How's Your Relationship -- With Food?

Recognize that food is not your friend... nor your enemy. Food cannot fulfill your emotional needs. In the long-term, chocolate cake a la mode is not going to lift your spirits or take away stress or fill empty hours. That's what your real friends are for. Many people substitute a relationship with a person for a relationship with food. They're looking at food as a loving person that can give them what they want. Food-plain and simply--provides the nutrients your body and all its functions need. It gives you the energy to get through your busy day (as well a your workouts!).

Accept yourself and your temperament: If you're a stress eater, choose some low-cal snacks, and limit a stress-eating episode to 200 calories. This is a good start, and more realistic than saying "I won't eat when I'm stressed."

Think before you eat. If you use food to soothe you, reflect on the reasons causing your distress and how you can better manage it, either on your own, with a friend or therapist (see "Seek Help," below). Then make a healthier snack choice.

Avoid absolutes. Pick a change that is easy to stick with for the long-term. There are many changes we can all incorporate. For example: Do not say, "I'll never eat chips again." Do say, "When I want chips, I'll stick to one 100-calorie pack."

Next page: More food for thought