jeudi 9 avril 2015
How to beat comfort eating
It’s easy to turn to food when you’re stressed, upset, or simply bored.
Recognising comfort eating
To help spot when you’re comfort eating, keep a food diary for a few days. Whenever you eat something, record your mood and how hungry you are on a scale of 1 to 10. If you find you’re eating in response to negative emotions rather than hunger, chances are you’re comfort eating. Now, make a “trigger” list: a list of the feelings and circumstances that tend to spark your comfort eating.
Dealing with comfort eating
Think about how to change or avoid the circumstances that prompt negative feelings, which in turn lead to comfort eating. If your commute to work leaves you stressed and reaching for a snack, for example, can you find a new route? It’s not always possible to avoid difficult feelings, but if you find yourself snacking or craving certain food, it can help to follow a routine. Ask yourself: am I really hungry, or is this comfort eating? Then, wait 30 minutes before eating. Often, you’ll realise that it is really emotional comfort, not food, that you need.
10 comfort eating triggers
Once you’ve identified what sets
off your comfort eating, you can
start to tackle it. Here are 10
common triggers:
• Work stress
• Loneliness
• Money worries
• Bad weather
• Tiredness
• Arguments with your partner
• Boredom
• Sadness
• Unemployment
• Health problems
Non-food comfort fixes
• Take your mind off food with some reading
• Listen to a favourite song
• Write down a fun thing you’re going to do today, or this week
• Watch a movie
• Phone a friend
• Go for a walk
• Clean the car
• Have a bath
• Surf the web
• Do some breathing exercises
• Do some exercise
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