Why I’m Choosing Me
Posted by Catherine Morgan on May 12, 2010
Why I’m Choosing Me (cross-posted from the Choose You Blog)
Hi, my name is Catherine Morgan, I’m a single mother of two teenagers (Brian 19, Nicole 16), and they are my reason for wanting to “choose me” and make healthy changes in my life. I was so happy to hear about the Choose You campaign by the American Cancer Society. The timing was perfect. For health reasons, I really need to get serious about eating healthier and getting more exercise. Not only am I excited about making some Choose You commitments, but I’m honored to have also been asked to be part of the Choose You Blog.
You see…up until recently, I’ve been falling prey to emotional eating, mainly due to the stresses of selling my home and moving into another. And I haven’t just fallen off the healthy eating wagon, I’ve crashed and burned. It’s not a pretty sight. I’ve been eating all kinds of sweets and junk food, most of which I don’t even like. Go figure. The last few weeks have actually been way beyond emotional eating, I think a more accurate term would be eating insanity.
I believe the first step in healing is admitting you have a problem, so here goes.
Catherine, you have a problem, and it’s time to try and fix it.
Now, to start. There is no “quick fix” when it comes to eating healthy, so I’m starting off slow. My short-term plan is to cut out the unhealthy sugars (like cookies, candy, cakes, and ice-cream). I know that I need to tackle this issue before any other, because it’s the one that is most like an addiction for me. [I recently posted on a new study that shows junk food is as addicting as cocaine.] I can go months and months without eating sugar (not even craving it), but once I start eating it again, it’s all over. That’s why I’m making cutting out sugar my first Choose You commitment. I’ll be taking the next two weeks to get the sugar out of my system.
Once I’m successful at cutting out the sugar, my next steps will be to eat healthy, get more exercise, and hopefully lose some weight. It’s going to take time, but I’m ready for the challenge. I’ll be posting here once a week…and I could use all the support I can get from you in comments.
Wish me luck.
Also See:
- My BlogHer post – Join The Choose You Movement with Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy.
- Are You Addicted To Sugar?
- Eat Healthy For Life, Not Weight Loss
Catherine is the mother of two teenagers, she writes about health & wellness at BlogHer and catherine-morgan.com.
phatpast said
Excellent choice; cutting out sugar is a good step. You can always use natural sugar that you get from fruits. The junk food being as addicting as cocaine article was an eye opener. Thanks for sharing and good luck to you.
Catherine Morgan said
Thanks so much. I am trying to get more fruit in…I love frozen blueberries. Thanks for commenting.
Sofa Karen said
Hi Catherine
I am so an emotional eater, aren’t most women!! However, reading your article I was thinking to myself I really haven’t done serious comfort eating for ages. I’ve been living with M.E. for 6 years so a healthy diet has been part of my recovery strategy. You know the usual stuff, lots of fresh food, no wheat or dairy, protein with every meal. I’d do the 80/20 thing. So if I fancied a small glass of wine or some dark chocolate I would have it. I was fine with sticking to the eating plan if I knew I could have the occasional treat. But if I was having a tough day I could easily fall off the waggon and have some ‘bad’ stuff. In the last month or so I’ve been listening to some self hypnosis Cd’s. One of the ones I’ve been listening too is ‘craving healthy foods’. And reading your article has made me realise how much of an impact it’s had. My eating hasn’t changed massively. I’m not suddenly a carrot munching, wheat grass drinking goddess but there are some changes. Quite subtle ones but pretty impressive. It feels like my relationship with food is more relaxed and it’s just not so hard to stick to the ‘plan’ Anyway, just thought I’d share!! Good luck with your eating….xx
Catherine Morgan said
Thanks for sharing your story.
Rick said
Just curious, have you tried the Gupta Programme? I’ve had CFS for 19 years. A friend emailed me a link to it, I checked it out, and it’s the best explanation of CFS that I’ve yet found. May not resonate with you, but with me, after watching the first video all the bells went off and I ordered the program. he advises to follow the program for 6 months before expecting change, though with some it happens very quickly. I’ve been on the program for about a week and am already noticing some subtle changes for the better. Just google ‘gupta programme amygdala retraining’ and you’ll find it right away. All the best on your healing journey.