6 Tips To Help You Control Stress Eating

During this time of the pandemic, when we are isolating ourselves, the feelings of panic, boredom and anxiety trigger the need to eat constantly and we turn to food for comfort and stress relief rather than to satisfy hunger. We tend to reach for junk food, sweets, and other comforting but unhealthy foods. Various foods such as chips, biscuits, ice-creams, chocolates are scientifically engineered to target the pleasure receptors in our brain and they often make us ignore the feelings of physical hunger that come from an empty stomach.

This emotional eating finally becomes the coping mechanism for a stressful situation but can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. If you’re prone to emotional eating then, don’t worry as below are mentioned some tips to control stress eating and they can help in getting you back on track with your weight-loss goals.

# Maintain A Food Diary

It is important to know your trigger so, maintain a food diary. It will help you to know what you eat, how much you eat and what you feel after eating which will eventually let you identify what triggers comfort eating. For example – stress, boredom, sadness, etc. It will reveal the connection between mood and food.

# Find New Ways To Take Your Mind Off

One of the effective tips to control emotional eating/stress eating is to find a new outlet for emotions. Once you get to know what triggers emotional eating in you, you can find other simple activities at home to take your mind off food. For example – playing some crosswords, Sudoku puzzles, chess, etc. or calling a friend, listening to music, doing yoga or meditation.

# Tame Your Stress

Stress can take a toll on our physical and mental health and if it is contributing to your emotional eating then, it is the time to tame it.

# Follow Some Quick Habits To Reduce Snacking

There are some quick habits that can help you to control emotional eating/stress eating. For example: don’t keep snacks on your working table rather keep them in your kitchen. Even when you want to have some snacks, take a few on the plate rather than getting the whole packet. Chew the snacks more as it will help to have better digestion and you will also feel full which means you are less likely to overeat.

# Prepare Yourself For Different Scenarios

It is important to prepare yourself with ‘if/then’ scenarios when you feel compelled for emotional eating. For instance: If I am bored and want to munch biscuits, chips, etc. then, I will make a call to my friend and will have a quick chat.

# Take Hunger Check

It is important to check whether your hunger is physical or emotional. If you are not having a rumbling stomach, it means you are probably not hungry so, give the craving some time to pass.