My Emotional Eating

The other day, my husband and I became a little frustrated with one another as couples often do in a relationship.  My mood wasn’t great so the first thing I did was reached for the toast the kids had left on their plates.  Then I ventured into the kitchen and cracked open a bag of pistachios.

As binges go, it could have been a lot worse.  I still didn’t reach for the sweet treats I’m used  too, so that in itself is definitely a win.  I think this is the main reason it didn’t all spiral out of control.  I find sugar so dangerously moreish and very addictive.

What I did realise about the incident was that because I was feeling low in myself, probably verging on unloved, the first thing I did to comfort myself was reach for some food.  Now, of course my husband loves me, that isn’t in question.  But incidents like this press buttons for me that go right back to my childhood.

Using Food To Fill Emotional Gaps

Food has filled many emotional gaps for me over the years, and the biggest has to be providing some comfort for the difficult relationship I had with my mother.  She always withheld affection from me because I reminded her of my absent father.  It wasn’t something I noticed until she pointed it out to me, but she was very distant when it came to physical affection.

To fill the gap my mother left I ate, and when those feelings arise in myself from childhood, I do the same thing again.  It’s a safe form of comfort for my inner child, food cannot hurt her or let her down I guess.

Food IS hurting me though, and my body is suffering as a result of the excess weight I’m carrying.  My family suffer to when I can’t be as fit and active as I’d like to be.  I think it’s time to have a comforting word with my inner child and tell her all is OK.  She is loved and she has an amazing family around her.  She does not need food to fill these gaps anymore.

I think this is going to take a bit of work, and it might even be a battle I always face but recognising these feelings is a start.  When I feel my inner child reach for food to make her feel better, I can assure her everything is OK.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. I too am a huge emotional eater and have struggled with it for years. Wish I could just somehow break the cycle! x

  2. I was nodding along to this, I can honestly say that I too am an emotional eater – I eat because it’s been a bad day and I ‘need’ it to cheer me up or to celebrate because it’s been a great day….
    I think it’s great that you are highlighting that weight loss (that comes off and stays off) isn’t simple a case of eat less and move a bit more – though we all know that helps. In order to make changes that are going to stick we need to think about why we are doing certain things so that we can work out the best way to challenge and change them.
    I feel like I am on this journey with you Zena, with you showing me the way forward and giving me lots to think about.
    Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.

  3. Oh hun 🙁 *hugs* I totally get what you mean, I’m an emotional eater too. I sometimes feel as if I have got it under control but then it all goes to pot again

  4. I like reading your posts! I should try and do this more as my healthy eating plan has kind of gone blotto this week, I need to get back on track! I find my feelings do affect what i want to eat and this is an area of my life I need to work on!

    Angela x

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