Here’s a good question:  Is an emotional eater and a nervous eater one and the same?  I’ve been thinking that emotional eating is all about stuffing yourself after a breakup, or an argument with your mother.  Emotions can flare wild and wooly during those times.  But what if you had an unexpected, nerve-wracking event, like a flooded basement? Does that count? I narrowly avoided such a situation today, but my nerves got my cortisol levels way out of whack, and I ate everything in sight.  The first part of the day went well:

BREAKFAST:

I had the requisite 6 oz. of berries, in this case, blackberries.  I have been avoiding all fruits to make sure my dopamine receptors are growing back, but with my recent success, I thought I would add one of the least sugar-laden fruits back into my plan and see what happens. Good idea, but I blew that out of the water later in the day. This morning I did follow my fruit a half-hour later with eggs, and pieces of one strip of bacon and sausage.

LUNCH:

We were in the car driving home when it came lunch time.  Thank heaven I was prepared with a thermos of chicken and celery in broth.  That held me til we got home.

SNACK/DINNER/MESS:

When we got home, since we had record-breaking sub-zero temperatures, I thought I’d look in on the lower level for burst pipes. All dry, I discovered with great thanks in my heart. Just for good measure, I checked to see if the sump pump was operating well. It was not. The water level had risen in the cistern, the pump didn’t seem to be operating, and when I checked the water to see if I could figure out what was wrong, the water was very warm, which indicated to me the sump pump wasn’t operating properly. Luckily my plumber sensed the gravity of the situation and sent someone over right away, to find that the outside pipe had frozen shut, preventing any water from being flushed out and causing the pump to overheat.

If I had not checked it, the basement would have flooded and the pump would have burned out. I was naturally relieved, but my nerves were on edge. That’s when I lost control.

My debacle:  a glass of chocolate wine at a neighbor’s house who was checking her own basement and offered a soothing treat. I continued the downslide with a handful of pistachios and pumpkin seeds back home, a few remaining garlic chips in the pantry, some root chips (taro, sweet potato, parsnip), and, to add insult to injury, a small handful (about nine) chocolate chips. They were 72% cacao, but that is a small consolation considering I was trying to avoid all sugar.

So the answer to the question I posed at the beginning of this blog is yes, I think, without a doubt. What do you think? Share your thoughts below; I’d appreciate hearing from you.