Are you an Emotional Eater?

Last night, we went on a nice double date with some friends. We ate, we chatted, and then my husband suggested getting something sweet. DQ here we come! I still felt fairly full, and I have been trying to avoid sugar, so I got a mini blizzard. I ate it slowly while we all talked. I am fairly certain it was the first time I hadn't finished a blizzard, let alone a mini! SCORE!

And then we came home. My daughter fought me on going to bed. My house was a mess. I started to clean once she was finally asleep, and then decided to save it for the morning and get back to my Grey's Anatomy (my newest addiction). All of a sudden, I felt hungry. I needed something salty. I wanted movie popcorn, chips, whatever. It didn't even matter WHAT I ate, as long as I was eating. I dug through the cupboards, and couldn't find anything that sounded good. Then, I thought about something sweet, and considered the candy I had set aside for my primary class I'm teaching on Sunday. At that point, I stopped myself, and realized I had hit an all time low. Stealing candy from kids!? I mean, I'm not above that, I've totally eaten my kids' candy. But other kids' candy? That's too far. I was able to stop and see that this was very much emotional eating.

Usually, I know it's emotional eating, but in the moment I don't really care. I just have to get that "fix." But last night, I didn't even realize until I considered eating those kids' little baggies of candy. I probably could have eaten them all! I also realized that I wasn't really THAT upset, it was just that my daughter, in a matter of seconds before tucking her in, had managed to push the right buttons. A trigger. So unless I'm just ultra messed up, surely there are other women, moms, dads, college students, 13 year olds, other people out there like me.

How do you know if you're an emotional eater? I've made a list of things I've noticed in myself as indicators:

1. You cannot watch television, drive, work, watch a sport, etc. without having something to munch on.

When the TV is on, you'll find something to munch on. It's mindless eating, but a little more than that. For me, it's mindless eating any time I'm bored or have the hands to eat. You have an emotional attachment to eating during these times.

2. A few minutes ago you were full, now you could eat a whole cake.

You've just had dinner, but all of a sudden you are ravenous and you will eat whatever is close by. Actual hunger comes on slowly as it takes longer to process and digest the healthy stuff, so unless you had sugary cereal for dinner, you shouldn't really be hungry.

3. You ate a LOT of food in a very short amount of time.

Where'd all the food go? Could I have really eaten all of that by myself? This happens to me. I'll admit it shamefully. You just mindlessly eat a lot more than you planned on eating.

4. You can tell you're full, but you keep on keeping on. 

The biggest lie I tell myself is that I've already bought this ice cream, I need to finish it tonight or I'll screw up my diet tomorrow. I'm stuffed and might puke, but I just gotta keep on eating. Or these nachos are so good, I just want a few more.

5. Food is a reward. 

You've just got the kids to bed, hallelujah! You deserve something delicious. You just lost 5 pounds, here have a juicy double cheeseburger. You got a raise? Here's some cake! You get the point. Food isn't a reward. It should be fuel. No judgement here, I've rewarded myself for cutting my toe nails.

6. Food is a source of happiness.

You had an extremely hard day, and the only thing that will make you feel better is indulging. A lot. In foods high in fat or sugar, or both. When I lost my brother, I ate a lot of candy telling myself it was his favorite, or I used to eat it with him so it made me feel close to him. In all reality, I just wanted that hole to be filled. Food can't do that. And when we do this, usually we over eat because we are looking to feel better.

7. Triggers

I've noticed there are certain triggers that I personally have. The weekends. If we've given ourselves permission to over eat and eat what we want on the weekends, when the weekend rolls around it's time to eat. Holidays. Your kids. As I stated earlier, my kids are definitely a trigger at times. Spouses. It's not necessarily them but maybe something they say to you or their tone at times that could trigger emotional eating. Someone at work. Depression. I know when I'm on a low, I will eat more.

