Snowed-In

Like many of you, I am literally snowed-in today as the Great Blizzard of 2011 has shut down pretty much everything here in West Michigan, including the malls. 

Years ago, being snowed-in like this (and we do get snowed-in from time to time) would have been the perfect excuse for a day of baking and eating.  I'm not sure why blizzards triggered an all-out feeding frenzy, but then again, it didn't take much for me to devote a day to cooking, baking and eating (especially eating!) back then.

I'm sure part of it was boredom . . . the novelty of being stuck inside the house for a day or two wears off quickly, and if I was bored, I ate.  The lack of sunshine also sapped my energy (it still does), and when my energy was lagging, I ate.  When our children were small, being snowed-in also meant that they had a lot of pent-up energy and no good way to spend it, resulting in squabbling and repeated cries of "I'm bored," all of which increased my stress, and when I was stressed, I ate.

I didn't always wait for the lack of energy, boredom and stress to start eating in those days - I was pretty good at pre-emptive eating!  Food was pretty much my first line of defense in almost any situation, it was my go-to thing for whatever was going on emotionally.

If you're snowed in today, you may be facing some of your own feelings of boredom, low energy or stress.  If so, how are you going to deal with those emotions and still stay on plan?  If you aren't snowed in - if you're in a part of the country where it's warm and sunny and flowers are blooming all around you (and I'm working hard to not be jealous!!), you may still have things around you that create a host of emotions to deal with.

First of all, understand that food won't fix it . . . never has, never will.  Whenever that last bite of food is swallowed, the feelings you were trying to salve are right back, along with guilt, frustration, and a lot of negative self-talk - at least that's the way it was for me.  Running to food for comfort always eventually back-fired and I was left with more negative emotions after the food frenzy than I had before.

Focus on what it is that you REALLY want!  Write it down and look at it often to remind yourself of why you want to reach your goal.  By choosing to focus on what's really important to you, you will regain the perspective you need to make the choices you need to make.

Lastly, find a healthy, non-food way to deal with those emotions.  As I've shared in the past, my way of dealing with those emotions was to turn to the TRUE Source of my comfort, my Heavenly Father.  God alone was and is able to fill the spaces in my life that I tried to fill with food, and He was and is faithful to meet my needs.

As you focus on what you really want, and as you find healthy, non-food ways to deal with your emotions, you will be able to stay on plan, one day and one meal at a time.  You will not only reach your goal, but you'll also develop a new set of habits that will help you maintain your healthy weight for the rest of your life!  It begins with the choices you make today, so choose wisely :-)