| By succumbing to emotional 'comfort' eating, many | | | | 7 easy ways to cope with emotional eating include the |
| women are wrecking their diet and weight loss efforts | | | | following:a) Discover whether you are either physically |
| and in so doing are unable to achieve permanent | | | | or emotionally hungry... pause... and then decide how |
| weight loss. With a new alternative, which focuses on | | | | hungry you really are.b) Be one step ahead of yourself |
| the cause of the problem and psychology behind why | | | | by identifying potential problem situations. Then when |
| we overeat, it is possible to end emotional eating habits | | | | you find yourself heading to the fridge or cupboard for |
| and lose weight for good. | | | | your favourite snack, give yourself a choice by putting |
| The multi-million dollar weight loss industry each year | | | | a healthier alternative next to it. It will make you think |
| continues to provide us with new and improved diet | | | | before you dive in.c) Give yourself time for your |
| products all claiming great success. However, only | | | | cravings to subside by diverting yourself away from |
| about 5% of individuals who embark on a diet enjoy | | | | your comfort food. Freezing your treats so that you |
| permanent success. Unfortunately most dieters remain | | | | have to wait for them to defrost will buy you some |
| on a roller coaster, enduring the dieting highs and lows | | | | time.d) Have alternative strategies in place, which don't |
| only to find that any hard earned weight loss never | | | | involve food to help deal with your stress e.g. physical |
| stays off. | | | | activities, exercise, expressing yourself.e) Speak to a |
| If food was the only reason why people are | | | | supportive partner so that you don't find yourself in an |
| overweight then conventional diet products would | | | | emotional void.f) Try to keep everything in perspective. |
| work for everyone. Many women wrongly focus only | | | | Think before and after you have eaten. Give yourself |
| on the food they're eating rather than the underlying | | | | time to digest and taste the food.g) If you have a |
| cause of their weight problem. | | | | weaker day, see it for what it is, one day and move |
| We are all emotional eaters to some extent, using | | | | on positively to the next better day. |
| food and comfort eating to cope with a wide variety | | | | Once someone understands why they are |
| of emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, anger, | | | | over-eating, and whether they are physically or |
| depression and loneliness. We comfort eat so often | | | | emotionally hungry, they can begin to change their |
| that eating in this way becomes a habit, a coping | | | | relationship with food. |
| strategy for dealing with pressure and stress. The | | | | The key is learning how to manage emotions without |
| comfort food makes us feel better... we do it more | | | | relying on food by rewiring the brain to provide |
| and more... we do it subconsciously without realising it... | | | | comfort without eating food. |
| forming a habit that becomes very hard to break. | | | | Permanent weight loss then becomes easy and |
| The problem is when comfort eating gets out of | | | | automatic because over-eating is no longer linked with |
| control and eating becomes the preferred way of | | | | emotional wellbeing. |
| handling our emotions, weight gain becomes inevitable. | | | | |