8. You would rather stay home and binge in secret than hang out with family or friends. 

Hey, I've been there. I don't like eating in front of people because I never know when I'm just going to stop paying attention and eat the whole table. I'm also an introvert, so I'd rather just stay home. So staying home and shoving food in my face seems a lot better than hanging out with you, no offense. I've also made plans with myself to go home, get in my pjs, put on the Netflix, and eat everything in sight. This is fun for me. This isn't healthy. 

Now that you've realized you too have an issue with emotional eating, what can you do to break yourself free from this destructive behavior? 

{First, my condolences. Also, I want to remind you if you didn't already know, that I am not a professional. I am not a food therapist. I just have experience of my own with emotional eating.}

1. Become more mindful of your eating. 

Are you really hungry? How long ago did you eat? If you are eating well balanced meals, your body won't get suddenly hungry. Sudden hunger is usually cravings. If you've eaten awhile ago, that could be real hunger. Something that really helps me is a food journal. I write down when I eat, what I eat, and if at all possible, how much I eat. I also record how I feel. If something makes me feel more sluggish, I want to avoid that. If something doesn't keep me full for very long (usually something sugary or lacking nutrient density) I don't want to eat it. 

2. Slow down and enjoy your food

Food is meant to be enjoyed. Savor each bite. Take smaller bites, and chew your food longer. We can also avoid over eating if we slow down our eating and recognize how much we are eating and feel when we are full. Some foods actually start to breakdown in your mouth and need to be chewed longer so that our bodies can digest them properly. 

3. Identify your triggers

Are specific foods your triggers? For example, can you not control yourself around popcorn? Or maybe certain people trigger your emotional eating. Thanksgiving is a terrible time for you because that's when you lost your dog, so you tend to be depressed and eat. Once you've identified what sets off the emotional eating, get down to the bottom of why and find a healthy way to combat those urges.

4. Replace the bad habits with good

Any time you are removing a bad habit, you have to add in a good habit. Otherwise, you'll go back to the old habit. If you have to distract yourself from eating while you watch TV, start doing small workouts. If you're emotional eating is after you've fought your kids to go to bed for an hour, replace that eating with a craft, cleaning or something you love to do.

5. Focus on what the food you eat is doing for you.

This is one that helps me a lot. I have Celiac Disease, so if I focus on what gluten does to my body, it helps me avoid it. If I focus on the nutrients food will give me, I will do better at eating better, more nutrient dense food. You can still over eat the healthy stuff, so it's important to be mindfully eating. Know the correct portions, how much of what foods you need in a day, and what foods make you feel the best.

If you aren't sure how much you should be eating, I know of a great program that has helped me. Being a part of a challenge group has helped me become more accountable for what I'm eating. The portion control system is simple and effective. If you'd like my help, click here.

And if all else fails, get food therapy or seek out a nutritionist. There is nothing wrong with getting help!

Best Healthy Banana Bread

I've been on the search for the best banana bread for a long time. I finally found one I loved, and then I started eating healthier so banana bread became a once every 6 months type treat. I didn't have a use for my old bananas anymore. I personally don't love bananas in the first place, so banana bread was the only time I was really eating banana bread before.

Time to do what I do best, healthifying a recipe! Yes, I just made that word up.

This project took awhile, not as long as it took to find a good recipe in the first place, but still. I'm very perticular about my banana bread. I needed it to be good enough that I didn't feel the need to add butter. I obviously wanted it to be moist, NO ONE wants dry banana bread. It needed to taste like banana bread (one version I tried, my husband came home and had a slice, and asked what kind of bread it was. oops!)

Here's a few trick I was given and learned along the way.

1) Use the nastiest bananas you can find. WAYYYY past the point of where you'd eat them. The batch I made today I used completely black bananas. This helps the bread taste sweet, and have a more potent (but not over powering) banana flavor.

2) Don't skip the applesauce!

3) Don't be lazy, prep before you start mixing. whisk the eggs, smash the bananas, mix the dry ingredients, etc.

4) Don't over mix, fold in the dry ingredients.

5) Always enjoy a warm slice :)

Try it out, send me a picture, let me know what you think!

