Controlling what goes on inside your head is just as essential to getting your strongest, leanest, healthiest body as proper nutrition and exercising. In fact, it is EVEN MORE important! I’m going to give you the tools you need to recognize your emotional triggers and get a handle on your emotional eating to finally end it’s toll on your body!
Achieving our most desired figure is more about changing your mindset and ditching the emotional clutter than anything else. We must not allow food to be our primary relationship. If you are an emotional eater, you are not alone. Most people are, actually. It is very common to turn to quick fixes like comfort food, as opposed to facing your feelings. You may be an emotional eater and don’t even realize it. You may experience cravings and think you are hungry for certain foods, when in fact it’s probably more about being stressed or bored. Or maybe you are angry or anxious. It could be loneliness or sadness. Most people think they overeat because they lack self control, but it could be that you are over disciplined about the wrong things. Meaning, you probably need to create more space in your life for self care. Self care isn’t always about bubble baths and massages. Sometimes it’s about leaving the office at 5:00pm or taking a lunch break away from your desk. Sometimes it is about setting healthy boundaries for yourself and not being such a martyr all the time. Eating fulfills the need for comfort and pleasure. If you are not creating room for even one activity that brings you pleasure, you might use food as a quick fix because it’s a lot easier to have a few cookies at night than to figure out what’s stressing you out at work or with your relationships or prioritizing your time properly. Connecting to what feeds you emotionally is as important as what you eat. When you don’t face your feelings, you are more likely to end up reaching for comfort food, and then beating yourself up for doing so, so then you start the cycle all over again, because now you need to be comforted from being mad at yourself for what you ate.
Feed your soul, not your face! Your soul is your mind, will and emotions. Becoming more aware of your triggers and addressing your emotions will help you conquer emotional eating. But you have to be willing to face how you feel and deal with it. Feed your soul by making room for more pleasure as stated above, and pinpoint your passions. Really think about and hone in on what you are passionate about and begin to pursue those things. Feeding your soul also includes stopping your body hate. Reverse body-bashing thoughts by finding things you appreciate about your body, such as the fact that it did the amazing work of carrying and delivering your child into the world, or the fact that it works and moves you toward all that you do and earn. Finding appreciation for your body will make it easier to apply the lifestyle changes necessary to reach your body goals. Additionally, feeding our soul includes allowing yourself to “feel” your feelings. Somehow we are under the misconception that it is bad or wrong to feel certain ways…. angry, sad, anxious, etc. There is NOTHING wrong with being angry, feeling sad or any other emotion. Let me say that again….it is NOT wrong. However, there is a difference between feeling an emotion and displaying an emotion. It is important to exercise self control and not put our negative emotions on display, but do not confuse allowing yourself to feel a certain way with a lack of self control. Also, do not confuse allowing yourself to feel certain emotions with a lack of strength. And speaking of strength, finally feeding your soul is consuming spiritual nourishment. That is essential to gain more strength.
It is a myth that we only emotionally eat when we are upset. Actually, we eat in response to any emotion, and sometimes we reach for food to try to hold on to feelings of joy, longer. Below I explain the common reactions relating to eating in response to each emotion, why we respond the way we do, and I provide alternatives to these behaviors. Being aware and having a strategy will be the bulk of the battle.
STRESS
Stress releases cortisol which sends your body into fight or flight mode, making you crave the energy that fatty foods like French fries and sugary foods provide. Foods that regulate your blood sugar are a must when you’re stressed out. A great food for stress relief is pistachios because they help keep blood sugar levels steady for energy, they are the nuts lowest in calories and fat. Buying them in the shell makes you automatically slow down when you eat them so you don’t consume as many.
An alternative to eating would be activities that naturally reduce your cortisol levels, such as taking a time out to read and having a soothing cup of black tea. Studies have shown black tea to reduce cortisol levels by about 47%. Drinking any healthy hydrator can fill your stomach so you take less to fill it with food.
