Did you know emotionally, food cravings to relieve stress are directly connected to obesity? Sometimes, we don’t eat food to satisfy our physical hunger but turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or to reward ourselves. When we do this, we overlook junk food, sweets, and other comforting foods which are high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that lead to weight gain over time. Unfortunately, eating can’t fix your emotional problems, but afterward, it feels worse and guilty for overeating. The good news is that you are not alone in tackling emotional eating; here are some of the tips recommended by the obesity surgeon in Ahmedabad to regain control of healthy habits and get back on track with your weight loss goals. Let’s take a look in depth!
Tips to overcome emotional eating by obesity surgeon:
Do you eat to feel better or relieve stress? These tips can help you control emotional eating, fight cravings and feel a more satisfied way to handle your feelings.
- Keep a food diary:
Start noticing when you are eating, what you are eating, how much you are eating, and how much you are hungry. Keep a diary or phone notes regarding what happened before you ate? or how you are feeling, such as stress, loneliness, sadness, or even happiness. Over time, you may see pattern changes that help to tackle your mood and food.
- Find new ways to feel better:
If stress can lead to emotional eating, then try some new ways to feel good and distract from emotional eating, such as listening to music, talking with someone, going for short walks, yoga, meditation, or deep breathing.
- Ask yourself: Am I really hungry?
If you can’t decide if your hunger is physical or emotional? According to an obesity surgeon, real hunger comes slowly, and emotional hunger is sudden, usually like comfort foods like chips or sweets. If you ate before a few hours ago and did not have an intimation in your stomach, you are probably not hungry. Pause for five minutes to give cravings to pass the time.
- Eat timely healthy meals:
When you are physically relaxed, strong, and well-rested, you are better able to handle your emotions. Make an aim to take three healthy balanced meals with protein, fiber, and nutrients to feel full and satisfied. Usually, skipping meals can lead to worsening cravings and going straight towards junk food. Exercise, sleep, and healthy lifestyle habits can help you to tackle difficult times over emotional eating.
- Don’t deprive yourself:
When you are trying to lose weight, you might limit calorie intake too much, eat the same food repeatedly and skip treats. This way leads to increased food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Eat healthier foods to satisfied amounts, enjoy occasional treats, and enjoy plenty of variety in food which helps to manage emotional cravings.
- Eat healthy snacks:
If you feel hungry to eat between meals, choose healthy snacks like fruit, nuts, or unbuttered popcorn. Otherwise, take your favorite fruit in low-calorie versions to satisfy your hunger.
- Take help when you needed:
Asking for help is a superpower, not a weakness. Contact any therapist or obesity surgeon who can understand your emotional eating and help tackle your emotions. Join a support group and talk with family or friends; connecting with others can make you feel less alone and get support.
- Learn from setbacks:
If last night you couldn’t manage your emotional craving, then don’t be sad; forgive yourself, and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan on how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on positive changes, adopt healthy eating habits, and give yourself credit for making changes.
- Eat slowly and mindfully:
Always be present with your plate. Eat slowly with smaller bites, and chew slowly without any distractions from your phone or TV. Always focus on what you eat, its taste, texture, and smell; this will help you enjoy your food more.
Summary:
Emotional eating is common, but it does not mean we can’t control it. An obesity surgeon in Ahmedabad suggests some tips, such as keeping a food diary, differentiating between physical eating and emotional eating, getting support, distracting yourself, eating healthily, or learning from past experiences. If you can try various self-help options but still do not manage emotional cravings, then contact our expert obesity surgeon, Dr.Anand Patel, for tips or guidance.
