Eating healthy is a way of life that many people desire. Unfortunately, many people confuse healthy eating with a diet that relies heavily on processed foods and low-quality snacks. Thinking that you need to starve yourself to achieve good results can lead to bingeing and emotional eating, which are dangerous habits that can derail your weight loss efforts. Luckily, there are healthier alternatives that you can use to shed those unwanted pounds.
Eating When You’re Emotionally Healthy
When you’re not emotionally healthy, your body can react in unhealthy ways to certain food. One of the best things that you can do for your weight loss efforts is to make sure that your body is emotionally prepared to eat healthy. That means getting rid of emotional eating triggers such as stress and anxiety, and learning new ways to cope with your troubles. Below, you’ll find a list of tips that can help you achieve good emotional eating
Eat When You’re Not Stressed
There is no denying that life can sometimes feel overwhelming, unpredictable, and extremely stressful. Unless you’re made of money, you’ll never be able to buy all of the food that you want, especially when you consider that processed food is often very expensive. When you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol suppresses your appetite, and it also makes you more susceptible to emotional eating. If you’re serious about losing weight, it’s imperative that you learn how to manage your stress.
Avoid Food Emotional Triggers
Some foods contain triggers that can cause you to eat significantly more than you should. For example, if you’re an anxious person, you might end up eating more chocolate than usual because of the high cocoa content. You might also overeat junk food if it’s the only thing available when you’re feeling blue. Instead of giving into your cravings, identify what is triggering you and avoid these foods when you’re feeling stressed or sad. You might also want to consider giving up certain foods that you know are bad for you. That might make you feel lighter and boost your metabolism which would help you to achieve your weight loss goals more quickly.
Eat When You’re Engaged In Conversation
When you’re having a conversation with someone, you should be able to concentrate on what the person is saying without being distracted by food. If you’re truly focused on what the other person is saying, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be distracted by your own hunger pangs. When you’re in the middle of a conversation, you should feel free to eat. If you find that you’re constantly interrupted by thoughts about food, you might want to consider taking a moment to pause and ask yourself if what you’re doing is truly beneficial. On the other hand, if what you’re doing is helping you to have a better conversation, then you should definitely continue.
Reward Yourself
When you achieve a goal (e.g., losing weight) that you set for yourself, it’s important to reward yourself. Whether it’s a small token of appreciation or an extra piece of fruit, treat yourself to something that you know you shouldn’t have denied yourself of all this time. By rewarding yourself for good behavior, you’re more likely to continue with the healthy habits that you’ve established. Plus, you might find that you’ve lost a few pounds without even realizing it!
Take Breaks
Even if you’re feeling motivated to eat healthy, every body isn’t created equal. Your body needs time to process food, and it also needs energy to function properly. If you overdo it, you might end up retaining more water than usual which could cause you to gain weight even if you’re consuming fewer calories than you normally do. To prevent this from happening, take regular breaks throughout the day. If you eat something every two hours, you can give your body the time that it needs to prepare the food and process it correctly. This will also prevent you from overdoing it and consequently gaining weight. Eating too much food too quickly can cause you to consume more calories than you actually need. When that happens, you’ll inevitably put on weight, even if you’re trying to be mindful about what you’re eating. So, instead of eating all of that food all at once, try breaking it down and nibbling on portions throughout the day. This way, you’re less likely to eat more than you need and end up storing more calories as fat than you had initially. Take a moment to step back and observe how you’re feeling after each meal. If you feel good, then you’re either satisfied or overfed. Either way, it’s not good!
Managing your weight can be challenging. As you’ve seen, there are many ways in which your body can try to keep you within acceptable weight ranges. If you’re serious about losing weight and aren’t sure where to begin, try implementing these suggestions. Not only will they help you shed the pounds, but they’ll also help you become healthier overall. So, while it’s tempting to turn to unhealthy foods when you’re stressed or sad, those foods don’t offer you a good alternative for healthy living. With a little effort and self-control, you’ll be able to eat tasty, healthy meals that help you build a strong foundation for weight loss.