Comfort Eating
Apparently, fifty-five per cent of the population is either overweight or actually obese. The even more worrying fact is that many of us eat too much for other reasons than actual hunger.
So why do we do this and how can we reverse the trend to stuff ourselves when it is not necessary?
Stress triggers eating
Too much pressure, either at home or work can soon have you reaching for the chocolate. When stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol as part of the 'fight or flight' response to danger. The body assumes that with the high levels of cortisol being released, physical activity is to follow to cope with the perceived danger. This is why it craves food to fuel it.
Kick the habit
- Consider anyway in which you can reduce the stress in your life. Maybe you need to delegate more, take on less, or re-evaluate your relationships at home or at work.
- Keep some time every day for formal relaxation such as Yoga or meditation.
- Keep moving, even a short brisk walk can help reduce cortisol levels.
If you are always starving
Are you one of those people who automatically piles up their plate at every meal because they reckon they were born with a big appetite and there's little they can do about it? Think again. According to the experts, no one is born an overeater.
Start a new regime
- Stop eating junk and processed foods and go for wholegrain, fruit, vegetables, nuts, yoghurt and lean meat instead. They will fill you up quickly and leave you feeling satisfied for longer
- Don’t pick up super-sized products in the supermarket. You don’t need them!
- Get yourself a smaller plate, put your fork down between mouthfuls and chew slowly
- If you weigh and measure your food it can help retrain your eye.
Keep temptation away
Those gorgeous food adverts on TV, sweets at the checkout, and fast-food outlets on the high street... if you are not careful, you give in to the temptation you see at every corner. The human body evolved to survive famines, so it’s up to you to:
Distract yourself or look away
- Phone a friend, have a bath, put on some music, read a book or go for a walk when tempted.
- Tough it out – if you don't eat, the intensity of the craving should soon subside
- Grab something healthy to eat such as a piece of fruit, which can take away the pang for a burger or chocolate.
If food equals love for you
If you are feeling unloved, angry or anxious it can quickly send you to the fridge for a bout of comfort eating. Certain foods are known to alter moods and eating can be a quick way to make you feel better in the short term. But you are using food as an emotional crutch rather than facing up to your feeling.
Try to work out why you are stuffing your face when you may not even be hungry. Are you bored, lonely, angry? Face up to these feelings, and then try to find a non-food way of dealing with them. Get out an about. Join a club, start a night-school course, make new friends and take up some new form of exercise. You must be kind to yourself and indulge in some pampering 'me' time as well. Treat yourself to a facial or body massage, or aim for getting into a size smaller pair of jeans next month!
Lack of sleep is a killer when you want to stop eating!
Sleep deprivation can leave you grumpy and less likely to make wise food choices, but it can also disrupt a series of metabolic and hormonal processes that help to control appetite. For example, levels of the hormone leptin, which plays an important role in signalling to your brain that you've eaten enough, are reduced by lack of sleep. I suffer from insomnia and I know when I am tired I crave chocolate or anything sweet – and for a while I feel better. But after an hour or so I am back to feeling grotty again. A stiff walk in the fresh air works much better.
