To the left, to the left

Even the SNOW can't keep me from getting my workout on!

Are you an emotional eater?  Do we even know what the term means?  To me, the term conjures up images of the fat girl, stood up by a date, crying buckets of mascara-inked tears into a tub of Ben & Jerry's.  And chicken wings.  And a turkey leg.  Don't think that I'm mocking this woman cause I'm not.  I was that woman.  But without the tears.  And the chicken wings.  And the turkey leg.

By definition, emotional eating is a coping mechanism for dealing with negative emotions.  I never would've considered myself to be such, but if we're going by definition here, I guess that I was.  In thick times as well as thin (cause yes you can be an emotional eater and be skinny), I have turned to food, more specifically CARBS, when experiencing an emotional upset.  I am not one to "cry buckets" over anything, or anyone...when something/one hurts me, I prefer to keep my emotions to myself.  I am a big fan of the phrase "never let 'em see you sweat".  I might be dying inside, but I'll never show it.  I might even cut that person out of my life depending on the hurt (yes, I am a cutter. Self-preservation.) - but I won't be shedding "mascara-inked tears" anytime soon.  But I have sought solace from the kitchen cabinets. CARB-COMFORT. Comfort found in the form of breads, pasta, etc.  I was that girl.  Check.  And the thing about emotional eating is you're basically eating to get past your pain or hurt, but you don't actually feel better - you end up feeling worse.  I know.  I was that girl.

I am that girl no longer.  I recently experienced a "situation" with a good friend that hurt me to my core.  True to form, no "buckets of mascara-inked tears" were shed, but I did feel hurt.  But what I  didn't feel was the desire to eat!  My immediate response was to,.....EXERCISE!  I didn't take it to the fridge - I took it to the pavement.  I went for a walk.  I went for a run.  I took it to the Wii.  I took it to the hula hoop.  I went hard and I am going harder than ever.  While I will never say "to the left to the left" to the person who caused the hurt, I did and will continue to say it to the food that I formerly sought solace in.  I'm not at all done with my journey, but I have worked too hard to let someone else's actions dictate mine. 

How do you deal with emotional upsets?  Do you turn to food (or some other vice) for comfort?  Don't do it.  Replace that food with something good for you like exercise.  Push past the pain to push through the pain.  And don't allow anyone to take you further away from the goals you have set for yourself.  When someone hurts you, don't get mad.  GET FIT.