The problem being an emotional eater ...
Weight loss is
never an easy issue, but if you suffer from emotional eating you may find
it even more difficult. Being an emotional eater means that you
consume large amounts of food not because you are hungry, but because
your are sad, unhappy, irritated, depressed of for some other emotional
reason.
Eating becomes
a habit to deal with unwanted emotional feelings. Experts estimate
that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. If you are an emotional
eater you can get help by a good do-it-yourself system that
will show how to tap the natural ability to let go of any negative
thought or feeling on the spot-including all forms addiction and
eating
disorders.
Food can easy
be a substituion for love and comfort. When whe are little children
many of us learn that food, especially sweets, can bring short term
comforts and as a result of this eating might be a habit overcoming
distress, rather than learning skills to do so.
If you have this
habit to overeat when you are stressed, anxious, feel lonely, are
frustrated for some reason or have got problems with personal relationships,
you might gain weigt you don't want and might have difficulties
following and stick to a weight loss program.
.... and what you can do about it:
The 2-step solution.
You are not overeating
all the time. There are certain conditions which must be present
making you start the process.
Identify
...
The first
step to a solution is identifying what triggers you to start overeating as an emotional eater. You
have to know what situations, thoughts, physical cues, social envioronment
and feeling makes you start eating. You probably already know what
triggers you have, but analyze this a little more. As soon as you
feel that need for something to eat without being hungry, take a piece
of paper and write down the mood, the situation or the dominant feeling.
...
and substitute!
The fault
many people often do, is trying just to stop a habit. That does not
work, as you maybe already know. You can't just take away the habit of being an emotional eater
which makes you feel temporary better ... you can't stop such a habit,
you have to put another one in it's place! So the second step is to
substitute one habit with another. Avoid to go straight to the refrigerator,
be aware of what you are just going to do, and chose one of the alternatives
instead. And if you fail, see this as only a temporaty obstacle in
your way. Concentrate on the times you succeed and not in the times
you fail.
So try to identify
the situations that starts your unwanted habit as an emotional eater, and for every such
situation be prepared with some alternatives.
Suggested
alternatives to switch to
Some suggested
alternatives may be:
- Listen to music
- Phone a friend
- Go for a short
walk around the block
- Watch television
- Do some housework
- Wash the car
- Put on a face
mask and take a bubble bath
- Brush your
teeth
- Do something
for yourself which you enjoy
Keep on adding
more things to the list that suites your needs.
It takes at least
21 days to switch from one habit to another. Every time you succeed
in chosing one of the alternatives, you are one step closer to your
goal.
Reward yourself ....
And remember
to reward yourself. Don't wait until you have reached your final goal,
but reward yourself every time you are one step closer to it. We tend
to repeat behaviors that are rewarded, so rewarding is a very efficient
tool in itself.
...
and think back remembering your success!
Also think back
and remember the times you successfully switched to one of the alternatives,
feel how satisfied you were when you did so, and remain in that
feeling of success as long as you can. Bring that feeling back as
often as you remember.
The next time
you feel the desire to start excessive eating as an emotional eater, bring up the feeling
of satisfaction you felt when you substituted to one of the habits
you have listed. It will help you avoid future temptations.
You might need more help
If you are
under a lot of emotional stress, you may need additional techniques
to cope with emotional
eating. Meditation, yoga, affirmations and self-hypnosis as well
as relaxation exercises and counseling, can teach you to cope in more
effective and healthier ways.
Why
excessiv eating makes you feel good - temporary ...
The reason
why eating and food makes you temporary feeling good, and comforts
you, is that large amounts of carbohydrates releases serotonin in
our braines, a compound which makes us feel happy and satisfied.
If you though you have tried several strategies and still experience
severe difficulty coping with your emotinal eating, you can add
a supplement which helps you curbe your excessive eating as an emotional eater.
...
and how supplements might help!
All supplements
are not created equal. The secret is which supplements to combine
for synergistic benefits in order to be efficient, but still safe.
*******
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