Overcoming Emotional Eating

Dr. Purushothaman
January 13, 2014

 

Food is amongst the primary necessities of life in addition to clothing and shelter, but of the three food is apparently the particular one most sought for due to its life sustaining ability. Regrettably, the overindulgence in this little enjoyment of life seems to have led to eating problems such as emotional eating that have eventually resulted in the ever-escalating worldwide obesity numbers we're having today.
Industry analysts are of the estimation that approximately 75 percent of all overeating is linked to emotions. Latest research which have compared the impact of particular external reasons for overindulging like getaways and celebrations noted that it was still easier for individuals who overeat around such occasions to reduce weight when compared with individuals who take part in overeating because of their feelings.
In its most fundamental sense, emotional eating may be said to be the tendency of a person to have pleasure in harmful eating habits largely due to the mood they are in at that moment. Emotional eating is actually one of the biggest hurdles deterring a number of people today from being successful with their weight loss endeavors.
A number of the explanations why people are involved in emotional eating includes the following amongst others: (a) food labeling and restriction which frequently triggers a bad cycle of denial - deprivation and overindulgence over certain foods which such emotional eaters have come to classify as "forbidden"; (b) resorting to comfort foods; (c) particular hormonal and gender differences; and (d) response to stress and anxiety.
Like other harmful behaviors, emotional eating is actually a challenge which is best fixed through first of all understanding what causes individuals to get involved in emotional eating and then taking applicable actions to fix the situation.
With that said, let us consider a number of lifestyle measures which can be implemented by individuals who have an emotional eating habit to aid them overcome this disorder.
1. Healthily Snacking
The simplest way to get over a poor snacking routine is to get replacement healthy food to snack on which will offer just about the equivalent or higher delight like the one you are aiming to stop. Make a calculated attempt to think about and test out substitute nourishing foods as alternatives for the kinds you repeatedly hunger after.
2. Refrain From Stocking Harmful Food Items in Your Home
The tendency for individuals to engage in emotional eating increases if there's plenty of fattening food products at home to munch on. It would consequently be a wise decision to quit stocking plenty of high-calorie comfort foods and also other foods you hunger for at home. Likewise, it will be great to never go food shopping when you're famished to avoid shopping based on your present starving frame of mind.
3. Eating a Healthy Breakfast
Beginning your day with a nutritious breakfast which includes healthy and balanced lean proteins and high-fiber carbohydrates will go a long way to supply your body with ample calories to satisfy your energy requirements. This type of nourishing morning meal in addition keeps you feeling satisfied and unlikely to have craving for food.
4. Regularly Eating Small Meals
Dividing your standard three daily meals into around 4 - 6 smaller wholesome meals when it comes to value and calorie doesn't only help to give a boost to your metabolism but also reduces food cravings. This strategy of reducing the amount of your individual meals and spreading out your meal timetable throughout the day will aid you to nurture a new eating habit which will let you to get a lot more intuitively mindful of the fact that your next nourishing meal is simply around the corner.
5. Breaking and Re-Conditioning Your Thinking Patterns
Like almost everything in life, our thought patterns which frequently determine our emotional reactions may be reconditioned. Nonetheless, this is something which needs quite some time and also a level of willpower. The key to actually being successful with this approach would be to have a very good leverage as to why make sure you avoid yielding to emotional eating.
Among the best methods to break a pattern is usually to ask yourself certain thought-provoking questions that will help to create the desired leverage. You can attempt questions like "Why do I eat?" and "What precisely does food mean to me?". Similarly, you can consider, "does eating function as an easy way for me to become satisfied" or "do I eat mainly because I have to renew myself?"
Also, it is scientifically established that the brain cannot recognize between when you are dehydrated and famished. Therefore, when next you're feeling as if you are starving, don't simply surrender to the impulse, in its place temporarily stop and assess yourself first of all to ascertain if you're in fact starving. Additionally, there is the need to stop tagging food to be either "bad" or "good" and to be aware that it's the amount consumed which has an important function in causing people to end up being overweight or obese.
Conquering emotional eating is a fairly hard situation because there is usually the propensity of upbraiding yourself. Hence, it is necessary for you to try to forgive yourself whenever you get it wrong and give in to emotional eating.
You've got inside of you the capability to make eating emotionally an exception and not the rule when it comes to your eating habits. Learn from the earlier slips and develop plans on how to rise above these shortcomings next time. Also, make sure you give yourself some credits for the modest advancements you make now and then while recommitting yourself to making improvements to your last best efforts.

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