I had a bad week last week. I was very disappointed with some news from a family member (not health-wise thankfully!) and then a few other things I was working on seemed to go down the wrong path.
So, honestly, I felt down in the dumps. And even while usually staying at my happy place here at the Jersey shore always makes me feel so happy and grateful, I found myself more feeling lonely and sad.
Then, because I was sad, I gave myself “the excuse” to binge.
For me, binging looks like crunchy and salt and at night-which used to be my big weakness (as many of you know when I gained 10 pounds back in 2019!).
I ate these organic plantain chips cooked in coconut oil with only sea salt as the third and final ingredient. They did (for the most part…) pass the Jill the Health Coach acceptable food test, BUT not when you eat 2 big bowls of them at a sitting (and by big bowls, I may mean serving bowls!)
And I also may have been eating and eating all day long to “distract me” or whatever excuse I gave myself.
What an imposter I felt like. I always talk about NOT eating at night because it just sits in your stomach at night. Then it, if it’s starchy, it just breaks down into sugar. This then gets stored as fat because you’re not exactly burning it off before going to bed. Then the food sitting in your belly disrupts your reparative cycle because your body is busy trying to digest it and on and on…
But I was just feeling sad and that was my vice.
Thankfully I only did this 3 nights in a row (and let’s face it, throughout the days, too…). I started to beat myself up a bit but then I shifted my thoughts to last week’s article I wrote on forgiveness.
As I said, there is no point in beating ourselves up. It only makes us more tense and upset. Let’s face it, what’s in the past is in the past and there is no going back. All we have is today and tomorrow to look forward to.
So, I pulled up my bootstraps, forgave myself, did more meditation than I normally do to shift my thoughts to the positive aspects and all that I am grateful for.
And, yes, there are always positive aspects to EVERY situation. It’s all perspective.
For me, I accepted some things to be as they were as I had no control over other people’s actions or feelings and other external events. I CHOSE to let them go as I recognize that we don’t always have control over events or actions around us, but we DO have control on how we react to them.
While I was disappointed in how I reacted (and not just the binging), I choose to look at this as another learning opportunity. So, I will try to react with more immediate forgiveness and calm in the future and even look at the wins I had in this situation (not that I thought I had any!).
My big win was that I never went out of my black and white boundaries food-wise. I never eat gluten or cow’s dairy. So, that wasn’t even an option. For me, it’s more the quantity and when I binge.
Then, my other big win was that it didn’t last long (like NOT long enough to gain back 10 pounds, thankfully…).
My final win was that I recognized what to do to get me out of my slump. I immediately started concentrating on all the things for which I am grateful and shifted my attention to anything other than my doom and gloom.
After all, my mentor Jim Fortin always says, “You are where your attention is.” So, I fought as much as I could to keep shifting my attention away from what was making me feel bad. No, it’s not always easy but persistence is the key. In fact, I’m not 100% there as those sad thoughts seem to creep in a bit here and there. But I am getting much better and efficient at escorting those thoughts away and focusing on other things.
Bottom line, I want to admit that there are so many bigger struggles that people are dealing with than my minor setback. In the grand scheme of things, I know well how lucky and grateful I am.
But many of us do get sucked in with our lives and what’s going on in the world. However, we all have the power to get ourselves out and take back control by recognizing what works best for us.
First and foremost, always start by recognizing the positive in every situation. It may not always be so obvious, but I promise you there is always something.
Then, whether it’s shifting your attention or speaking to someone who can help, whatever it is, take action to move yourself in the directions that feels best for you. Taking action is the key. It just gets harder and harder to get ourselves out the longer we stay in.
I hope sharing my experience helps and feel free to check out the “offending” just-about-empty bag of chips below…
To find out what I NORMALLY eat in reasonable quantities, and to stay at my optimal weight and feel energized, check out my personal shopping list and guide to help you get on your way to a more balanced body.
All material in this newsletter is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication;instead readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information provided has not been approved the Food & Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease.
