Emotional eating is something I’ve always struggled with and something I will continue to struggle with.
After a good night’s rest, I wake up and am ready to begin another healthy day. As the day goes on, I find it harder and harder to resist food temptations. I get to about 2:00 in the afternoon and the munchies set in. It’s not the munchies where I just need to chew on something. It’s the stress munchies. Paperwork on my desk piles up, constant emails flood my inbox, someone stops in just to chat, and before I know it, none of my to-do list has been accomplished. I begin to get stressed out and all I crave is comfort food.
First thing in the morning is the easiest time to make healthy decisions because our bodies are just waking up from resting. Our minds are most clear and there are not many things running through our minds yet. As the day progresses, our day becomes more and more hectic and there isn’t much time to make clear choices.
I’ve discovered some ways that help me cope with my daily stress.
Plan your meals ahead of time.
Planning your meals ahead of time is the best thing you can do. Then, sticking to your plan is the next best thing. Knowing what you are eating when and executing your plan gets easier with time. It also helps you curve those last-minute birthday parties at work. You know, those parities that just pop up out of no where, or those meetings where you didn’t know pastries were going to be present. It helps to know that you have an apple waiting for you in your office. Better yet, take the apple to meetings or parties just in case! Don’t forget to bring water too! Both help you stay fuller longer. You will thank yourself for this in the end, and I guarantee, when others see you eating an apple instead of cake, they will thank you for inspiring them to be healthier as well.
Remember why you are eating.
When you realize you need to eat something, please also think about the reasons of why you are eating something. Force yourself to stop before you grab food. Think about the following questions before you take a bit:
Why are you about to eat?
- Is it because you haven’t eaten in 3-4 hours and it’s time to put nutrients into your body?
- Is it because you are stressed and you just need some carbs/comfort food to calm you down?
- Do you have a headache and are grabbing an apple for some caffeine or a green pepper to release tension?
If you take 10-20 seconds before eating to understand why you are eating, it may help you become more familiar with the way your body reacts to certain things. This will help you get to know yourself better. It’s like my blog post about changing your mindset; once you do it a few times, you will get used to doing it. This process still does help me.
Earlier in last week, I used the above process to help me. I was stressed and I just wanted carbs and sugars. I went into the freezer, pulled out the ice cream, grabbed the ice cream scope, and before I began scoping out the ice cream I stopped. I realized I was eating because I was stressed. I thought in that moment, “If I eat this ice cream, I am going to be stressed out later because I am trying to lose weight, and instead of eating healthy to lose weight, I am about to eat sugar which puts weight on.” In that one moment, I could have added more stress to my life. It took everything in my power to put the ice cream scope away and the ice cream back in the freezer. It also took me everything in my power not to cry over not allowing myself to eat that ice cream. Overall though, it was a good decision for me.
There are many other ways I could handle my stress; eating poorly isn’t one of them. You may not be able to de-stress anything in your life right now, but there are ways to get our bodies to calm down from stress.
- Sometimes a good cry in the shower is actually therapeutic.
- 20-30 minutes of exercising burns off frustration.
- Going outside for walks helps clear my mind of clutter.
- Yoga, meditation, prayer, and reflection also help clear my mind and shows me what’s important.
- Coloring is a wonderful tool as well. Just 20 minutes’ calms me down.
- Eating a proper nutrition makes me feel the best knowing that at least I am in control of what I am putting into my body.
By encouraging others to do their best, shows our appreciation for each other and helps de-stress each other just a little bit. Give someone a helping hand today and tomorrow.