Emotional eating is a common yet frustrating condition that many people face. It can sabotage your goals, decrease your self-esteem and cause you to face endless ups and downs when it comes to weight loss. Emotional eating often occurs when a person is facing stress and change in life that requires distraction. Eating when you are feeding your emotions rather than eating when you are truly hungry can set you up for unwanted weight gains as well as difficulty dealing with the true emotions behind your behavior.
When you are feeling stress your body releases hormones that circulate in the body. One of these stress hormones is cortisol. cortisol released over time in large doses can lead to excess triggers in the brain that cause you to crave high sugar foods and starches. Over time, this increased exposure to stress hormones can have negative effects on your body including decreased metabolism, physical pains, organ damage and overall weight gain.
A way to know if you are an emotional eater is to keep a food diary. For a week write down the time you eat, what you eat, the amounts and calculate the calories. Also note what your were feeling at the time maybe even using a simple system of facial expressions. Note when you eat higher fat or sugar foods and what circumstances were present at the time. You may notice that you eat more when in social situations, if you have been drinking, or when you are lonely or sad. There may also be a pattern of certain circumstances, times of the day or people that trigger a response.
Even if these circumstances exist, remember, you are in control of your eating. You are in control of your response to stress in your life and that is something you can control. For example, if you note that you respond to a difficult day at work by eating a bag of chips and a gallon of ice cream when you get home try to come up with other more healthy ways to deal with your emotions. Try exercise. It is a proven fact that if you exercise, different hormones are released called endorphins and these counter balance the cortisol effects on the body. Also try to replace high fat treats with lower calories items that if consumed produce less damage and the effects are not so great.
If you find that you are an emotional eater that is something that you can work to control. You can find alternate ways to deal with stress and emotions and still reach your goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Remember, even if you eat the gallon of ice cream, the stress is still there and now, so are the pounds!
