What I Ate Wednesday is a visual food journal of healthy eats of a day in my life as Sugar-Free Mom.
Some days are just easier than others when it comes to eating healthy and balanced. So many factors play a role in my emotions and those very emotions tend to play a role in my eating. Although I'd like to say after all these years after losing weight and being sugar-free (9 years)and keeping it off my emotions don't EVER play a role in what I eat, I'd be lying to you. Truth is, they do and more often than I care to admit. I think I may always be an emotional eater who turns to food for comfort, to avoid dealing with a situation or uncomfortable discussion or confrontation. Never ever does it make my FEEL better after I've indulged or overeaten on anything in particular. It's always just a few moments of avoidance and numbing that is provided.
No one has it all together, not even a healthy food blogger who knows how to eat well, avoids all processed packaged snacks, makes her own healthy foods, avoids refined flours and sugars, etc etc etc. I share this truth to you in complete honesty that although some days I eat pretty well, there are some days I certainly don't. Have I been caught plunging my hand into a bag of potato chips, YES! I can't have them in my house or they will be the first thing I turn to when my emotions take over.
What makes the difference is to NOT have those comfort foods in your house. Finding a substitute for crunchy things help me, like eating carrots and hummus, making kale chips, eating crunchy fresh fennel. I pray for God to help me avoid the temptation to plunge into any foods that would cause me to feel horrible after and have guilt. When I choose to pray, when I choose to make a healthy choice even though my emotions are screaming, each of those instances are small victories that help make it easier the next time.
BUT I never get too comfortable and think I've got it together because I know I don't. Having issues with food is something that I must deal with everyday, making the right choices to maintain a healthy weight. Some people deal with alcohol, drugs or smoking. Mine is food. Keeping away from refined flours and sugars has been the greatest help in reducing the cravings and triggers to overeat. As you will see here now from my food journal last Wednesday, I was tempted at the end of the day right before bed!
Overall it was a simple straight forward day, even kind of boring LOL. Sometimes boring food is a good thing. 🙂
Breakfast was my new recipe for no bake overnight Pumpkin chia oats with a little coconut cream on top, luscious!
Salad for lunch with some mild peppers from my friends garden. She said they were mild but the seeds were not! I enjoyed this with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings.
I love pears but I like them when they are nice and yellow and ripe. This one was ok, but I wanted something with my salad so that was my choice. By Wednesdays the fruit pickings in the fridge are limited as I shop on Thursdays or Fridays.
The kids had ground turkey burritos and so did I with some more of those peppers from my friends garden. Topped with salsa, sour cream and a little cheese. Similar to my Asian Turkey Lettuce Cups for the filling.
Finished the day with a banana. Wanted to smother it with peanut butter but was able to avoid the temptation to do so, thank God! Not really what you want to do before heading to bed right?
Are you an emotional eater? What do you do to avoid those temptations that make you run to the food?
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Maggy
Hi.... I'm a emotional eater... and i used to eat even when i wasn't hungry at all..... i have tried all kind of diet (vegetaria, vegan, paleo, clean eating) but some way i fell in the sugar addiction and eating everything that cross my way (ironicly i don't buy processed food)...... I have a Yo-yo weight all the time (because gain weight super easy for my body)... Now i'm a new try, eating well, without a style.. may say breakfast and lunch paleo with dinner and snack vegan .... I feel just good and now i'm making an effort to talk with my emotions and eat vegan choices when i feel like craving something sweet. I'm a big fan and i want to say thank you to keep us motivated!!!
Sonya
Thank you so much for this post. I am an emotional eater and it has caused me a great deal of stress. I am trying to hard to overcome it and I have for about 65 pounds. I do not want to gain any weight back and I actually have some more left to lose but it gets harder and harder which makes me emotional which makes me want to eat which makes me yoyo and gain and lose. AGH! I have a horrible addiction to sweet foods. Last month I went 14 days without any and then it was my brother's birthday and I ate some of the Red Velvet Cake I made him. It was all down hill from there. It is so hard to not eat that kind of stuff especially in a social setting because I feel so deprived. Then my brain starts craving it and if I indulge even the slightest bit I end up out of control and eating way more than I ever intended too. Then it is like I can't stop myself over the next several days and I dig myself deeper in the hole and have to start back over from scratch after several days, a week or even sometimes two weeks. It is really quite shameful. Oh wow...sorry about unloading that and hijacking your comments! Your honest post really resonated with me. Thanks again for posting it.
Kris
When I realized a long time ago that my drug of choice was food- I new I needed help and support. Whoever you turn to for that is a preference - mine was God & Weight Watchers. Some days are better than others, but in this journey to lost weight I have to remember that forgiveness is very important. I may fall but I get right back up again and move forward .
Thank you for your continued insight I love your blog.
Brenda
Yes me too Kris! I love the support at WW meetings. Lots of good people! It does help to stay accountable too. Thanks for sharing!
Kat
My best strategy is also prayer, followed by a big glass of water or a warm, filling cup of tea. I most often find that I turn to emotional eating when I'm entertaining lies in my head. If I can remember the truth about the situation that's bothering me, and remember the truth about how God loves me and has made me His child... then it's significantly easier to stay on track with food! I'm the same as you, Brenda - some people are alcoholics, or chain smokers, but I'm an over-eater and need to have strategies in life to deal with that every day - even if some days are easier than others! Thanks for your honesty and encouragement to eat well TODAY!!!
Brenda
Yes I do the same with the water and it does seem to help when I choose to do it LOL! Thank you for sharing!
Leigh Anne
Thanks for your honesty! I struggle with emotional eating too.....mine is sweets! Sometimes a distraction works like a quick walk around the house, but I still don't have the answers 🙂 I've gotta try those Pumpkin chia oats soon!!
Brenda
Thanks for sharing Leigh Anne!
Karen
Didn't realize my last name would post--can you delete it?
KF
Brenda
all set, thanks!
Karen
Hi,
Is that all you eat on Wednesday?? That is very admirable. I have always been a grazer. Lately I have been keeping track of all I put in my mouth and I am dismayed. One reason (other than being a grazer) I am trying to adhere more strictly to the candida diet and just want to eat SUGAR and FLOUR products, even it is 'healthy', like a carrot muffin.
The second reason is I keep eating my children's leftovers--how can you waste that last spoonful of XYZ?
The final reason is I am a teacher. I'm finding it a challenge to keep a regular eating schedule. I am either eating on the run, noshing during my breaks, or grazing when I have a moment.
To clarify, not everything is 'junk food', but never-the-less, I am always eating and need to retrain my body to feel either full or hungry.
-KF
Brenda
I used to be a teacher too as well as a grazer Karen! I was also on a candida diet many years ago before I had my first child. It helped immensely but was very difficult to maintain that type of diet.
That's all I ate on this particular day but many days are not like this either. It's a daily struggle but you can do it one day at a time!