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Emotional
Eating
I
think everyone is familiar with the stereotypical scene of fat
woman watching soap operas and eating bonbons. Although this is
stereotypical, there is some truth to this image. It has been
found when people are bored, upset, or experiencing emotional
highs and lows that food can be a coping mechanism resulting in
emotional eating for comfort. How many times can you remember
being angry and going to the refrigerator for something to eat?
I believe there are many that can attest to this scenario and
are keenly familiar with it.
How do you combat emotional eating that has been a part of your
life for as long as you can remember? Remember all those times
when you were child, crying and your mother gave you cookie? This
is where it begins as early as the cradle. We are all sucked into
the habit of eating when emotions are high that it becomes ingrained
in our daily living.
The following situations are usual triggers for overeating: Job
loss, marital issues, health issues, being tired, money problems,
and even rainy days. Emotional highs and emotional lows most often
take us to places we don't wish to deal with, so we go to our
happy place where our favorite food gives us temporary satisfaction.
This only gives us a break from dealing with the situation at
hand, the problems are still there. If you're trying to lose weight,
emotional eating can turn your weight loss efforts upside down
and do a whole lot of damage when left unchecked. Learning how
to distract yourself and redirect these emotions are important
so that weight loss can continue at a steady pace instead of suffering
setbacks with yo-yo weight gaining and weight loss.
Consider the following to combat emotional eating:
· Get a life - people overeat because they're bored.
Get involved in a hobby that you like such as playing the guitar,
sewing, make some friends online, go for walk with your dog, or
journal.
· Write it down - make yourself a food diary so
you can see what you are eating, when you're eating, and how much
you're eating. Chances are, if you write all this down, you will
be more careful about what you eat.
· Seek professional help - If you cannot get your
emotional eating in check, then seek the help of a certified mental
health provider who can give you some information on what to do
when these cravings come upon you, why they are happening, and
how to get through them.
Emotional eating is something that more people than you know are
well acquainted with. Getting an understanding of how to deal
with our emotions is the key to being successful in defeating
any negative effects of prolonged emotional eating.
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