LifeStarts WLS

Groups » LifeStarts WLS » Discussion » Get a Handle on Emo...

Get a Handle on Emotional Eating

SWEET Tink
on 4/18/10 11:51 pm

Ever been angry or upset one minute and then on your couch eating the next, unable to remember why you started eating or how long you had spent munching? If so, then you have entered the world of emotional eating. It’s something than can happen to anyone, and one of the most common dieting obstacles out there.

Emotional eating at its best passes after a few minutes. At its worst, it can take over your life and cause you to eat uncontrollably for extended periods of time. And according to nutritional experts, 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. So don’t worry, if you suffer from emotional eating, you are not alone.

People often eat to relieve stress or to get something off their minds. The kicker is that stress, and the insulin jump that goes with it, may actually cause you to crave high sugar, high carbohydrate foods – foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

Rather than munching, it's better to develop new skills for dealing with boredom, self-esteem issues and stress. Try to pinpoint the major reasons for your stress or unpleasant emotions, and see how you can turn the tide. Here are a few suggestions to combat your emotions:

 

  • Get your trigger foods out of the house, get your crutch foods out of arms' reach
  • Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.
  • Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises
  • Keep a reminder of your goal handy
  • Talk to a friend
  • Visit and post on the support message boards
  • Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, like pictures and people
  • Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments
  • Track your eating patterns, including when and why you pick up food.
     
If you still seem to come back to food when your emotions get the best of you, you can at least be prepared. Eating large amounts of snacks is not a good thing. But if you eat low calorie foods, it’s not so bad. So stock the fridge with healthy alternatives--foods that have good nutritious value and are smaller in size. Here are a few food suggestions to keep within arms' reach:
  • Apple or orange slices
  • Carrot sticks
  • Banana
  • Broccoli
  • Whole wheat toast
  • Bran muffin
  • Fruit smoothie
  • Applesauce

The Secret Sabotage of Your Program

-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer




Proud Obesity Help Bariatric Life Coach
Proud Obesity Help Support Group Leader
Fighting Daily the Disease We Call Obesity !
www.obesityhelp.com/group/LifeStartsWLS08
www.vawlsevents.com
Helping Others Find Their Way to a Life They Deserve!



    
Annie M.
on 4/19/10 1:25 am - Monument, CO
Thanks Tink, I'm posting this on my refrigerator and bathroom mirror. 
Your faithfulness to our group is amazing. I very much appreciate all
your work. Have a blessed day~
SWEET Tink
on 4/19/10 8:07 am
Ann ,
Thank you .. sometimes it feels good to know you are doing something positive .. and your post really uplifted me today ...

I love you all and I want you to be succesfull .... so what ever I gotta do ... this stuff is hard and we need  to support and learn as much as we can .
Your words truly mean so much to me ..

Love Tink

Proud Obesity Help Bariatric Life Coach
Proud Obesity Help Support Group Leader
Fighting Daily the Disease We Call Obesity !
www.obesityhelp.com/group/LifeStartsWLS08
www.vawlsevents.com
Helping Others Find Their Way to a Life They Deserve!



    
Bre K
on 4/19/10 1:30 pm - Stamford, CT
This is like so helpful and a great reminder to stay on track.  Thanks for sharing Tink.
BRE visit http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/changedforGodforlife/membersCheck out Fairfileld County Bariatrics WTNH, www.wtnh.com/dpp/ct_style/health_fitness/fairfield-county-bariatrics 
             
Navytown Mom
on 4/19/10 11:10 pm
Ok, that is exactly my problem! I have the hardest time getting a grip on it. When things go crazy in my life I have always turned to food, now I turn to better food choices but I wish that I could replace that habit with a healthier one. Just this last week I started training for a 5k...I have found  that it does help when I exercise. However, my biggest problem area is at work...I have a very high stress job and I am unable to leave my desk for hours on end. I have acknowledged that and I have placed healthy snacks in my drawers.

Thanks for the post,
Susan
 
        
SWEET Tink
on 4/20/10 12:12 pm
Susan ,
Good for you ,
Before my Addisons diagnoses and I had to go on disability , I too had a very high stress job . Hard to leave . So I had to stock up on healthy snacks . One thing I kept in a small cooler under my desk where - sugar snapp peas , carrots .. you know the very little baby ones ... I kept cheese and crackers .. ( Wheat thins mostly ) ... but I had to stop eating from the machines ... that ended the day I went back to work after my surgery .

Good Luck on your 5k. I want to do one so much but until I can get my osteoporosis under control I cannot do this .. but one day I am .. I love to run ... more than anything .
Best to you on this .

Tink

Proud Obesity Help Bariatric Life Coach
Proud Obesity Help Support Group Leader
Fighting Daily the Disease We Call Obesity !
www.obesityhelp.com/group/LifeStartsWLS08
www.vawlsevents.com
Helping Others Find Their Way to a Life They Deserve!



    
×