Tuesday 18, 2023
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sometimes the strongest craving hits when you are at your weakest point emotionally. You may turn to food for Comfort, consciously or unconsciously, when worried and facing a difficult problem, anxious, stressed, or bored.”According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sometimes the strongest craving hits when you are at your weakest point emotionally. You may turn to food for Comfort, consciously or unconsciously, when worried and facing a difficult problem, anxious, stressed, or bored.”
And what do we head for Comfort Foods?
Emotional eating is a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions of life’s hassles.
Well, comfort foods taste good, lessen the stress hormone cortisol’s impact, and increase the serotonin that makes us feel calmer.
However, it then sabotages our weight-loss efforts by hitting high calories, sweets, and fatty foods.
The good news is that if you are prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track.
As a review of my previous discussion…..
The Most Common Stress Triggers are:
- Relationship conflicts
- Work or other stressors
- Fatigue
- Financial Pressures and
- Health problems
Although food can be a distraction then, we stress about the extra guilt we have about setting back on weight loss goals, leading to an unhealthy cycle of crazy diets that are not maintainable!
Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic to control cravings and stop emotional eating:
- Keep a food diary – keeping track of what, when, & how much you eat & how you are feeling. You will see a pattern and the connections between food and mood.
- Tame your stress – If you are heading for the chip & dip… learn a stress management technique, such as yoga stretches, meditation, and deep breathing.
- Do a hunger reality check – Are you bored, stressed, or physically hungry? If you just recently ate & your stomach is not rumbling……. give the craving time to pass or drink a BIG glass of water.
- Get Support – Surround yourself with a sound support system with friends, family, a support group, or a health coach.
- Fight Boredom – Instead of snacking, choose healthy behavior. Take a walk. Nothing beats FRESH AIR and Sunshine. IT’S SPRING. Listen to music, read, or call a friend.
- “Take away” temptation – Don’t buy or keep those hard-to-resist comfort foods in the house. NEVER GO SHOPPING WHEN HUNGRY!
- Don’t deprive yourself – It’s better not to limit your calories. This may make you feel hungrier & increase your cravings. Instead, eat satisfying, healthier foods and enjoy an occasional treat!
- Snack healthy – Fruit, vegetables, nuts, or unbuttered popcorn. Avoid sugar substitutes and beware of anything that says -“NO FAT or LOW FAT.” That is where you will find added sugars to give it flavor. Be sure to READ THE LABELS.
- Learn from setbacks – If you have an episode, forgive yourself, learn from the experience, and focus on the positive changes you make to better health.
Now that Spring is in full swing and Summer is ahead, there is no better time to embrace the local fruits and vegetables of the season.
Enjoy the FRESH AIR and SUNSHINE and work on those stress techniques.
Until next week Trust Your Truth and get your MOVE ON with AGE-GILITY!
Bye for now!