Combating "Stress Eating"

Before starting Optifast, I never looked closely enough at my eating behavior when I encountered highly stressful situations. What I did was eat -- desperately trying to manage my feelings and the whirlwind of negative thoughts with something very unhealthy, like a Big Mac from McDonald's or a box of rich chocolates or numerous bowls of cereal. Of course, this was just a temporary "fix" and the stress never went away. I wished it would, but it didn't. And I just ended up fatter.

I only began to wise up to this nasty stress eating creature when I was in the middle of my Optifast program. I had some extremely stressful months at work last Fall, as we prepared for a very large event we have every year in mid-November. I would come home at night, exhausted, and suddenly get hit with overwhelming cravings. I wanted to attack my husband's food. I wanted to creep out and stuff my face with as much fast food I could find, gobbling it up at top speed before I got home, so my husband wouldn't notice. I just wanted the stress to go away -- it was so uncomfortable and upsetting. It hurt. I hurt.

No, I did not break the fast that Fall, and no, when I encountered extreme work-related stress over the past few days, I did not stress eat either. How did I do it? I used the "Four Ds" our clinic emphasizes over and over again:

1. Delay -- the craving will pass.
2. Do something else. Take a walk, make the bed, clean the house, write a blog entry, whatever.
3. Drink extreme temperature non-calorie liquid (i.e. hot tea or iced tea/ice water).
4. Deep breath. In my case, I just squeeze my eyes shut and take long, deep breaths, listening to the air go in and out.

To maintain my weight (or to get to goal), the stress eating monster needs to be stopped dead in its tracks. Easier said than done, but we can do it if we put our minds to it and proactively take necessary steps. I can tell you in my case, implementing the "Four Ds" works -- very well. So does talking about it with my therapist, my husband and my Facebook Optifast Chat Support group. The forces rally when you need them most. It's a beautiful thing and I treasure it deeply.

Now that things have stabilized for me after a rough two days at work, I am so, so grateful that I did not go on some out of control binge. I handled the situation wisely and methodically. You can do this too, and feel the same sense of "relief" when the crisis passes. Most importantly, go easy on yourself. We are human. And remember we are strong and can overcome any obstacle thrown in our way. I am remembering to be patient, and nurture myself. That is helping me too.

Keep that Stress Monster in his cage, where he belongs. We've got tools to keep him incarcerated for a long, long time. Which is great. No parole for him. Serves him right! Have a great, stress-free day everyone. Thank God It's Friday. Bring on the weekend!