Comfort Food- An Eating Disorder?

Hey all! So lately I have been dealing with one major diet struggle. COMFORT FOOD. Don't take me wrong--I don't want you to think that I have some super depressing and emotionally stressful life--I don't. You don't have to have an awful life in order to be a victim of comfort food! Let me give you an example.

For the past 3-4 weeks, I haven't felt the greatest. I've had stomach fits off an on, neck and back pain here and there, and resulting headaches every couple of days. So while I was at work not feeling...up to par I guess...I would just want to go home and lay in my bed and do nothing. Because I couldn't do that, and because I felt crappy, I spent my afternoons at work (Getting through the mornings wasn't half as hard as getting through the afternoons) indulging in comfort food at my desk. With vending machines right around the corner, I thought that it was the quickest fix to make me feel better. It wasn't like I ate like 15 bags of chips or 10 snicker bars a day, but it was just 2 or 3 things like a candy bar and a cappucino-or a soda and a bag of chips.

After the motivation surge that I got this weekend, I knew that the comfort eating that I was practicing had to hit the road! So, during some break time on Monday, I looked up some information on the concept of comfort eating.

I was surprised to find out that comfort eating is actually considered an eating disorder! Now, I wouldn't say that what I was doing was an eating disorder--it wasn't that extreme......YET. Had I not decided to stop it...who know what would've happened! Here's some information from an article that I read about it...

     "Our brains have a bio-chemical reaction to foods that are high in fat and simple carbohydrates.  These comfort foods can act as a sedative and a stimulant by calming the brain and releasing serotonin, which makes us happy. Those who suffer from depression can easily fall into a cycle of eating, then crashing, and then eating again.  This cycle is an addiction that may actually be harder to quit than other chemical dependencies"

Like I said, my issue wasn't nearly as serious as what is talked about above, nor am I a depressed individual, but it's definitely something we all need to watch out for. Who doesn't have an upsetting day every once and a while?

I'm also not telling you to NEVER eat a snickers bar or bag of chips. Although that might not agree with Britt's lifestyle that she's chosen to take on, its fine in mine. My philosophy-if you tell yourself you're never going to be able to have it, then you won't stick with it, and you'll just end up eating more than you would've in the first place because you're depressed about being at. (COMFORT FOOD ALERT!)

I AM telling, however, that we all need to be careful! When you're feeling sad, lonely, upset, or you're just having a bad day, don't run to the refrigerator or the vending machine. Just walk away, take some time to relax, and get back at it. It WILL blow over- I promise.

*Another way to handle the use of comfort food is to create some HEALTHY comfort foods! I wanted a fatening cappucino when I didn't feel well....why not just opt out for a Skinny Vanilla Latte with Sugar Free Caramel Syrup? It's still delicious...without all of the calories. Get my point?

Stay strong- even in the midst of a bad day! I still struggle, and I'll probably never get over wanting fatening food when I'm upset- it's in  our chemical make-up! But find healthy alternatives, take time to relax, and find other reasons to be happy. :)

Good Luck!