Are you an emotional or comfort eater?
By Di Browne
If you turn to food for comfort when you are not feeling so good keep reading. Emotional eating can be triggered when you are feeling low, stressed, angry, sad or depressed or any other feeling such as boredom!
Most people eat because they think it makes them feel better! Does eating really make you feel better or improve your mood? If so, for how long do you feel better after eating? My guess is about 5 minutes! Maybe it’s that little voice in your head that starts saying negative things that make you feel even worse. Things like you have no willpower and you are not good enough anyway. Then may come the self-judgement and feelings of guilt which make you feel even worse. Hence the vicious cycle of emotional eatin
g. The mood would no doubt feel worse after this self-talk then it did before you started eating.
No matter what your trigger is, you always have the choice to change the pattern of emotional eating.
So what else can you do when you feel like eating to make yourself feel better? Instead of feeding your food cravings or ignoring them you could occupy yourself in other ways. Things such as going for a walk, going to the gym, reading a book, making a phone call or meditation.
Boost hormones!
Other ways to make yourself feel better include arousing the naturally produced stimulant levels in your body such as serotonin and oxytocin. Research has shown that Serotonin is the “feel good” neurotransmitter of the brain. Serotonin is responsible for us feeling happy, relaxed, calm, motivated, and at peace with our lives and our role in the world.
Low serotonin levels can make you feel depressed and attack your self-esteem and confidence. Low serotonin levels can also cause intense refined carbohydrate cravings that are very difficult to ignore. In particular, these food cravings trigger impulse eating that is difficult to control with willpower alone.
Oxytocin is another feel good hormone often called the “cuddle hormone”. Oxytocin is released when we feel love, trust and comfort. It can be even more powerful than serotonin. If you need a lift, remember the power of simply spending time with your significant other or family members and friends.
So it makes great sense to do things that revitalize you and make you feel good to stop the pattern of emotional eating. Things such as ringing, visiting or talking to someone you love, trust or feel comfort from and engage in a long, deep conversation with them. If you are lucky enough to be around someone you love give them a cuddle to lift your mood. 
Or you could go to a place where your patience will run out before you get served!
Seriously, what will you now choose to do instead of eating when you feel emotional?
With any pattern that has been running for a long time, it will take conscious thought to continually choose the revised behaviour. Eventually it will become an unconscious behaviour that you will not have to think about. It’s a bit like driving a car. When you first learnt to drive you had to consciously think about how to drive. After practice you no longer have to consciously think about how to steer, put the blinker on, look in your side mirror or change gears?
Here’s to a healthier happier you!
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Di Browne |
October 25, 2012 4:39 pm 
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