The day has been stressful. Maybe you are trying to balance family and work and it’s not working . Or you are worried about money. Or your ex did not pick up the kids when he said he was going to. You are just plain tired. You find that you are saying to yourself, “I want some chocolate chip cookies!” Or ice cream, or chocolate. You pick the sweet treat of choice. Sound familiar?
It does to me. That was what I was thinking just this week. Trying to juggle some things, my weight was up, there were multiple things going on in my mind having to do with business that I was obsessing about. I just needed a little energy and a little boost.
I actually thought about baking a batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. I was here at home by myself. No one would notice how much dough I would taste or cookies I would eat. They would taste soooo good. A little sugar and chocolate hit. What would be so wrong with that?
Well, we know that if we eat the cookies, we get a nice little hit of pleasure. It would last for a while. But did we really solve any of the issues? Maybe, yes momentarily. But, in fact, we may have compounded those issues. Crash later and weight gain, to name a couple.
So what can we do instead? I’d like for you to take a long, compassionate look at yourself and the situation. Of course, you are going to reach for the sweets when you don’t feel good, are stressed and tired. Weren’t we offered ice cream or a cookie when we were unhappy in our childhood? Right then, your brain started to get conditioned to look for sweet relief from pain or upset. It’s natural. The dopamine hit from the sugar caused your brain to desire sweets when not happy.
In my lifetime, I have made many a batch of chocolate chip cookies – from the time I was a child. Also, having a bowl of ice cream did the trick momentarily as well. When things got dysfunctional at home, this is the way that I dealt with it. That continued through two bad marriages, divorce, being a single parent and worrying about money. I just kept increasing the desire in my brain.
Even now, when I am in a very happy marriage, when I am stressed about something, my thoughts turn to chewy, delicious, warm chocolate chip cookies.
But now I know that when I do indulge in the urge, my blood sugar soars, my insulin response surges and, since insulin is a fat storing hormone, I will hold on to fat. That is how I slowly gained weight over the years and could not figure out why. I never let my insulin levels come down.
So, this week, when I got the urge for the cookies, thankfully, I was able to wait a while and the urge passed. It’s best to just relax, look at the desire, recognize what it is, and sit with the discomfort.
I know that’s not what you probably wanted to hear and it takes practice, but you can do it! You can train your brain to be kind and compassionate. It’s just responding to a stimulus it learned many years ago. Pat the little toddler in your brain who said, “I want a chocolate chip cookie!” and say, “You can sit down now. I love you, but this is not a good idea.” Go do something else relaxing or go for a walk. Have a cup of tea instead. That’s what I did this week.
Watch what happens as you keep your insulin levels down. You will lose that fat. Just watch.
Would you like some help in meeting your weight goals? Dealing with life after divorce? Shoot me an email at jane@janespringer.com and we’ll chat about your challenges to see if we are a good fit to work together. I’d love to meet you!
Blessings,
Jane
Jane Springer is a certified Life, Wellness and Style Coach who assists women in taking care of themselves, in body, mind and spirit. She coaches women who want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, and feel great. She also helps them thrive after divorce. She also helps them to clear their closets of old clothes and outdated attitudes, so they can shine and feel confident.