What are you really feeding when you find yourself in front of an open fridge late at night? Are you responding to a genuine hunger, to boredom, or to negative emotions?
If eating is how you cope with stress or unhappiness, you need to ask yourself if you are an emotional eater.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of emotional eating is the first step towards overcoming it.
Comfort eating starts almost at birth. When we were babies we cried and our mothers comforted us with their milk. As we grew up we were given goodies for comfort or when we hurt ourselves. We were rewarded with sweet products, fast food, salty snacks when we were good or to pacify our moods.
As children, we have often given treats to either shut us up, or to cheer us up. And as adults, we are no different. The only difference is that we don't usually want to crave things like healthy salads or broccoli. No, we want high-calorie, high-sugar content foods, like pie, ice cream, cake, peanuts and popcorn.
Using food from time to time as a reward isn't necessarily a horrible thing to do. When eating is your primary emotional coping instrument when your first reaction is to head to the refrigerator or favorite fast food location whenever you're upset, angry or stressed,-you get stuck in an unhealthy cycle where the real feeling or problem is never realized.
So what's eating you? Is your body literally padding itself to keep from getting hurt?
Fear is a major ingredient in craving comfort foods. Some women fear making those changes that would make them happier individuals. In fact, sometimes they are waiting for people to give them permission. And quite often, they have a fear of success as much as the fear failure.
The belief that food will make us feel better contributes to our desire for sometimes unhealthy food. At that point it's only a short step from wanting the food to the habit of feeling that we need it. The point of eating becomes something we do to attain a habitual emotional effect.
Losing weight itself is not easy. As we get older there are things like menopause and medication. And let's not forget what comes with menopause: sleep deprivation.
Dieting itself is stressful and can cause you to crave comfort foods. And let's not forget changes in the weather. In the summertime, I wanted kale or protein shakes to start my day, now I couldn't care less.
Turning your comfort food craving into a craving for something healthy, like fresh strawberries or crunchy almonds, is for the best.
And don't think that going low-fat is the answer. The food industry came up with a trick in the 80′s; that is to take the fat out of the food, and to fill it up with sugar, cornstarch and potato filler. And gluten-free alternatives that are out in the market now? Quite often, they are not much better either.
Remember, the first three letters in the word 'diet' are 'die'. So, for the most part eat healthy, and forgive yourself when you don't. And remember, if you ate today, thank a farmer.
Mary is an empowerment coach who works with women who struggle
with feeling like a doormat and want to be in control of their lives.
What separates her service from the competition is she was a former
doormat. She will take you by the hand and gently move them forward
along the path of positive change and because of this, clients receive a
life plan designed by them and they have the power to step into it.
