Moving on After Overeating When Stressed

{Please note: In this post I’m talking about ’emotional eating’ that happens once in a great while, not every day or every week or even every month. If you find yourself turning to food to cope with life and/or stress in general, it is probably a good idea to talk to a counselor, a doctor and/or a nutritionist. You may also want to skip this post.}

If we are connected on Instagram and/or Twitter you probably saw this picture I posted earlier this week.

Relaxing fall morning

My friend and I took a lovely walk on a perfect fall morning with 2 kids who were well behaved. We walked, talked and drank iced coffee. Tuesday started out so great.

Next up, I took CJ to soccer. He spent the majority of this time on the ground with his feet in the air and we ended up leaving just before the 45 minute session was over since he wasn’t listening to me or even to his coach. If you have a toddler (or have ever raised a kiddo) you know that leaving a public place with a screaming child is embarrassing. It doesn’t make you feel like a good parent.

After a food throwing contest…I mean lunch… and yet another nap strike, we went to the playground. We got kicked off because only extended-day kids can be there on weekdays. We went to another playground and had fun, but on the way home CJ slid his arms right out of the seat belt in his car seat and I had to pull over and remedy the situation.

Cranky Toddlers

By the end of this day I felt frustrated, tired and defeated. I felt like a bad mom and a bad nutrition coach (because I didn’t have a chance to get back to my new clients all day).

I poured myself a glass of wine (not the usual for a Tuesday evening) and made a healthy dinner. Then came a martini and some popcorn. Then came some almond milk ice cream with chocolate.

That’s right – I ate too much because I was stressed out.

Why am I telling you about all of these silly #toddlermom problems? Why am I confessing that my nutrition habits aren’t perfect? Because I want you to know that life happens. We all get stressed and sometimes we utilize coping mechanisms that aren’t ideal.

The day after no-good-very-bad-toddler-tuesday I had a bit of a revelation. At first I thought, geez that wasn’t a very good example of practicing what I preach. I’m always telling clients and friends to take a walk, a bath, stretch or have some tea instead of overeating. Then I realized that I also tell those same clients and friends that no one is perfect. I tell them to ‘move on’ when they eat off-plan or splurge like crazy on vacation.

In fact, I even explain that when you gain the ability to move on after a poor nutrition choice and lose the desire to skip meals and punish yourself with exercise, this is where magic happens.

On Wednesday I just ate everything I would normally eat. I trained because it was a training day, but didn’t do anything crazy. I still took yesterday as a rest day. Ah ha, I am practicing what I preach after all.

The point is, you don’t need to be perfect. This idea doesn’t just apply to nutrition and/or training. This applies to all areas of your life. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to eat things that don’t make you feel good. You’re going to skip training sessions you should have completed. You’re going to say things you wish you hadn’t. You’re going to be impatient with your toddler sometimes. It’s time to learn how to get over those mistakes and move on, guilt free.

Every day you have the ability to make decisions that take you closer to your goals or lead you further away. Every meal offers a new opportunity to fuel your body. Every training session provides you with a chance to get stronger and/or take care of your body. Every evening brings with it a new chance to get a good night sleep. Every encounter allows you to use words and actions that make someone else feel happy and loved. Every compliment offers you the opportunity to say thank you.

Adjust your attitude. Take life one day and one decision at a time and let the magic start to happen. You’ll see. 🙂