Working from Home and Eating Well

For the uber disciplined among us—you who rise before the sun to exercise, commit to an eating plan that fuels your body with balanced nutrition from all organic food sources purchased locally and in season—there may be little to which you can relate in this post. If you use food to fight stress (for years, my ability to meet a tight deadline was directly related to the number of Skittles® I had on my desk), or if you find yourself eating without thinking, then read on. Expert help is on the way.
Whether you are so busy you forget to eat, or so stressed you eat as a form of relief, it’s not good for your body. Cortisol, the stress hormone our bodies produce in response to heightened anxiety, makes us crave foods high in fat, sugar and salts. Eating those foods actually contributes to blood sugar imbalances which exacerbate the production of higher cortisol. This vicious, albeit self-inflicted, cycle leads to some bad habits…

• too much caffeine
• too little water
• skipping meals
• fast food
• crash diets (in response to the effects of all the above)

The results include…

• mood swings
• weight gain
• fatigue
• poor concentration
• hyperglycemia
• decreased effectiveness
• sleep disturbances

There is a great deal written about the poor eating habits brought on by working families too busy to prepare good meals. But little is written about how to care for oneself and the unique challenges inherent in working from home—close to the pantry, the freezer and a ready-supply of soda pop and coffee.

One of my colleagues and dear friends, Dr. Michelle May, M.D., takes a look at some of these challenges in her new book, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle, which will be available in bookstores October 1. Michelle agreed to share with the Bloomin’ Blog an excerpt from her book that deals with exactly the kind of home-based distractions that sabotage our healthy eating…

I felt overwhelmed with everything I needed to get done and found myself wanting to eat something. I was tuned in enough to my body to know I wasn’t hungry. Still, I could hear the ice cream calling my name from the freezer. “Michelle! Michelle! I’m in here!” As I got up from my computer and wandered into the kitchen, my little voice reminded me how hard I’d been working. I deserved this little reward. As I dipped the spoon in to take a bite, I realized I was still standing in front of the freezer. That was a clue. When I don’t even bother to sit down, I know it’s not about the food.

I put the lid back on, grabbed a glass of water, and went outside to sit on the patio. As I thought about it, I realized I was using eating as an excuse to take a break. As I pondered that, I found myself thinking that I didn’t deserve to relax until I was done with everything I needed to do. I felt overwhelmed again and heard the ice cream calling me once more.

I took a deep breath and sipped my water. Since I’d never get through my To Do list, I’d never get to rest. I would continue to use food as an excuse unless I changed my mind about what it took to earn a break. Within a few minutes I felt a lot better and ready to attack my list again. This time I decided I’d stop in an hour and take my dog for a walk. As I passed through the kitchen on my way back to my office, I noticed the ice cream was quiet for a change.

Many of us have given food the power to soothe, distract, and reward us. While pleasure is inherent in eating food you love, these other qualities are learned associations. If they are learned, they can be unlearned. Try these steps the next time you have a sudden craving.

1.      ?Give yourself a few moments to explore the real reason you feel like eating.?

2.      ?If you are physically hungry, eat mindfully—in other words, love what you eat. Move away from your computer, sit down at a table with a place setting and an appropriate portion of food to meet your level of hunger, and savor every bite as though you were writing an article for Gourmet magazine.?

3.      ?If you aren’t hungry, take a few deep breaths and observe your thoughts and feelings. What do you discover? Stress, boredom, anxiety, habit??

4.      ?Ask yourself, what else could I do for a few minutes that would meet this need better than eating? Could you make a To Do list and set your priorities? How about switching tasks for awhile to alleviate the tedium? Maybe you’d like to surf some travel websites to plan your next vacation? (Download a list of 101 Things to Do Besides Eat.) Link to amihungry.com/enews.shtml?

5. ?Repeat as often as necessary to create new associations that help you meet your needs better than eating?.

Excerpt from Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle by Michelle May, M.D.

You are worth the very best treatment, beginning with the care you give yourself and your health. Healthy habits and care of our own spirits makes us better vessels to carry goodness to the world. So, my friends, take care. and have a beautiful, healthy, full-of-goodness day!

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