Posted by Dorine King on July 29th, 2026 in Cooking Through the Seasons, Weight Loss Journey

Emotional Eating During Stress: What This Week Taught Me

Weight Loss Update – Stress, Forest Fires, and Emotional Eating

When life gets loud, some weeks just seem determined to test us on our emotional eating during stress skills.

This has been one of those weeks.

I live in the beautiful Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota, where summer is usually filled with paddles on the lakes, visitors, festivals, and the quiet sounds of nature. This year, however, the beauty has come with an unsettling backdrop—forest fires.

There are several fires burning in our area, and a couple of them are moving in our direction. We have a cabin that could be affected if conditions worsen, and my youngest daughter is currently living there. Watching the fire maps and waiting for updates has become part of our daily routine.

We’ve packed our “just in case” bags, and a dear friend who lives farther south has graciously offered us a place to stay if we need to evacuate. We’re prepared, and for that I’m grateful. Still, living with uncertainty takes its toll.

Life Doesn’t Stop

As if the fires weren’t enough, I also began a seven-week Aromatic Chemistry course that will keep me busy for the rest of the summer. This week we studied linalool, and next week we’ll begin learning about d-limonene. I’m thoroughly enjoying the class—it feeds a part of me that loves learning—but it also requires time and mental energy.

Then there’s July.

Around here, July means family visits, friends dropping by, and all the activity that comes with summer in the Boundary Waters. It’s wonderful…and exhausting.

Sometimes even the good things add to our stress.

Learning a New Normal with Less Stress

Recently, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

I’m still learning what this diagnosis means and how to live with a body that doesn’t always cooperate. I’m discovering new levels of pain, learning different ways to move so I don’t make things worse, and accepting that I simply can’t do everything the way I used to.

I’ve decided to spend the next month working with an occupational therapist to help my hands regain strength and function. I’m hopeful it will make a real difference, but right now it feels like one more thing to fit into an already full life.

It’s definitely a process.

Meet My Biggest Trigger: Emotional Eating During Stress

Today was one of those days when I finally had to admit something I’ve known for a while.

I’m an emotional eater.

When life becomes overwhelming, I don’t meal prep, plan breakfast or lunch and I don’t stop and ask myself what would nourish my body.

I eat what’s easy.

A handful of Chicken in a Biskit crackers.

A few cookies.

Leftovers standing at the refrigerator.

Pizza.

Whatever is in front of me.

It’s almost as though my brain says, “Just get through today.”

The problem is that “getting through today” has consequences tomorrow morning when I step on the scale.

The Bare Minimum

Lately I feel like I’m doing only the bare minimum—the things that absolutely have to get done or that other people are depending on me to do.

Everything else, including taking care of myself, seems to fall to the bottom of the list.

And that’s showing up in my food choices.

It’s showing up on the scale.

This morning’s weigh-in was up 1.2 pounds from last week.

One pound isn’t the end of the world.

But the habits behind that pound? Those deserve my attention.

Tonight’s Choice

Tonight my husband and I have a “Dinner and a Movie” date at home. Believe it or not, I’ve never seen The Godfather, so we’re finally going to watch it together.

Dinner is easy—pasta.

Normally, that wouldn’t concern me. But after a day of crackers, cookies, and mindless eating, I couldn’t help thinking:

“Yikes…what is this going to do to the scale?”

Maybe that’s the wrong question.

A better question might be:

What can I learn from today?

Stress isn’t going away.

Forest fires eventually will.

Summer visitors will head home.

My chemistry class will end.

Even rheumatoid arthritis will become something I learn to manage better with time.

But emotional eating during stress — that’s something I need to understand if I want this weight loss to last.

Looking Ahead

I’m not giving up.

I’m simply recognizing that this week wasn’t really about food.

It was about stress.

Next week won’t be perfect either. But maybe I can prepare one breakfast. Pack one healthy lunch. Pause before reaching for the crackers. Take a breath before opening the cookie box.

The Macklin Method teaches us to slow down and ask three simple questions before making a choice:

• Is this aligned with my values?
• How will I feel afterward?
• Is this building my restraint skills or impairing them?

This week, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t asking those questions. I was simply reacting. Stress was making my food decisions for me.

The good news is that every meal gives me another opportunity to begin again.

Weight loss isn’t just about counting calories or watching the number on the scale. It’s about learning how to navigate difficult seasons without asking food to solve problems it was never meant to solve.

The forest fires will eventually be extinguished. Summer visitors will head home. My aromatic chemistry class will come to an end. And little by little, I’ll learn how to live well with rheumatoid arthritis.

Life will always bring stress.

My challenge—and my opportunity—is to build the kind of restraint that allows me to respond thoughtfully instead of react emotionally.

That’s the real work.

And perhaps that’s the lesson I needed to learn this week.

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