Emotional Eating: Consider this

Many of us come to realize we tend to eat in the face of certain emotions like stress, anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness, jubilation, etc. It is common to make unhealthy food choices when driven to eat for emotional reasons over biological reasons. (Probably any of us would confess to dipping into soft carbs like crackers or sweets when succumbing to emotional hunger.) What if, having acknowledged that we are emotional eaters, we prepare an emergency food kit with four or five foods that we enjoy and that also meet our WLS high protein, low-carb nutritional prescription. When emotions strike we grant permission to eat from the emergency kit. This can be quite effective because we are responding to our emotional craving for food comfort. At the same time we are nurturing our health and sparing us the inner self-loathing for our lack of control or will power. The key is to have an emergency kit and allow yourself to use it.




Many of you already know I always have hard-cooked eggs in the fridge for when I hit meltdown. My rule is to have an egg in response to emotional hunger, wait 15-20 minutes. If after waiting the emotional craving is still there I can have a bite of something else. In most instances by the time the 20 minutes has passed I don't recall being hungry, that's how this rule works for me.

"We cannot take the emotion out of our diet, but we can put nutrition into the emotion."

Humans have evolved to be emotional eaters - can you think of any occasion happy or sad or exciting or mundane at which food is not present? We cannot take the emotion out of our diet, but we can put nutrition into the emotion. We seldom have control of the emotions in the ebb and flow of life, but we always have a choice of what we put on our fork.


We have a terrific conversation on this topic in our Facebook Group: LivingAfterWLS Project 2014. Please join us!  Link Here:  Project 2014


Here is one of my most favorite to-go protein recipes ever, from page 145 of the 5 Day Pouch Test Manual:

To-Go: Cranberry Turkey Roll-Ups

This is a terrific recipe to use on Day 3 and a great method to keep in mind when preparing portable meals to support your weight loss surgery diet. Experiment with different meats, cheese and condiments to add variety and interest to portable meals.

Ingredients:
1 pound deli-style turkey, reduced-sodium, sliced
4 ounces cream cheese spread with chives and onions
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, no-sugar-added

Directions: Place two slices of turkey on a cutting board and spread with 1 teaspoon of cream cheese spread, and 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Roll tightly, and secure with a toothpick and place in refrigerator container. Repeat with remaining ingredients, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Nutrition: Serves 4. Per serving: 232 calories, 27 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 5 grams carbohydrate.

More great recipes in the 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual. Learn more: 5DPT Manual