Reining in Emotional Eating

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Whether there’s a divorce on the horizon, or you’re in the thick of it, there’s a lot of aspects to life that may be taking a back seat. You stopped going to the gym. Perhaps you’re finding it difficult to cook at home or you’re having trouble focusing on paying bills, taking care of the kids or it’s been a challenge to concentrate at your job. I’ve experienced all these things, but today I want to focus on just one aspect that suffers a lot when life has dealt the divorce card. I’m talking about food!

Both my divorces had affected me in different ways. Mostly because I was at different life stages for each one. For my first divorce, I was in my early 20’s, no kids, trying to figure out my path and attended school. I worked part time and life was a lot of fun in the late nineties. The only issue I was having was ‘marriage weight’ The kind one puts on because you don’t think much about looks when you’re off the market. Not being happy about that, I cleaned up my diet and started working out. I lost some weight but still struggled. Then after my divorce, I effortlessly dropped those last stubborn pounds! I would joke and say I lost that weight plus 180 pounds to mean I didn’t have a spouse anymore.

With my second divorce, I was in my late 40’s, one child, and finally got my career on the right path. I was an emotional eater and I still am. I became aware of it due to being older and wiser. Controlling my emotional eating ebbed and flowed. But it got out of control after the divorce. I would hit up the drive thru more often the I dare to admit. I loved cooking, but for a while, I lost the motivation and desire. The only reason I forced myself to cook was because I wanted my son to have nice, healthy meals so that allowed me to maintain my health and wellness.

If you already read my article, ‘Where did all the Money Go?’, then you know my emotional eating was draining my finances. It’s been only recently that I realized I had to cut back. Shrinking wallet, expanding waistline. Nobody wants that! That mantra has definitely helped me spend less money on dining out too often. What also has been helping, and is a work in progress, is exercise and eating well. This has deterred me from making poor food choices. However, if I have a rough day I do allow myself to indulge, within reason.

Trying to stay the course with eating well and exercising isn’t always easy. I have fallen off the wagon too many times to count. But I just get right back on it ASAP! Here are some things I do to help:

• Bring my gym bag with me, then I can hit the gym before heading home.
• Meal prep on Sunday of foods I enjoy and are healthy.
• If I put in the effort at the gym, it helps me stay on track with fueling my body properly.
• Know that I feel my best and can tackle the other aspects in life when I take care of myself.
• Being cognizant of my triggers. Stop, think, then take action!
• Have go-to foods on hand that are healthy.
• The act of preparing a healthy snack keeps me distracted.

Christmas and the New Years will be here soon, but I still want to enjoy the decadent foods that go along with the season. So my plan is, the week before Christmas I will eat healthy and hit the gym, then indulge. Same for the week before New Year’s. It does take time and practice to develop healthy habits, so please give yourself some grace.

Life is too short not to enjoy all these wonderful foods, so dig in and Happy Holidays! If you are needing a caring and compassionate Colorado Springs divorce lawyer to assist you with your family law matter, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation about Colorado Springs divorce, child custody and family law at 719-344-5523.