Stress Eating... Nom Nom Nom



The scene at the hospital cafeteria.  This was for FOUR of us.



Recently, my dad underwent an emergency surgery. He's had a myriad of health issues over the last three decades, so it was nothing new for my mom, my sister, and me. What should be new, however, is how we handle the stress of these situations.

Many of us overeat in times of stress as a means of coping with the crappy times we are facing. As my dad was being wheeled off to the operating room, we passed many signs for the cafeteria and we realized we hadn't had dinner. So we went and got dinner... Enough dinner for 8... But there were only 4 of us there. I tried to be good and counted all of my points and tried to steer clear of the fried, greasy comfort foods the cafeteria had available. Despite my salad from the salad bar, I still ended up with a few not so healthy choices on my tray, and a few more in my purse for the long night I knew we were in for.



The next day, my dad was out of imminent danger, but I had eaten way too much that night and I was feeling gross. I went to the gym and literally ran the fastest 5 miles I've ever done. I realized that the stress (and my disgust with my overindulgence) was amping up my run. The next day I ran my fastest treadmill 5k ever and I felt great afterward. My weigh in today was surprisingly good, which I attribute to luck and my turbo speedy runs.

I don't know why we turn to food in times of crisis. It's comforting, sure, but we end up so much more upset after stress eating because we are disgusted with ourselves. What I should have done in that cafeteria was stop and assess what I was doing. I should have walked around the halls of the hospital or played a game on my phone or pulled out my weight tracker or done anything else that would have helped me clear my mind without snacking. I ran the stress off over the next couple of days and felt infinitely better. We need to remind ourselves that food will not solve our problems. Food fuels our bodies, it should not be used as a temporary solution for our problems. Next time I'm faced with a crisis, I'm grabbing my running shoes, not a bag of popcorn.