Some friends told my husband and I recently that they are "emotional eaters." I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but right this moment, I think I am one too.
My husband called a few hours ago to say that one of the on-call residents left town so he moved up a slot and will be expected to stay overnight until 7 a.m. I felt unprepared. I was expecting him home around 6:30 p.m.
We have not had a night call since he began his specialization in anesthesia this year. I knew they would start eventually, but I guess I just wasn't prepared for this one.
Immediately, I started craving chocolate, sugar, anything packed with taste, regardless of nutritional value. I even went to the store to purchase some "real" chocolate.
For dinner we had barbecue chicken tacos packed with onions, carrots, and spinach. Delicious, but difficult to pack in as I was so stuffed already from a day of non-stop eating. (It's especially hard not to just eat when you are stuck at home - my 3rd child is now suffering from the same flu that I had earlier this week.)
That was half an hour ago. I am still craving chocolate, even though I feel like bursting.
Yikes. I have got to get control - my husband will be on call a lot during residency, heck, he'll be on call for the rest of our lives.
I looked up some ideas on emotional eating and found these on about.com: Exercise, drink water, go for a walk, talk to a friend or support group, listen to your favorite music, drink some tea, try yoga.
I didn't feel so inspired or immediately empowered with this new knowledge. I guess that's the thing about emotional eating: we know we shouldn't be eating because we really are not hungry, but we need to anyway. I guess I need to find something else that meets that "need." Any ideas?
5 comments:
My husband did end up coming home, plus, he read my post and said I sound like I have an eating disorder. Hm. Or Maybe I'm just married to a resident.
When my husband calls to say he's not coming home like we planned, we don't see him till about 3 or 4 the next afternoon. This happens about once a month or so (plus the 4-5 call nights he already has). Ya gotta learn to expect it, or it'll drive you nuts!
Two nights ago I was feeling weepy and picked on. I didn't feel like I could be the strong one right then. But you still can, you always can! (I had a nice chat with myself in the mirror.) You'll get more used to the schedule, and it'll get easier for you...just like it has for me. And of course it's always easier once the school year starts, right!?
As for eating away our sorrows...I like to do that sometimes, too. Last February (dreeeaaaary) I made brownies like 6 times...something like that. Don't judge me. I still don't feel guilty. :)
Liz,
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Reusch. Solved my emotional eating problems and gave me a whole new outlook on food. Also I used it with all my weight loss and eating disorder patients.
So you can put the Dr's mind at ease that you are taking care of your problem :)
hi. i'm cheri and i'm an emotional eater.
rather, i dont eat when i'm too emotional. i do eat when i feel tired from picking up and running after jackjack, especially when no one's around to help. i trained myself to drink tons of water when moments like this comes up. i also trained myself to see chocolate as a reward, so i only have one small piece at the end of the day.
Love everyone's advice. Thank you!!
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