ANGER
When we are angry, we want to reach for crunchy things like potato chips, snack mix or even hard candy in order to satisfy a gnawing feeling. Munching can be soothing and give us a release, so try a healthy alternative like corn tortilla chips with salsa or carrots dipped in hummus. Clenching and unclenching the jaw helps release tension without consuming so many calories.
An alternative to eating could be to vent to a friend to blow off steam, however, sometimes this can make you dwell more rather than less. An even better way would be to take a jog to burn off some adrenaline.
DEPRESSION/SADNESS
Being sad or depressed may make you likely to reach for comfort foods that bring you back to happy memories from childhood, like mac and cheese. Instead you could make whole wheat pasta with fat free milk and reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese.
An alternative to eating can be flipping through old photos to relive happy memories.
ANXIETY
Chocolate may be the go-to choice when you’re feeling anxious. It has many chemical properties that give us a little emotional buzz, such as a release of the feel good chemicals dopamine and serotonin. Instead of plowing through an entire plate of brownies, shoot for a couple of pieces of dark chocolate or you could make your own dark chocolate dipped strawberries. Another soothing alternative is frozen grapes.
An alternative to eating would be to do yoga. When you’re anxious, your body moves into panic mode where your heart rate beats faster and breathing quickens. Yoga can help ease anxiety by bringing on a relaxation response through rhythmic movements and stretching, and the deep breathing used in the practice naturally helps slow and increased heart rate triggered by nervous energy. Even if all you do is take some deep breaths in Childs pose, this can channel stillness and peace.
LONELINESS
When you feel lonely, you may dive into a pint of ice cream to soothe yourself. This is because dairy has calming and sedative properties. It is also a bit of a pop culture association. Every breakup movie features a woman eating ice cream straight out of the carton, and we tend to mimic what we see because in our subconscious, this is just what is known to make one feel better. A big problem is that the guilt that follows a pint of ice cream does nothing for loneliness and does more to counteract our healthy efforts. Instead, go for some reduced fat, plain Greek yogurt and add some sugar free pudding to it. It still provides comforting creaminess, but it has protein which is energizing, and the plain yogurt has no sugar, which keeps glucose levels steady, keeping you out of the vicious sugar craving cycle.
An alternative to eating would be to make connection. You can call a friend, send a message or an email or even just write a letter the old fashioned way. Telling a friend or family member how much they mean to you, focusing on your gratitude and appreciation for them, can help ease the urge to binge. It is very therapeutic to get out some emotion by putting feelings in ink.
BOREDOM
When we’re bored we often reach to munch on something to occupy us. Part of the problem is that we munch mindlessly on not so healthy things. Try reaching for something healthy with a spicy kick to keep your taste buds busy such as wasabi flavored nuts or spicy hummus with veggies for dipping. Not only does this give your mouth a kick, it can also wake up all of your senses so that you’re not zoning out.
An alternative to eating when you’re bored would simply be to close your eyes, let your body completely relax and simply stay still. Boredom eating or feeling the need to fill your time with a sedentary activity (constant social media scrolling) is a big problem in our culture. It would be a good thing to begin to practice overcoming the need to fill every single down time moment, or gaps in your time with the need to entertain yourself.
HAPPINESS
While this is one of the best emotions of all, and we want to feel it all the time, being happy can make you overeat too, since we use celebrations as a reason to indulge in our eating. Feeling good can trigger cravings for flavors linked to holidays and parties because our brains associate those times with happiness. Trade your celebratory wine for a non alcoholic, non sugary drink in your wine glass. Sometimes it’s more about holding and sipping from the glass than anything else. And in lieu of dessert, experiment with concoctions of dried fruit, nut butters, oats and pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon. You’d be amazed at what your creative side can come up with to really satisfy!
An alternative to eating when you are happy would simply be to contact several people that you love to share things with and tell them what you are excited about, or simply share positive discussions about your joy with coworkers.
Like anything else with self improvement, this will take some time to master. But you are worth that time! You’ll fail a little at times, but you’ll succeed big at others! What do I always say??? ‘PRACTIVE MAKES PROGRESS!’. Progress is success! Keep practicing! Never stop! And know that your Coach is here with a heart to love, a hunger to serve and hope to share
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