Welcome back to the MFRW 52-week Blog Challenge. Our topic for week nine is stress-eating: the whys and wherefores. I am not a big stress eater so I don’t know a lot on this topic. On occasion, if I am very stressed I may crave chocolate (that’s a good excuse and I am sticking to it). I am more the type that gets so busy I forget to eat but when I do I suppose I make up for that missed meal in one sitting and go at it like a dog with a bone.
A lot of people have the misconception that writing is easy, stress free and glamorous. Most authors have to find time to write in their busy schedule of a full-time job, raising a family, and daily housework. Even if we are lucky enough to be able to write full time, there is still family to care for, house to clean, yards to deal with, and deadlines to make.
Lots of deadlines. There is the first draft, revise that get to a beta reader, do those revisions, get to the editor, get it back on their deadline, if you have a publisher more deadlines, deadlines for covers. So it is easy to stay stressed and keep junk food at your desk to nibble on instead of a healthy meal.
I think the reason people stress-eat is food is comfort. When we were babies and upset, moms feed us, when we are little kids and get upset or hurt, moms gave us treats, when we went to the Doctor or other scary, stressful place they would give us suckers, or small pieces of candy. We equate calming down with a treat. Most of the time when we stress-eat it’s carbs we crave. Carbs are sugars and give us more energy.
Excercise can do the same as the carbs. So I have implemented more to my routine. I am going to start posting my results of my new lifestyle in my reader’s group Cat’s Romance-a-holics. If you are not a member and would like to join here is the link. Bring along a friend. I hope to start having fun and games, interactive help with my books and just fun chats.
Do you stress-eat? What are your triggers and how do you deal with it? Lets go see how the other authors deal with stress-eating
14 responses to “Eating Away Your Woes #MFRWauthor #stresseating #awriterslife”
Some of us, ahem…cough, have a long list of comfort foods for stressful times. You’re right about exercise as a good replacement, but if I dare buy a loaf of Italian bread, I’d forget about exercise and wallow in carbs. Good luck with your plan, Cathy.
Carbs do give us energy. I am now craving homemade bread lol. My personal trainer told me not to totally give up anything except maybe sugar. LOL
I bounce between being a stress eater and going days without food if my anxiety gets too bad. There seems to be little in between for me. Often times if I have a rough day or I get stressed then I want all my comfort foods. Not all of them are horrible for me, but the higher the stress is, the more I want the bad stuff.
I can understand that. it seems when we are stressed we reach for something to comfort us.
Mine is usually things like pizza, or cheeseburgers and fries. Real carb heavy stuff.
I think mine is worse. I crave fried when I do it seems when I am at the bottom I want fried chicken and gravy lol.
I can’t eat fried foods a lot. It messes up my stomach something fierce
I have to limit mine too. sigh
Yeah, I grew up with food being that thing and now as an adult I struggle to shake it.
It is so hard to shake since it is something we can’t live without and making good choices is so hard. It seems like most of the yummy stuff is the bad stuff.You do great working so hard on your Atkins I am so proud of you.
Hi, Cathy. I didn’t see your post on the MFRW website this week. Yeah, food can definitely equal comfort, a hard cycle to break. It’s worth the effort, though. After all, if II indulged all my basic, primitive impulses, I’d be writing this from prison (for road-rage homicide).
Thank you for reminding me. I went back and got it in just in time. I write and schedule them on Sunday then forget to go add to the list LOL I think a lot of us may have that issue . Mine would be Walmart rage homicide. It’s like playing a rough game of football in there most of the time. all the pushing, lining up behind others standing and chatting. you want to scream get your stuff and go!
Carbs are my weakness; my go-to foods for lunch are pasta, bread, or pizza. I’ll split a box of Kraft Mac-n-cheese with my granddaughter, who barely eats an entire bowl, so guess who eats the rest? Yup….and the size of my jeans now reflects it.
Homemade bread…*drool*….it used to be a joke that if I was going to make some, I’d have to make two….one for later and the other to eat piping hot from the oven. Seriously, is there anything better that hot homemade bread slathered with butter?
*resists the urge to go buy bread dough*
Really trying to be good…..I’m trying to restrict my carb intake during the week, then have a cheat day on the weekend.
Oh I can get behind that box of macaroni too lol. I can eat the whole thing. and Homemade bread too. now you have me wanting to bake some. I am trying to eat healthier so that means fewer carbs for me too. My personal trainer tells me not to go to crazy on cutting back on my food I need the carbs, especially after a workout. I don’t think he means bread or macaroni though LOL.