Mindless Eating (12)

Dear Friend,

Why did I just eat that?

I work out four to five times a week. I work hard in the gym. If you could see me after my work out you would say, "Wow, you had a great workout!". I'm usually soaked. My time in the gym isn't the problem, friend. I've been stuck on a weight plateau for almost a year because of what I stuff in my face outside of the gym.

My nutritional intake has improved by leaps and bounds compared to two years ago but I still fall flat on my face every once in awhile. My biggest hurdles are my old habits. As you know, friend, old habits die hard!

I make bad food choices without even thinking about it. This is my downfall, mindless eating. I eat something before my brain says, "wait! danger! bad choice!". Sometimes I feel like my brain is doing it on purpose... My brain is a saboteur.  My brain, let's call her Patricia (for no other reason then the fact that it's three syllables and fun to say when I'm annoyed), is addicted to sugar. Patricia is a sugar zombie!!

Quitting sugar, even cutting back on sugar, is challenging. Did you know, friend, that glucose, a form of sugar, is the primary source of energy for every cell in the body? The brain is the most energy demanding organ in our body. It uses one half of all the sugar energy we consume. Now, of course, there are different kinds of sugar and not all sugar is bad. Here is a fun video to explain this further. How sugar affects the brain

I don't know about you, friend, but I tend to crave sugar when I'm stressed. It's not a conscious decision. I'm usually running around on auto-pilot when it happens. My body is flooded with the stress hormone Cortisol so my primal brain says feed me I need calories in case we need to run from danger! I'll be navigating through my day feeling overwhelmed with my to do list and various problems of the world when suddenly there is an iced venti vanilla chai in one hand and chocolate dipped Madeleine cookies in the other. What the heck, Patricia?!

It's an old habit.

So how do we break free of old habits? How do we stop mindless eating? The reason you formed your old habits in the first place was because they filled a need at the time. Then the habit became second nature or mindless. To change a habit you have to bring the action back into the realm of consciousness and regain the ability to make choices. You have to stop being a zombie.

I struggle with my nutrition because I have been a zombie for years. I can admit that now that I am aware of it. I never had a great relationship with food. The things I used to eat had very little nutritional value and were mostly processed. My groceries came from the middle of the grocery store. Now, I shop around the edges of the store. I start in the produce section, then meat, then eggs and almond milk, then cashier and exit before Patricia realizes I forgot to buy ice cream and frozen pizza. I cook my meals at home now instead of ordering Chinese food take out. Friend, I used to hate cooking. Now, I look forward to it because the food I eat helps me to feel better - but I am not perfect.

The mindless eating episodes don't happen to me as often as they used to but today was one of those days. A glorious tray of Christmas cookies appeared in the break room at work. Before I knew it Patricia had eaten four of them. My stomach hurt and I was devastated that I had let myself down after a week of clean eating. I sat at my desk with my head in my hands as I fell into another old habit of beating myself up.

Once I realized what I was doing I made the conscious decision to stop. I took a few deep breathes and said to my brain, "Patricia, I forgive you for being a sugar zombie. I love how clever and resourceful you are but we have to start working together if we're ever going to reach our goals. Trust me, it will be worth it." It was a good talk and I feel like Patricia was listening but only time will tell. A health and wellness journey consists of a lot of baby steps. All babies stumble in the beginning so forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Be proud of how far you have come and remember that to err is human. Get back up, dust yourself off and begin again.

Friend, do you have old habits that are having a negative affect on your health and wellness? What need do you think those habits are filling? What is the root cause that needs to be healed? Is it an emotional or mental hurdle? Don't let your brain turn you in to a zombie. Live out loud and mindfully.

XO, Robin

p.s. if you want to learn more about health and wellness please like my Facebook page Oh my Quad!