Recovering Food Addict

Food and eating have always been a struggle for me. It's not really a secret. It's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Once I turned seven and went in 2nd(?) grade, my mom went back to work full time. My dad worked nights, so he was usually in charge of dinner before my mom arrived home. Dinner consisted of four basic food groups: Wendy's, Taco Bell, McDonalds and pizza.

Food has always been (and continues to be) a reward system in my family. Birthdays, good grades, theater performances...the compensation always came in the form of food. I never really became self aware of my weight until I hit high school. It’s hard enough being a teenager, but being a FAT teenager is doubly humiliating.

I’ve had my ups and downs over the years, from fitting into size 8s my senior year of HS to ballooning out of 18s awhile back.  Lately, I find myself trapped in the middle. It's a constant battle and life's little curve-balls (i.e. stress) don't help. Stress often = emotional eating.

Anyone that tells you emotional eating is curable is full of…well, garbage. It’s an addiction, just like any other. When a recovering smoker is stressed, they want a cigarette. When an alcoholic is stressed, they may crave a drink. Me? When I have a stressful day? I want Edy’s Thin Mint ice cream and a hug from my mom. I am by no means trying to belittle the aforementioned groups. On the contrary, I think ALL are true diseases. Like any disease,if you don't have it, you might not fully understand it.

The point of my post is that, weight loss is a life long journey that twists and turns...we stumble, fall, get back on and repeat the process. No one plan works for everyone.

It's about finding what works for you! I'll let you know when I find out myself :)