Stress and emotional eating
If you're anything like us, then life has been stressful lately. (2020 ain't no joke.) And for lots of us, being under lots of stress can bring about the urge or desire to eat - sometimes uncontrollably - as a way of 'dealing' with our emotions. How can we work to combat this urge? Here are a few of our favorite ideas:
Set yourself a timer (2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.) and see if, after making yourself take that pause, you still want the same food(s). It can be helpful to ask yourself questions like, "Will eating this brownie resolve my issue, or will it still be there?"
Drink at least 8 oz of water, and see if you're still as interested in stress eating after that.
Write down - or if that's not possible, just reflect in your head - how and why you're feeling the way you are (stress, anxious, whatever). This works for some people better than others, but if you're super reflective/introspective, writing it down can help you feel like you're acknowledging and addressing it (without stress eating).
Forgive yourself when you "give in" (as we're bound to do sometimes). Acknowledge the role emotion had in your eating, but then move on. One "off" food or meal doesn't have to ruin the entire day or week!
If tracking food: the more you plan ahead/pre-program your day of eating in MyFitnessPal, the less likely you are to veer off course (because let's be honest...what a pain it can be to go back and change! haha).
Times are hard. We're human. But give one of these a try next time you feel stress leading you to temptation!
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