I just wanted to bury my head in food!

My nerves were shot. All I felt like doing was eating a ton of indulgent food. I just wanted to escape.

Yesterday, my youngest son Asher - who has been walking for a few weeks - fell into a table and needed stitches. Kids man. They'll kill ya!

I was so tempted to emotionally eat.

Instead...

I ordered a salad, grilled chicken and a side of broccoli with garlic and oil from a local place.

Because, by far, the hardest part of making a healthy choice when we're feeling emotional: is the time between when we first feel hungry to when we start eating.

The Body Tutor on my shoulder kept telling me, "As soon as you start eating the salad, you'll be so glad you made a healthy choice."

Guess what?

I was so glad. I am so glad.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) food never makes us feel the way we want to feel. As much as our short term / irrational mind tries to convince us otherwise, it will only make us feel worse. If we're stressed or emotional, it'll wind up amplifying those feelings.

1) Here's the tricky part: Food is very soothing.

However, it doesn't matter what we're eating. At least not nearly as much as we might think. One of the most soothing parts of eating is chewing. Salad / veggies gives us a lot to eat for hardly any calories.

2) I've learned that food never makes us feel the way we really want to feel.

(If anything, it prevents us from feeling, which is why it's so appealing in the short term.)

However, that quickly subsides and turns into regret for the choices we made and disdain for ourselves for using food (vs enjoying it, which is the goal).

3) When our desire for comfort food is greatest is when we need nutrition the most.

Think about that for a second. Nutrition gives us the energy, clarity, and focus to deal with and handle everything better.

As I often joke with clients: When was the last time you felt like changing the world after eating pizza? (Yet, so many meetings involve pizza.)

One of the most tempting things to do when (hmm, what's the best way to put this)...life happens...is to stop taking care of ourselves.

However, if we choose to eat indulgently and lounge around, it's only going to perpetuate those negative feelings.

This morning, I didn't feel like exercising at all. But I knew I'd feel better afterward, and I do. And Asher, he'll be fine. He's a tough cookie.

• When was the last time you regretted exercising?

• When was the last time you regretted making a healthy choice?

Extras

+ Parents often tell me they join MyBodyTutor because they don't want their kids to have the same struggles and issues with food/weight as they do. Hint: The way you talk about your food/weight in front of them is way more impactful than what you say to them about their food choices/weight.

+ Speaking of walking, learning how to walk is simple: You stand up, take a few steps, and fall down. You do that over and over until you're not falling down as much. Good life lesson that applies to so many worthwhile pursuits, including better health and fitness.

+ I've learned that many people don't actually want to change. They simply want to be able to tell themselves that they tried. This might sting for some people. More on this soon.