Silence...
Cravings will never go away, and that's the truth of it. Is it something that we do subconciously because we are thinking about that piece of chocolate too much? Why do we give in to such a craving when we've made a promise to our self that this year would be different?
Are you a Fit Girl struggling with binge eating?
Everywhere you turn, you are bombarded with ads, magazines, and fitness campaigns on the “How To” lose weight quick, build beautiful biceps, burn belly fat, but rarely do you see any articles discussing the Emotional Eating. Emotional eating isn’t a gender issue, an age issue, a race issue, or a low self- esteem problem. It’s a serious matter that millions are battling and it’s a SILENT topic.
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| "Don't Speak" |
I’ll never forget the day that the student assistant walked into my 9th grade Algebra class. She handed the teacher a note, and then my name was called. I was told that I needed to go to the nurse’s office. Though happy for the opportunity to leave class, I was curious as to why the nurse needed to speak with me. Maybe my shots had expired. I’d hoped not because I was deathly afraid of needles. It didn’t take long for me to discover the reason I was summoned. The nurse sat me down and point blank asked me, “Do you have an eating disorder?” I replied, “Of course not!”
My mind began to race a million miles a minute. Does this lady not recognize the fact that I’m an athlete and athletes don’t have that? I didn’t even know what an eating disorder was. It wasn’t something we’d discussed at home or school. Aren’t eating disorders are for the girls we see on Oprah who refuse to eat in order to be skinny. The nurse went on to explain that it had been reported to her that on several occasions I’d asked to be excused to the bathroom right after lunch. Then she did the unthinkable, she asked if after eating, if I’ve ever made myself vomit? I answered, “No.” I lied. I was overcome with confusion. I didn’t know what was so wrong about eating until I couldn’t eat anymore, but whatever it was had gotten me called into the nurse’s office.
What wasn’t explained to me almost 19 years ago was even at the age of fourteen, I was an emotional eater. Today, many of you are faced with the same or similar challenges as I was faced with at age fourteen. Here are some healthy options when you feel like eating due to emotional setbacks.
1. Air popped popcorn. It’s a very healthy snack and there is no guilt associated with enjoying a bowl.
2. Multi-grain pita chips and salsa, or plain pita chips and hummus.
3. Natural Peanut butter and an apple.
4. 100-Calorie chocolate brownie. Add a dash of whip cream, two strawberries and 5 walnuts on top.
Emotional eating is no respecter of person. It isn’t associated with a face, career, or genre. Yes, a soccer mom can be plagued by emotional eating, a trainer, a competitor, a child, a friend, or a loved one can all fall victim to eating uncontrollably. This article was written with the intent to aid you or someone you may know who is struggling to combat emotional eating.
