Sugar a source of comfort? Or does it fuel our despair?

For many at some point in our lives food especially SUGARY foods can provide a source of comfort. It certainly did for many years, and the sad thing is, I was never aware of this until a few years ago. Without knowing it SUGAR became my drug of choice.

Back in my SUGAR eating days as I have shared here before, I always believed I had quite a healthy lifestyle!! I don’t drive, so I walk a lot, I rarely, rarely drink, I don’t smoke, and I have never done drug. So in my head believed I had a healthy lifestyle, just a bit of a sweet tooth! I was a bit of a yoyo dieter, but I put that down too health problems including an underactive thyroid. In my twenties I was super slim, having managed to lose my chubby teenage weight. When I became ill with M.E at 28 the weight crept in, and I entered about 15 years of yo yo dieting. I never once considered that any of my weight was down to eating for comfort.

Once you get into that cycle of weight gain then weight loss, it’s a bit hard to get off that roundabout. I forever had visions that as I had been slim before, I could lose it again. With every diet I tried, or slimming group I started I slipped further into despair. There were the highs of losing weight, reaching a target, or losing a dress size, yet ultimately they were short lived.

There were TWO things that I didn’t work out until MUCH later they were they following.

1. I comfort ate…A LOT!! Every SUGARY food, or what I would deem a naughty food was more often than not eaten in order to take the pain away. So to crush the pain and emotion I was feeling at that point. In doing so another problem evolved my comfort then became a HABIT, and I believe eventually it became an addictive habit.
2. I had no idea the real impact that SUGAR could have on not only physical wellbeing, but emotional wellbeing too. It probably sounds silly, how could I have not known about the impact SUGARY foods can have to our emotional wellbeing. I mean I’m a counsellor, and I support others emotional wellbeing!! Not only that but I see how people’s emotional wellbeing can be impact by different events, and traumas.

Most of us eat SUGAR because let’s face it, it can taste nice! I’m not sure about you but often growing up having a piece of cake, or some chocolate was a treat. Let’s face it as my mum used to tell me, a little of what you fancy does you good! But when does the little bit become a big bit??!!

As you reach for that SUGARY treat are you eating for comfort? Are you eating to block out all those feelings, and emotions? Is it just because every day you stop at 11am for those 3 dark chocolate digestives with a cuppa?

There are many reasons for why we eat, so one of the things I encourage people to do, if they are think about reducing SUGAR, is to explore why they are reaching for that particular food.

We all need a little comfort in our lives especially during these difficult times, yet it’s useful to consider when does the occasional bit of comfort eating, turn into eating out of despair?

I have never forgotten about 10 years ago, I travelled up to Burton on Trent for a job interview, and was staying at a b and b. Staying at a b and b, or hotel was always my excuse to stock up on junk to binge eat in my room! Having heard I hadn’t got the job, I had, had an emotional phone call home to mum. I was really tearful, and remember eating piles and piles of SUGARY items. Whilst doing this, a thought struck me, that’s the moment when I realised I was eating for comfort, I was eating to push down all that pain and sadness I was feeling. That moment was a real revelation to me, and I have never forgotten it. It took me about 6 years after that, to cut out the SUGARY foods, but it certainly got me thinking about my eating habits.

Since then I have always said that regardless of what diet, slimming group or whatever else you do, having an understanding of your eating habits is key to developing a healthier relationship with food.

So I encourage you to take some time to contemplate why you eat the foods you do.