STOP EMOTIONAL EATING

Emotions are delt with in all types of way.  For some, they turn to eating.  The purpose of this blog is to provide you with some tips on how to stop emotional eating and avoid adding extra weight.

BREAK THE CYCLE

As much as a routine can help us keep healthy habits, we realize that not everything goes to plan.  You’ve had a long day and before you know it, it’s 10 p.m. and you’re eating food you know you shouldn't.  This happens all too often, but here is how you can make sure this does not turn into a habit.

Emotional eating, whether conscious or not, is often turned into binge eating, causing an imbalance of sugar/chemical cravings.  Your body knows that the food you consume will help you feel better in the short term, however it often forgets how you will feel in the long run.  We want to help you first understand what contributes to the behaviors and habits that cause emotional eating.

INSIDE THE BODY

Are you a "stress eater"?  Stress eating is typically provoked by hormonal changes inside the body as a result of stress, or an excess of the stress hormone, cortisol in the body.

Cortisol is known to increase appetite and even fuel motivation to eat more.  This can make indulging a little too easy.  Stress also influences your cravings in the direction of foods high in sugar and fat, which is problematic because excess cortisol levels signals the body to store energy as body fat.

Stress eating is essentially the perfect storm of emotions and chemical reactions in the body that opens doors to weight gain, insulin resistance, or other major complications.

Unconscious eating

Unconscious eating happens when you don’t pay attention to what you’re eating. Mindlessly snacking away at whatever is in front of you while you watch TV or eating what’s left on your plate even when your full are other types of emotional eating.

Be mindful of what you’re eating. Take time to enjoy the foods you eat, the tastes, and the textures. Pay attention to what and why you’re eating. By making this a goal, you’ll be more aware of what you’re eating throughout the day.

Having a negative body image

Having a negative body image can fuel emotional eating. If you are discouraged about how your body looks it is tough to stick to any health goals you may establish. Progress happens slowly, not all at once, and we may not notice it in ourselves as it’s happening.

In the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” There are images all around us, especially on our phones with social media, that make it easy to compare ourselves to others. 

Remember that eating healthy might not make you look how you want as soon as you want, but it’ll make you feel good. You may be discouraged that you don’t see the same results as other people. Everybody is different, and every body is different, but fueling it regularly with good food is always worth it in the long run.

Letting yourself get too hungry

Skipping meals and allowing yourself to get overly hungry can make it all too easy for you to binge eat as you try to satisfy your cravings and satiate your appetite. This causes overeating or eating whatever is fast and convenient. 

Make sure you don’t go too many hours without eating, schedule it in, or set alarms if you have to. Now that we know what causes it, let’s figure out how to combat it.

COMBAT EMOTIONAL EATING

1. Remove highly processed foods and sugar from your diet. 

2. Practice mindful eating daily. 

3. Incorporate meditation into your routine. 

4. Try your hand at journaling

5. Build exercise into your schedule

CONCLUSION

Healthy habits are the solution to emotional eating.  Not only will healthy habits help you in the short term, but they will help you build a better relationship with food for a long time to come.