Taming Your Inner Toddler (Emotional Eating Tantrums)

I know, I know, I know . . . I'm just meddling now! Some of you only know me as the Carolyn who has lost over 100 lbs., seemingly drinking some magical potion that transformed me over night. You who weren't here to see the mess of scars and wounds that I came crawling into this website with. You may think "What could she possibly know about emotional eating" . . . well, she knows plenty.

I won't bore you with the details, but here is my short list of reasons (excuses) for emotional eating from my past: alcohol in my family, domestic violence, mental health issues, sexual molestation, son diagnosed with chronic kidney failure at age 4, miscarried a baby, losing family members to suicide, chronic depression and self loathing. This all combined into a lethal cocktail called bulimia.

Believe me, I know. I know the intentions of doing the 'right' thing and then ending up with an empty doughnut box in front of me. I know the self loathing of 'never getting it right'. I know the emotional pain that is so paralyzing that you will do anything to escape it, and turn to food to numb the pain. I know these things. I have felt these things.

BUT, there comes a time (mine was about 17 months ago), when you say enough is enough. Pain from the past can only follow me into the future if *EYE* bring them! Emotions and Food have nothing to do with each other. Emotions are feelings. Food is fuel. Why am I using fuel to medicate or numb an emotional issue?

If I could take a little creative license, think of your emotions (feelings) as toddlers and YOU (your higher intelligence, reasoning and rationale) are the adult in charge of their well being. Does a toddler know what is in it's best interested? Does a toddler get what it wants when it wants it? Does a toddler make the rules? NO!

So, why give in to the tantrums of a toddler when it comes to emotional eating?!? Why? I am blessed. I feel healed and whole for the first time in my life. I do not have the compulsion to binge, deprive or in other ways allow my feelings to manipulate what choices *EYE* (the adult) make for my health and well being.

I hear it every day from friends and people on my Fabulous Fitness facebook page . . . "It has been such a bad day, I'm stressed out, my eating is horrible" WHAT? WHAT? How does that sentence even make logical sense? Logically. Look at that sentence. It should read "It has been such a bad day (period). I am stressed (period). Those are feelings. Leave them in the feelings department. Do not choose to drag them kicking and screaming into the fueling department. They are already misbehaving! Don't give them more power! CHOOSE. YOU are the adult. A tantrum cannot manipulate you into following the will of a toddler. Even if those little toddlers are screaming "You've already made three bad choices today, just call the whole day a wash and give in." NO!!!! Make your next choice, this one, right now, the right choice for YOUR health and well being . . . because YOU are the adult . . .

. . . and YOU deserve it!

. . . tough love baby . . . .

. . . . now be a good girl and play nice . . ..

Live beautifully! Treat yourself well!