Banana Bread
2 cups flour (I like Bob Red Mill's organic, unbleached all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup raw honey
3 eggs beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan with a little coconut oil. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a seperate bowl, cream unmelted coconut oil, applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.

Fold banana mixture into flour mixture, careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan by flipping the pan upside down, and let cool on a wire rack.

Serving size is one slice. Each slice is one yellow, 1/2 a purple, and 1 teaspoon.

Mondays

I've been neglecting my blog! I have been so busy with my kids, coaching, trips, the holidays, our kitchen remodel. I put the blog on the back burner, but it's good to know that I'm still getting people looking at recipes and such.

If you've read any of my past posts, Mondays are hard for me. I lost my brother to suicide on a Monday. In fact, it will be a year exactly tomorrow. I really don't want to make this a sad post, so I'll leave it at that. Mondays can be hard for everyone, though. You get all weekend to relax OR do a bunch of house work and chores. Then Monday comes and you have to get back to work. Or maybe you're a stay at home mom, and you get help from your husband all weekend, and then he has to go back to work Monday. Whatever the situation, Mondays aren't the greatest.

A few months ago, I realized that Mondays are actually just another day. I have the choice to make Mondays hard, or make it the best day I can. It's the first day of the week, and I get a fresh start. No matter what I'm working on that week, getting my workouts in each day, keeping my house clean, working on a project, being a kinder person, Monday is the first day to get to work. Monday sets the tone for the rest of the week, so if you miss Monday, are you going to give it your all the rest of the week? Probably not. I hear a lot of people say, "Well I missed Monday and then this happened Tuesday, so I'll just start next Monday." There are a few things I can start any day and get real excited about it and have enough drive to do from there on out, but most things I do best when I start on Monday.

This week, I am really focusing on balance. I can balance my business, my kids, my house, and my relationships better. Time management is my weakness, I know I can do better on that, and balance is the key. I want to work on gratitude. I also want to work on variety in my nutrition. I get used to the same old stuff, which I'm totally happy to do, but I know variety could help me do better and keep me from getting bored. In every aspect of my life, I could use more balance. So I start today. I know I'll do great because I will give it my all on day 1.

Do something for YOU

Have you stopped working on your New Years resolutions already? There's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd guess about 90% of people who made resolutions have given up by now.

But does that mean we've stopped wanting what we wanted in the first place? NO!
Of course not!

So are you still dreaming about a bikini body?

If so, stop waiting! Do something about it. It's okay if your goals didn't pan out and all your plans fell through. Get some help! There is nothing wrong with getting a health coach and starting a program. They WORK! 

If you think you're ready to have some structure to help you succeed, let's chat. 

Are you ready to join one of my challenge groups? Fill out this form to help me determine which group would be best for you!

Stephanie

I had to do a little post about my friend Stephanie! This lady motivates me all the time, and I'm HER coach :) ! She is a great woman, with a big heart and the desire to help others. She has three fur babies, and a husband. I met her at church, and I remember always watching her and wanting to be her friend. I saw her as happy and positive. It's funny how we never know what's going on inside someone. I had no idea she was struggling. But when I gained confidence myself, I decided to stop being shy and just try to be friends with her! I sound like such a nerd, but this is really how I am. Making friends doesn't come naturally to me. I'm so glad I gained that confidence, though! She is such a hard worker, and inspires quite a few people! 

Here's what she had to say about her journey so far:

"Last year was rough. I was the heaviest that I have ever been. I was not happy with my life on many levels. I was feeling sorry for me. I was using food to fill the voids and unhappiness. Then I realized that only I could change it. Five months later and 28 lbs lighter, I'm on my way to a healthier and happier me. I'm learning new skills and establishing healthy habits so this will become a permanent lifestyle change. I'm not perfect. I'm work in progress. If I can do it, anyone can!"

I have no doubt we aren't done hearing from her! She will continue to inspire and motivate me, among others. I am so proud of you Stephanie! Thanks for being my friend!