Stress Eating | Straight Talk about Eating Smart

January 19, 2011

How Big is Your ‘BUT’?

Is life getting in the way of what you want to accomplish? Do you have dreams and goals that you want to come true but your ‘but’ gets in the way. No, not that ‘butt’ although you might be feeling that your bum or backside is a little larger than it was in 2010.

I’m talking about the ‘but’ that keeps you stuck in your rut and prevents you from moving ahead and reaching your goals. You know the ‘but’…you would like to take that spinning class ‘but’ your schedule is already jammed or you feel exhausted and need to get more sleep ‘but’ it never seems to happen.

Let 2011 be the year you have a mental boot camp with yourself and kick the ‘but’ out of your life. A mental boot camp is an up close and personal inventory. Take a hard look at your day-to-day life and decide what must be addressed, changed, adapted, deleted, whatever…so that you and your family find more contentment.

During your mental boot camp, ask yourself some of these questions:

* Do you stress-eat? If so, get rid of the foods that call your name. Clean the pantry or fridge so you have to work harder to get those stress foods. Don’t completely give up these foods because then you will want them even more. Instead, buy the smallest size of the best item, such as high quality chocolate, and truly enjoy it.

* Are you drinking your calories? Notice where your calories are coming from …lattes, smoothies, sweetened tea and sodas, energy drinks…and pay attention to the size of the container. Remember…bigge size = bigge thighs.

* Did you have a fight with someone you care about and turn to that bag of chips in the pantry for comfort? Time to deal with these emotions and find healthier (calorie free) options for comfort. Have a plan…call a friend, go for a walk, watch a funny show…defuse the situation and stay away from the food. I realize that some issues are way bigger than this…that’s why it’s important to go thru a mental boot camp so you know if counseling or help of some type is needed.

Instead of a focus on weight loss or exercise, review your life and the contentment you feel or don’t feel. Why? Your contentment level and attitude affect your weight. When you are overwhelmed and stressed, it’s impossible to find the time to eat well, shop and prep food, exercise or do anything else for yourself…and you feel guilty when you do.

Stress eating and binge eating are often tied to tough and emotionally stressful events in life and how you cope with them. Food is an outlet and is available ever direction you turn. It’s legal and calls your name when you’re mad, hurt, sad and stressed…you known what I mean.

When I was writing books, I realized I truly was the author of those books, which meant it was up to me to write and complete them. The same is true for you. You are the author of your book…your life. As the author, you have the ability to change the chapter in 2011 if it’s not working for you.

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June 23, 2010

I’d Kill for a Cookie: the Stress-Food Connection

It’s time to announce the winner of the $60 gift basket of award-winning Cabot cheese. Congratulations Luanne from Elizabethton TN! Watch the mail for your gift is on the way.

If food calls your name when you’re emotionally upset and you turn to food for comfort, it’s time to put on the brakes and stop stress-eating.

Try these three stress-less strategies.

Recognize emotional eating for what it is. Pay attention to your emotions this week. Every time you eat something, ask yourself if you are hungry or eating because of stress.Even better, keep a journal or notes on your blackberry or iphone for a few days. Why? When you write down what you eat, how much you eat and why you eat, stress-eating patterns become clear very quickly.
Decide what actions you can take to help deal with your stress besides turning to food. Find a substitute to replace food … walk around the block, read one chapter in a good book, or chew sugarless gum.Seek professional counseling if you feel it’s needed or confide in friends or family members and come up with some strategies to deal with the stressful situation.
Start one new healthy eating strategy. Here are two to choose from:
1. If you don’t eat breakfast, start. Research shows that people who eat breakfast eat less during the day so it’s easier to control your food intake when you’re stressed and your emotions feel out of control.
2. Eat more frequently. If you are an emotional eater and go more than four hours without food, you already know that it’s easy to eat and eat a lot. When you eat more frequently, you have less low blood sugar moments and feel less compelled to eat in response to your stress.

Good Morning American interviewed Andrew Shue, co-founder of CafeMom.com. You may remember him as an actor on the Melrose Place series. CafeMom.com connects mothers and mothers-to-be on all aspects of life for conversation and support.

CafeMom polled 2,000 of their moms in the MomIndex and found that a whopping 61% indicate they do not have enough time for themselves. Guess what the biggest source of anxiety is for moms? Money! One in five moms said that their family income has been affected by job loss.

Did the results of this poll sound like you? Do you eat because you are stressed, depressed, sad, lonely, or angry? Are you eating because you’ve lost your job or someone in the family has and you’re concerned about paying bills?

Has food become your new BFF, your best friend? You’re comforter? Really think about your relationship to food. Try these strategies and email me or post comments on the blog. Let me know how you are doing.