It is normal to reach low points, feel stuck, or get in a rut from time to time. It’s perfectly okay and down right normal right now to experience these hiccups.
But don’t live there.
If not for you, for someone that needs you to.
One of the ruts I see many people
I slipping into is the constant eating. Back and forth to the kitchen even though you aren’t hungry..
There are a number of reasons this may be happening…boredom, dehydration, fatigue, loneliness and the very likely culprit, stress.
Stress absolutely alters our appetite. In response to stress people tend to either eat more or they eat less.
When we eat comfort foods, that changes the hormones in their body that changes how they feel emotionally. High sugar foods cause opiate like serotonin to be released into the body and for a short time this can raise your mood.
The problem of course lies in the two words, short time. The solution isn’t long term and unfortunately if it goes on too long, a new problem arises, which is weight gain and an even lower mood because you berate yourself for having such little control.
Trust me when I say the solution has nothing to do with resisting temptation and just being stronger.
It has everything to do with solving the root cause of the problem.
With increased stress comes increased CORTISOL, which is your stress hormone. Cortisol’s main job is to increase your blood glucose level and what goes up, must go down. It is the subsequent crash in blood sugar that causes those cravings to come.
Another factor that come into play is the whole addictive side of comfort foods,that layering of salt on sugar on fat that makes us want more and more…but we will save that for another day.
So, if you find yourself stress eating what you need to do is to REDUCE the cortisol response and here are a few ways to do that:
1. Make sure you eat PROACTIVELY. Ensure your meals contain adequate amounts of protein, fibre and fat. This prevents the crash that comes after the rise.
2. If you are stressed in the moment, rather than going to the kitchen, STEP OUTSIDE for at least 15 minutes and let mother nature reduce your cortisol for you. She has been proven as a potent reliever of stress!
3. REMOVE the offending foods from your house. This one is pretty simple, if it isn’t there you can’t eat it!
4. Hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE. As the weather gets warmer and we sweat a little bit more our cravings tend to go up as we confuse dehydration with hunger. Stop it before it stops with a tall drink of water.And remember, at a time where self care is paramount please remember, it isn’t about eating what you want, when you want it and watching tv. It is about truly taking care of YOU by eating moderate amounts of food that are in balance, hydrating well, taking care of your mindset by meditating or having quiet times and exercising on a regular basis.
I wish you all great health and if mindless eating is causing you more stress I encourage you to step away from the fridge and step into a new you that puts your health as a #1 priority!
Cheers,Christine
