Ok, so yesterday was a stressful day. In the height of my stress, I grabbed a jar of M&Ms recently acquired from a wedding, and just put one after the other in my mouth. I knew I was angry, frustrated and just needed some sort of release. I used those M&Ms as an outlet for my emotions. (Does this sound familiar to anyone!?).  But of course the emotions didn’t go away, and then I was left with the GUILT of eating all those M&Ms!

It’s a vicious cycle: High emotions = Mindless eating = Guilt and shame = More mindless eating = more emotions, guilt and shame, and on and on …………. How do we break this cycle?  I use what I call the four “A”s.  Admittance, Acceptance, Appeasement, Agreement.

Admittance: I admit I ate the M&Ms out of anger and frustration

Acceptance: I accept that I ate the M&Ms out of anger and frustration

Appeasement: I make peace with myself, forgiving myself and letting go

Agreement:  Next time, I will do better and I will start making healthier choices right now!

 

As a former emotional eater, I have dealt with the vicious cycle more times than I want to admit. But as someone proactive in maintaining health, I know how important it is to forgive and move on, committing to do better next time. Whenever you fall off the wagon, get back on! Ditch the guilt, discomfort and confusion, use the 4 “A”s to heal yourself and start over! That is what having a healthy “appetite for life” is all about!