Lions and tigers and bears … oh my!
Denial and fear and futility … oh my! (It’s most effective when you say it like “lions and tigers and bears … oh my!” from “The Wizard of Oz”).
Emotional eating can leave you feeling like you’re nervously walking through an eerie forest, anxiously clinging to your coping mechanism, all the while terrified of what lies ahead.
Emotional eating is scary because it feels so out of control.
You know it doesn’t resolve the underlying situation, but you feel incapable of confronting that so you just put your head down and hold on for dear life.
In Tuesday’s blog, “Emotional Eating: Cinnabon or Bust” I shared one of the conversations that used to play out in my head when I walked through the mall food court and was assaulted by the wonderland of culinary indulgences found there. I gave in to those indulgences over and over again because I had no hope that resisting was possible or that doing so would make any dent in my weight problem. I had tried so many times before and failed.
In Thursday’s blog, “The Clarion Call: Hope” I revealed how I finally seized control and have never let go.
In seizing control, I found hope.
I now know that my future is mine to determine so long as I am willing to do the hard work that I must do every day – that is, make good food and exercise choices, find healthy outlets for my emotions, and seek support when I need it.
It requires self-awareness and diligence, but in the end I am so much happier … and healthier!
In this week’s video, “Cinnabon and the Emotional Eating Food Court” I explained why hopelessness and futility undermined my attempts at weight loss for years. When I was confronted with enticing foods I would cave regularly because I figured, “why not have the Cinnabon?!? It’s not like if I don’t eat it I’m gonna wake up and be thin tomorrow!” You may have felt that sense of resignation.
But I found a reason not to cave.
In the end I learned that what I eat matters because – though it sometimes sounds trite – I matter.
You do too.
– Marilyn