Stress and Eating

So after writing the last post, I watched "Killer At Large," a documentary about obesity.  It mentioned that "eating healthy and exercising" was easier said than done and I thought that was a really good point.  For a lot of people, stress makes them want to eat.  Usually the opposite happens to me - I get so sick with stress that I have no desire to eat.  To be honest, neither are good for you.

I have no recommendations as to how best combat eating and stress but I will suggest striving to keep stress levels low.  One thing I have learned lately is that sometimes I really just can't control things I would like to - I can't control how late I am for something when I'm stuck in rush hour-construction traffic.  There's no way to get where I'm going any faster than I'm already going.  I can't change the fact that I slept through my alarm again.  I can't go back in time and fix that lame thing I said to someone.  And when I'm asked to speak in front of a group and I've committed to being there, I can't back down.  In all these situations, I can't necessarily control the event or outcome, but I can control my stress levels.  For me, a good, long drive or talking it out with someone usually takes care of my stress.

My suggestion to you if you have a problem with eating while stressed is to use something other than food to calm yourself down.  Some people run, some people nap, and some people let their minds get involved in a good movie.  Whatever it is, use it to your advantage to help your body and your brain stay healthy.