Break Up With Food
Emotional eating. We all do it. Don’t deny it! Sometime we all get home after a stressful day and just crave a satisfying meal or a drink. “That pint of ice cream, a blanket and a Netflix binge will make me feel better.” “A couple of glasses of wine will help me take the edge off that crazy day.” “I am tired of this stupid diet, I am going to eat whatever I want tonight.” It doesn’t help that our society revolves around food. Family get togethers? Who is bringing what, what are we going to eat, are we doing pot luck or meeting at a restaurant? Person at work retiring? Big sendoff luncheon complete with a Happy Retirement cake! Someone having a baby shower? Lots of pink or blue cupcakes, mini-sandwiches and loads of salads and dips. Someone pass away? After the funeral, we all stand around and eat, and then we bring food over to the home of the family of the deceased and visit. On vacation? Every meal eaten out. We have to try the dessert at every place. We gorge and drink and splurge…we are on vacation! Every occasion, every celebration, even when bad things happen, they are all centered around food. Emotions = food. Good things happen = food. Bad things happen = food. Food is our universal coping skill for every occasion. It’s our best friend. It doesn’t say mean things to us. It never says the wrong thing. It’s always perfectly supportive. It’s comforting. It’s always available anytime. It’s never stood you up, made you mad or told you things just suck.
So how the HECK are we supposed to not put on weight?
The answer is startlingly simple and utterly frustrating. You have to cut your ties with your BFF: food. You have to have a long sit down with food and tell it, "This isn’t working out for me. It’s not you, it’s me. I am just in a place right now where I need to live my life separate from you. I NEED SPACE." Break up with food. Breaking up means you no longer have a RELATIONSHIP. You no longer have an emotional bond. You decide that your number one is going to be your health, and food just isn’t being very helpful with this priority. And you start dating your health. Hell…go to Vegas and get married to it! And that’s it. Happily ever after. Till death do you part.
Unhealthy foods becomes a memory. You no longer NEED it for comfort, for celebrating your highs in life and sorrowing in your woes. Your health has taken its place. Every decision is based on your health. Food becomes nothing more than fuel. Something to get you closer to health. There is no compromising. Health is your priority. Food is only supporting your bond with health. No going back to food for “just one night” of comfort. Vacation, great! Enjoy the experience. The food is the fuel for your sightseeing, and walking and time with loved ones. Food is going to show up, and there is going to be that awkwardness of, “Yeah I used to rely on you, but guess what, I am with health now.”
Break up with food. Marry health. Make it a lifelong bond. Till death do you part (and that will be a nice long partnership…much longer than anything you could have had with food).
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