Conscious Eating – One of the Emotional Keys to Losing Weight
We are all emotional eaters on some level – we eat when we are happy, sad, bored, upset.
However, food, unlike other doshas, is a necessity for life so we cannot give it up completely like alcohol or cigarettes.
On a biochemical level, emotional eating makes perfect sense for uplifting our moods. When we are sad or upset or stressed, eating a sweet or starchy food causes a temporary release of endorphins, a feel-good chemical in the brain that improves our mood.
However soon this temporary feeling goes away and we feel worse and ask ourselves questions like “Why did I just eat?”
Unfortunately, many of us don’t reach for celery sticks or an egg during times of stress or when we need an energy boost. We reach for sugary and fast food treats such biscuits, coke, chocolates.
We also eat food quickly and in a chaotic manner. Our awareness of the parts is omitted. The entire packet of biscuits was gone before we knew it!
There are 3 main stages of eating to return to a state of awareness:
1. Identify the triggers that make you eat
2. Replace the Behavior with a More Empowering Behavior
3. Practice, practice, practice…
It takes awareness and practice to change and maintain a habit. These techniques below may seem overwhelming at first, but by losing weight on an emotional level as well as physically, you will be off to a great start in losing and keeping the weight off long term.
1. Identify triggers
Whether it’s stress, loneliness, boredom or feeling like you deserve a reward – try to identify what’s causing you to overeat. Some Ways You Can Know If You’re An Emotional Eater
One. you are eating even when you are not hungry
B. obsess about food
C. eating when you’re full
D. feeling guilty after eating
I. Trying again and again to lose weight but not able to lose weight
F. late night dinner
2. swap behavior
One. go for a walk
B. brush your teeth
C. drink some green tea
D. read a book or magazine
I. call a friend
F. write in a journal about how you’re feeling
3. Practice mindful eating
One. Often we eat our food without thinking. Try to pay attention to every bite – the taste, the texture, the colour, the smell.
B. Portion your food into containers. Do not use the entire bag or packet
C. take sips of water between bites
D. Use your knife and fork and breathe between bites and chew your food
I. Do not keep high glycemic snacks i.e. cookies, crunchy, sugary cereals in the house. You can fall off the wagon if the temptation is there.
F. Eat until you are about 80% full. You will feel full after 20 minutes of not eating.
Source by Kathryn O’Riordan
