Emotional eating
- ciaralitchfield
- Jan 27, 2015
- 2 min read
We all have bad days and many of us turn to food when we are stressed and need comforting. Nothing soothes a bad day better than snuggling up with a glass of wine and a bowl of carbs. We need to be aware of how our emotions influence what and how much we eat. For many of us a bit of comfort eating isn’t a problem. Revision season is a great example of people gaining weight. Once the stress of exams is over we get back to our usual shape. For other people the cycle of stress and guilt is nonstop.
One study on emotional eating focused on a group of passionate rugby supporters. The two opposing teams were offered identical buffets after the match had finished. The team who lost (15 to 37) were found to collectively eat 13,420 calories. The winning team ate much less at a collective 8,000 calories. It’s likely that the losing team comfort ate, this resulted in eating 2/3 more. They also chose foods with higher fat and sugar content. This type of comfort eating can spill over whenever we are in a bad mood. Emotional eating walks hand in hand with mindless eating. Once you start it’s hard to stop and the feeling of guilt takes over once you’re done. Recognising the difference between physical hunger and emotional cravings is key. Physical hunger is in your stomach and we all know what it feels like, if your eating even though you know your fell then an emotional aspect may well be at play.
The best way to overcome comfort eating is to remove food from the situation. Deal with the emotional aspect by doing something positive. The key is not to let your emotions take control of what you eat. Calm down and think before you make food choices. Exercise is a great way to work off any frustration or bad feeling but don’t take it out on food!
On the flip side we all slip up every now and again. If you do have a bit of an emotional binge don’t let the guilt make it worse. Instead of burying your head in the sand have a think about how many calories you have had and if you’re not happy work it off. Exercise after is better than none at all. It’s likely that after some time and maybe a few biscuits you will have removed yourself from the negative situation. You will now be ready to deal with the problem and move on. We are all human, its how we deal with situations that’s important.
Weight loss and general health is all about balance. One bad day doesn’t ruin the week. Removing negative feeling from food can be hard for some people but learn to love it. Everything in balance!
