BLOG 9 EMOTIONAL EATING

BLOG 9 EMOTIONAL EATING

I’m sure we can all relate to eating based on how we are currently feeling. Be it stress, tragedy, feeling tired or bored, or in celebration of an occasion, we play to these emotions and eat accordingly. We often hear about low carb, less fat, more fruits and vegetables, but in our moments of weakness, all those factors disappear even if we know we are sabotaging our fitness goals. In essence, we don’t always eat just because we are hungry.

Some of the factors I found while researching this topic that cause us to eat besides hunger include our cortisol levels, social settings, anxiety or stress, and habits that we have learned from childhood (http://stress.about.com/od/unhealthybehaviors/a/eating.htm).

Cortisol is our stress hormone, and too much stress causes an increase in this hormone. This increase causes cravings primarily for sweet and salty foods, and we all know what over indulging in items like potato chips leads to. I have learned that black tea helps suppress cortisol levels, so it’s a good resource to use when feeling like you are going to pull out your hair from stress. It’s important to also take strides towards eliminating stress or factors that cause this in our lives and to participate in stress reducing activities such as exercise. There are unforeseen stressors in our lives, but let’s work together to tackle those factors that we can control.

Eating is a very social and it seems that most of our get-togethers, events, and functions, somehow revolve around food. This past Monday was Memorial Day, so of course our family gatherings centered around a BBQ at someone’s house or the beach. We meet friends for dinner or drinks. We go to conferences or meetings which are catered. Appetizers and desserts are rarely forgotten. I preach the “Two Bite Rule”, and I fully understand that psychologically it is not easy to turn down free food, homemade food, or restaurants we love. When everyone else is having a glass of wine, it seems impossible to just have water. Or we get too carried away chatting and catching up, that we don’t realize how much we have consumed. BBQs can be marathons of additional servings.

Sometimes when we are bored, we eat. Eating can fill a void. We are doing something if we are eating. Often times because my life is on the go, when I stop, I don’t know what to do with myself and I’m more hungry at that time versus when I’m busy.

Believe it or not, I was raised on fast food and eating out. I had two full time working parents and sports every night, so Happy Meals and Del Taco were staples of my childhood. At that time my metabolism was of course higher, but if I were to continue to eat that way, I would be in trouble. Dessert was a reward and my snacks were Fruit Roll Ups, Pop Tarts, and Chewy granola bars. My education has definitely helped me to alter my eating, but of course when I went to college with endless buffets and constant eating with basketball on road trips, I gained weight right away. As schools continue to cut P.E. and after school sports we need to be proactive about what we are modeling for our children and their nutrition.

It seems like rocket science to teach ourselves to eat to fuel, not to satisfy a craving or emotion. This action definitely correlates with the phrase “easier said than done”. Just being aware that we are eating based on our feelings can stop us in our tracks. A moment of satisfaction isn’t worth 45 min or more of jogging to counter act it. We have to respect our bodies and know that we are being self-destructive. I tend to over eat out of emotion. Even though my snack might be healthy, of course half a bag of almonds is no longer good for me calorically speaking or with the fat content. My solution is that when I come to work, I have pre portioned what I can have (the benefits of meal planning) and what is there is there. I have to force self-control. I also buy individually packaged Greek yogurts and cottage cheeses, so that there is no option past the serving size to continue to eat more. It may be more expensive in the long run, but Costco wreaks havoc on a girl who is constantly hungry. This week let’s come up with some solutions for you if any of these emotional eating habits sound familiar.