Common Triggers for Overeating (Article)

Hi everyone, I found this interesting article on my weight center's newsletter and thought it would be good for a reminder to all of us... we are all in this together, so we are here to share!

Common Triggers for Overeating
By Linda Mackey, M.Ed., LMHC (Adapted from: Stop Gaining Weight by Laura Pawlak)

Place thoughts of the food into your brain, stir in stress or emotional upset, and mix well. Set in a
warm place and watch your cravings rise.  Triggers that cause us to overeat fall into four
categories:
 Situational: time of day, places (restaurants, going to the movies), watching television, when
you’re alone or with others, the sight or smell of food
 Emotional: feelings of boredom, stress, sadness, guilt, depression, happiness
 Thinking: beliefs from childhood regarding the need to “clean your plate," “don’t waste food because it’s expensive," or “there are starving children somewhere in the world"
 Physiological: experiencing pain or physical discomfort, lightheaded or shakiness associated with not eating or too much caffeine

Everyone has personal triggers for eating more than planned.  Sometimes we find ourselves over-indulging and are not sure how we got there. Relapses into unhealthy eating can be stopped before it starts by increasing our awareness of our own personal triggers.  In the field of addiction and recovery there is a warning system to help prevent relapse into substance abuse: HALT!! H – hungry, A – angry, L – lonely, T – tired.

This system also helpful for overeating. When we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, we are at risk for reverting to old patterns of unhealthy eating. At those moments, we are very vulnerable and our defenses are down. That’s the time to take action, before succumbing to the cravings
for your favorite foods to help elevate your mood.

HUNGRY: To maintain a healthy weight and relationship with food it is important to eat before you get ravenous. It is very easy to reach for an unhealthy choice because it’s available and provides a quick fix.

ANGRY: Avoid building up resentment in relationships with family and friends. It only leads to anger that keeps us stuck and immobilized and unable to find resolution or at best, a compromise.

LONELY: It’s okay to be alone. Ask any mother who dreams of the day she can go into the bathroom without the company of 1-3 children.  Call a friend, read that book you have been meaning to get to, go to the gym or the mall in order to feel a part of a group, go to church or your
place of worship, go to the movies (hold the popcorn), or just take a long soothing bath or shower.

TIRED: Part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while working on your weight (with or without surgery), is making sure you get enough rest. We all know what sleep deprivation does to our
productivity, motivation, cognition and mood. Everyone leads very busy lives. Without proper rest we can’t care for the people who mean the most to us or ourselves.  When you came to the Weight Center you began a process that involved making yourself a priority in your life. If you got side-tracked, as we all can with the pressures of life, get back on track. There isn’t a moment
to spare. Complacency is just around the corner. Take charge of your life NOW.

Thanks Mara!  Its always good to go back and remember how we got to where we were in the first place. 

I think as we lose weight we aren't as in touch with ourselves as to why we eat like we do/did.  Maintenance comes around and it seems to want to rear its ugly head again at times! 

I put an S on that HALT, for sick.  Funeral food, comforty food, sick food tend to all be the same sorts of foods, that if we are not given to moderation, well, do not "comfort" us for long.

This is such a timely article. Thank you so much for posting it. I think I might print it out and stick it on the fridge. 

Mara, I enjoyed the article.  Thanks for sharing!!
Linda