Over the past few weeks I
have been battling a virtual magazine rack of issues/life stressors.
I know I am not alone in
this struggle! We all struggle everyday with an unending supply of life
stressors; and with each stressor comes a whole host of powerful emotions.
I battle with a lifelong obesity struggle and stress based emotions are a huge overeating trigger
for me.
According to the Mayo
Clinic, stress eating “is eating as a way to
suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom,
sadness and loneliness. Major life events or, more commonly, the hassles of
daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and
disrupt your weight-loss efforts."
Sometimes when I battle
life stressors I am able to fight back against the negative emotions with
heathy weapons - such as:
- Spending some extra time
with God
- Calling up a supportive friend or family member for encouragement and prayer
- Taking a much needed nap
- Basking in the sunshine for a few
minutes to recharge
- Treating myself to a pampering
pedicure
However, other times I panic and reach for my old friend Mr. Junk
Food! These past couple of weeks I have been cheating my weight loss
efforts by eating more highly processed vegan junk foods. Oh sure the bag says,
"Quinoa or Lentil Chips"..but who am I kidding...they are still chips
and eating the whole bag in one sitting is not healthy.
Each Sunday is weigh in day
for me, however, I was out of town recently and missed one of my Sunday weigh ins.
So, this past Sunday when I stepped on the scales it had been two weeks
since I had last weighed. With nervous trepidation I stepped onto the polished stainless steel scales and waited for the blinking numbers to halt. Whew, down one more
pound and a new grand total of 55 pounds of weight lost since December 8.
Fortunately, last Sunday I had dodged the weight gain bullet, however, as I stepped off of the scales after my weekly weigh in I
realized I was playing Russian Roulette with my life. If I continued to stress eat I was in danger of
robbing myself of the healthy rewards I had received since starting my new
plant based lifestyle.
Sure, I was happy to see
the one-pound weight loss, but in my heart of hearts, I knew there was a
real and legitimate possibility that the numbers could have easily
showed a weight gain. While dealing with my stressors I had
temporarily lost focus. I had allowed my fear based negative
emotions to cloud my judgments. Without the blink of an eye I
had instinctively leaped onto the hamster wheel of emotional eating.
And in reality, I was practicing pharisaical eating.
Sure, I was "legally" still eating gluten free and vegan,
but I was also eating in a self destructive manner.
Thankfully, I am back on the wagon, but I know without a doubt at some point in the future I will again find myself facing the same issue of emotional
eating!
Gratefully though with each new wipe out I have learned something new about myself and I know that by God's grace each of my future stumbles and falls will be fewer and further apart!
Our recipe for the week
comes from Philippe, a teenage vegan, who makes the most amazing scrambled
tofu. Thanks Philippe for sharing your recipe with us and for the
mouthwatering photo of your finished product!
Philippe’s World Famous Scrambled Tofu
One block of drained and crumbled organic
extra firm tofu
Grape seed or avocado oil – enough to coat the
bottom of a medium non-stick skillet.
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
Optional add ins:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Cooked and salted potato pieces
Small tomatoes cut into quarters
Parsley
Place oil in the skillet over medium heat and
add the drained and crumbled tofu the pan. Add remaining ingredients
and cook until it's the consistency of scrambled eggs. If you like,
add in your preferred add ins and serve along side your favorite breakfast
dishes or you can use the scrambled tofu to make yummy breakfast burritos.
Love,
Sharon
