Stress.
Everyone seems to have some type of stress these days. Job stress. Family stress. School stress and more.
When your body is being subjected to stress, whether temporary or long time, it triggers a whole cascade of reactions in the body. Some might be good (fight or flight chemicals released during an emergency situation) and some not so good (hormonal releases during long term stress that affects appetite).
When people ask me about what might be contributing to their weight loss stall or even regain I will ask if they feel that they are under a lot of stress. Most often they are.
I don’t know about you but, under times of stress, I find myself returning to old habits and looking to eat past favorite carb filled foods to relieve the stress. Eating is a way for many people to relieve the feeling of stress. After all eating something that reminds you of a comforting time can release hormones that relax you. But only temporarily.
When I’m stressed I find myself frequently drifting into the kitchen to look through cabinets to find something “good” to eat. Not because I’m hungry. I’m not. It’s more to relieve the stress. I call it head hunger. My head is saying eat but I’m not really physically hungry.
How do you stop stress eating or head hunger?
Stopping it is different for everyone. Perhaps these techniques might help you when you have stress eating or head hunger.
For me, whenever I find myself returning to look for food when I’m not physically hungry I have to ask myself some questions.
What am I looking for? Why?
Am I really hungry or am I just bored, tired, mad, sad, stressed, etc?
If I were really hungry then I would be willing to eat something nutritious such as protein, veggies, soup, cheese, fat bomb, cup of keto butter coffee, etc?
If I’m not interested in those things and find that I’m craving “good stuff”, which translates into junk food (chips, crackers, cookies, etc) then I know it’s stress eating or head hunger.
For me one way to stop it is to keep talking to myself. I keep reminding myself that eating isn’t going to solve the problem of being stressed, tired, mad, etc. Then I try to focus on doing something else.
Feeling anxious, depressed or lonely?
Try calling and talking to a friend. Even if you don’t end up talking about the problem making you anxious just having someone to talk to might help ease the anxiety.
Bored?
Try taking a walk or doing some type of physical activity. During one particularly boring day when I felt like I wanted to eat everything in the house I accidentally came across Geocaching.
Geocaching amounts to hunting for modern day treasure hunting. Basically people hide containers in various locations and you try to find them. The containers vary in size and often are filled with small trinkets. Use use an app on your phone and GPS (also on the app) to help you locate these hidden treasures. Not only did I discover a fun thing to do that helped with boredom but it turned into an adventure that both my husband and I continue to to do to this day. Bonus points for encouraging physical activity, even if it’s just walking, which also helps with reducing stress (and the stress eating that goes with it).
Tired/Exhausted? Time to make a little time for yourself. Say no to some projects. Go to bed an hour earlier. You would be amazed at home much better you end up feeling after a few days of getting extra sleep.
Drink a glass of water. Oddly being slightly dehydrated can trigger feelings of hunger or head hunger. You might be missing some of the body’s cues that you need a drink. Try drinking a bit of water and waiting 10 minutes.
Try taking a 10 minute break before indulging in whatever it is that you think you absolutely need to eat. This time out might give you the needed time to move past the craving. During this time check in with yourself to see if perhaps this hunger is not physical hunger and if it could be addressed in other ways.
How about you? What do you do when you feel like stress eating?
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