Combating emotional eating
Hi my name is Natalie and I'm an emotional eater ...
But how does one be an emotional eater when they are reforming their eating habits to nurture a corneal graft to create sight? No processed sugar ... no unhealthy fats ... no butter, no cupcakes from the cute cupcake shop, no donuts, no sugary chai lattes, no yummy hot chippies or fried chicken ....
That's something I had to learn quick smart!
It's amazing that when you have your heart and soul set on something that all of a sudden you have the will power and ability to take control of your eating. I'm not just dealing with the chance of sight here, a real person gave me the gift of their cornea and their family supported their gift, I can't sabotage this.
I've been on enough diets throughout my life to know what is good for me and what's not, to know how much protein and carbs I can eat in a day. I've even started a healthy foods cookbook for people with nut allergies, so I have the resources right at my finger tips ... I just had to put them into action.
I figured the most important thing to do was not to deprive myself of food as that would trigger a binge session, which would quickly be followed by a depression session, so I decided to do a food replacement. When I felt like sugar or a biscuit I'd make a herbal tea and savoured every mouthful. When I felt like a quick fix I'd have a few sips of water to see if that curbed the craving and if the craving was still there five minutes later then I'd have a handful of grapes.
I wrote out a diet plan where I had protein for each meal and snack, I knew it was important to have protein to keep me feeling full. I also incorporated green vegies into at least two meals, such as my breakie green smoothie or having broccoli and spinach with lunch or dinner. Yoghurt with berries, vegie sticks with hummus, seed mix and my cacao protein balls and biscuits served as my go-to snacks. I probably ate more than what I would if I was trying to lose weight, but this isn't about weight loss, it's about increasing my nutrient intake and supporting a healthy body.
Having my go-to foods really helped, and when I felt like I 'deserved' to emotional eat, I'd take a deep breath and think of my eye and how wonderful it would be to be able to see again. Sometimes I'd cry a little, this is so important to me, I'd think of all the things I could do again if I could see more, if I could wear glasses and not rely on those hard contacts all the time. I could have my life back, I could be a fabulous Health and Wellbeing Coach and help people to be able to get their life back as well. By the time I go through all of those thoughts I've forgotten about the food and I have a few sips of water.
Check out my recipes page for some tasty healthy recipe ideas.
I am at peace with what is. Miss Nat xoxo