When you put yourself on a diet to lose weight you may be setting yourself up for failure from the start. What!!?
It’s true. Diets are stressful. Stress causes hormones to be released that start a complete chain reaction of eating issues for a lot of people. Change your behaviors and your weight will start to melt off you.
Under stress, many people eat for relief, which, unfortunately, this lasts only till the last bite. The issues will suddenly reappear. The truth of the matter is, they never went away. Then the unavoidable feelings of being a failure set in. Not only did you not solve your stress issues, you made another one, right there around your waist.
The solution?
Find tools besides a fork to attack emotional frustration. In the time it takes to find your favorite quick-fix food, you can do something to end the vicious cycle, beat stress, eliminate emotional eating and yes, eventually drop that excess weight for good without even trying.
Food longings, particularly for emotional eaters, mean you want something else. It may be a creative stimulation, friendship, or even more satisfaction in life. What are your eating triggers? Tedium, disappointment, and solitude? When you work out what the actual problem is you have got a great opportunity to change the behavior. This is how to figure it out and “feed” your real issue.
1. Keep a food journal.
Every time you reach for food, write down what you eat and how you were feeling. Patterns will emerge. When you recognise the pattern you are on your way to begin to break it.
2. Shop for some new “stimulants.”
Do you eat when you’re bored? Time to make a new “grocery” list: buy cheap, accessible things such as books, CDs, and tapes or DVDs of favorite films that supply the emotional lift you’re looking for from food. Keep them handy, and turn to them when you’re down.
3. Call your best pal.
Do you eat to escape hurtful feelings? Make a human connection rather than eating. Call someone who makes you feel good.
4. Create new habits.
Find a hobby. When you’re engrossed in something that you love, you forget all about eating, particularly if you’re active. Falling in love with an activity like walking or bicycling is great. But if it is woodworking or knitting that you love, that is fine too, both of these keep your hands too busy to allow you to eat.
5. Head towards your dreams.
Heading towards goals, one step at a time is satisfying. With taking an easy, little step forward the sensations of empowerment and achievement offer a heady satisfaction that starts a cycle of satisfaction.
6. Find new rewards.
Like the majority of people, you most likely eat to celebrate accomplishments too. Find new, reasonable rewards like earrings or tickets to a play or movie.
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