Eating food to soothe yourself is a pretty common practice and considered socially acceptable by many. One time my then preteen daughter said she couldn’t wait to break up with a boyfriend so that she would have a reason to eat an entire pint of ice cream just like the characters on her favorite shows. As a health coach and mother, I was not thrilled that my daughter viewed soothing a stressful situation with overeating as a life experience she couldn’t wait to have.
The unfortunate reality is that eating sugary and high carb food does actually make us feel better. When we eat something like ice cream or a bag of chips, our brains become flooded with dopamine which is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers.
If you eat ice cream when you are sad, it WILL make you feel better for a little while. However, the effects are temporary, and someone who soothes stress by eating will eventually have the additional stress of unwanted manifestations like extra weight or a weakened immune system. Then they get stuck in the Chronic Stress Loop and need to develop a healthier replacement habit to help themselves break free. Luckily, I have a 2 step strategy to help you stop overeating without giving up your favorite foods.
Step 1: Determine the Source of the Hunger
The best strategy to help yourself stop overeating is to develop a mindful eating practice. Mindful eating is when you take the time to determine if your desire to eat is coming from your mind, heart or stomach.
If a craving is coming from your mind, then you will start to justify why it is okay to eat something. It was a really stressful day, so I deserve __________.
If it is coming from your heart, you are eating out of nostalgia. I always get cotton candy at the fair.
If it is coming from your stomach, then you will have signals like a grumbly stomach. This might seem obvious, but many people don’t take hunger into consideration when making choices about what or when to eat. They eat because it is lunch time or because someone just offered them a cookie.
Step 2: Take a Moment
If you aren’t quite sure if you are REALLY hungry, then try one of the strategies below. This way you will have a different action to take rather than eating.
Brush Teeth
When you brush your teeth, the food won’t taste good for a while. This gives you time to determine if you are actually hungry. If you are still hungry when the mint flavor fades, then you are truly hungry and should eat.
Drink a Glass of Water
Many people don’t drink a lot of water, and their bodies confuse thirst and hunger signals. Thirst is experienced at 4% dehydration while hunger is activated at 2% dehydration. If you feel hungry, you might actually be thirsty. You should drink 8 oz of water, wait 15 minutes and if still hungry then you should eat.
5-5-7 Breath
The 5-5-7 breath helps you slow down and tune into your body. You should breathe in for the count of five, hold your breath for the count of five and exhale for the count of seven. Do three rounds. This breath floods the brain with oxygen stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system which tells the body it is safe to relax. Once in a relaxed state, you will be better able to assess your true hunger.
Learning
how to eat only when you are hungry is a valuable habit to practice, and I highly recommend you give it a try. However, sometimes when a craving arises, it is really challenging to wait to eat when we are hungry. If this sounds like you, then I invite you to join my FREE Crush Your Cravings Challenge, where you will learn my 3 Step Process to crush cravings and stay on track with your goals.