Destee
09-28-2009, 12:28 PM
Peace and Blessings Family,
I believe a great deal of our struggle with too much weight lies in emotional eating. It's said that it is a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and loneliness. In addition, major life events, such as unemployment, health problems, divorce, relationship break-ups, daily life hassles, etc., can trigger emotions that lead to overeating.
Well, we all know that Black People have a whole bunch of that stuff in our lives, especially Sisters, often struggling to raise children alone. Whew. Sometimes, a candy bar seems to make everything okay, even if just for the few seconds it takes for us to inhale it.
Below are some tips on how to stop it, or at least begin to bring it under control.
* Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? Give the craving a few minutes to pass.
* Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns that reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
* Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend, logon to destee. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, come to the forum and talk about it, to distract yourself.
* Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.
* Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn.
* Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.
* Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.
If you have tips to share, on how to overcome emotional eating, please share!
:heart:
Destee
I believe a great deal of our struggle with too much weight lies in emotional eating. It's said that it is a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and loneliness. In addition, major life events, such as unemployment, health problems, divorce, relationship break-ups, daily life hassles, etc., can trigger emotions that lead to overeating.
Well, we all know that Black People have a whole bunch of that stuff in our lives, especially Sisters, often struggling to raise children alone. Whew. Sometimes, a candy bar seems to make everything okay, even if just for the few seconds it takes for us to inhale it.
Below are some tips on how to stop it, or at least begin to bring it under control.
* Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? Give the craving a few minutes to pass.
* Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns that reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
* Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend, logon to destee. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, come to the forum and talk about it, to distract yourself.
* Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.
* Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn.
* Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.
* Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.
If you have tips to share, on how to overcome emotional eating, please share!
:heart:
Destee