Find out how to stop emotional eating and take control of your weight loss efforts by understanding the connection you may have between food and your mood. Research shows that some of the strongest food cravings occur when people are at a weak point emotionally.
Do you turn to food to comfort yourself after a hard day’s work? Do you find yourself craving ice cream when faced with a challenge or difficult problem? If so, you may be an emotional eater. Emotional eating leads to consuming too much food at a time, especially high-calorie sweets and junk-food carbohydrates.
Tips to Get You Back on Track Losing Weight
Although stress and distress may trigger emotional eating, there are steps you can take to control the cravings and revive your weight loss efforts.
Reduce your stress
The less stress in your life, the more likely you are to lose weight by eating properly. Stress management techniques are helpful, such as implementing yoga, meditation, or prayer. Eliminating as much stress from your life can be beneficial to combat emotional eating.
Keep a food log
You may be surprised about how many calories you consume – unknowingly! You may reach for that handful of chips a second and third time only to have added 400 calories to your diet within a couple of minutes. Writing down what you eat and how you feel at the time can help you track patterns in your eating. This technique can prove to help make the connection between your eating choices and emotional triggers.
Distract yourself
Eliminating boredom and distracting yourself with activities that take your mind off of problems and emotional eating can help. Try watching a movie, without the popcorn, or going on a walk. Surrounding yourself with loved ones or just chatting with a friend can do wonders for emotional eating woes.
Remove the temptation
It is best not to keep a stash of comfort foods in the pantry if you are inclined to eat emotionally. This means avoiding going to the grocery store when you are stressed out as well. Eliminating those hard to resist foods is the best way to prevent yourself from eating when impacted by your emotions.
Give yourself a check-up.
There is a lot to be said about self-examination, and this is especially true of emotional eating. Ask yourself why you are eating what you are or if you are starving. The answer may surprise you.
Get enough rest
Research shows that people who routinely do not get adequate sleep tend to be overweight. The less sleep you get, the more you may rely on food for that quick energy boost. During stressful times, allow yourself some extra rest in the form of an afternoon nap or going to bed earlier than you normally do.
Snack on healthy foods
If you have the urge to eat between scheduled meals, try snacking on low-calorie foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. Avoid fatty sweets, chips, and soda, and lean toward fresh vegetables and fruits. If you must, reach for some unbuttered and lightly salted popcorn to satisfy the carb cravings.
Don’t deprive yourself.
If you are trying to lose weight, you may be restricting calories. This process is safe and effective, but depriving yourself of all of your favorite foods may not be reasonable. Instead, think moderation and allow yourself one or two cheat meals a week consisting of some of your favorites. There is nothing wrong with an occasional treat, and it may just boost your metabolism to lose more weight the following week.
You must be logged in to post a comment.