Hunger or Emotions?
A good question to ask yourself is: “Why am I eating? Am I truly hungry or am I feeding an emotion?” To help you answer, remember HALT, and ask, “Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired?” Any of these can stimulate your desire to eat, but only one, hunger, means you need food. Check out the hunger-control tips below:
Eat at regular intervals: go no more than 3-4 hours without a bit of fuel for your body. Besides reduced cravings, you’ll metabolize fat faster.
Drink water! Staying hydrated will help you determine whether you’re really hungry or not.
Stick to a sleep schedule and get sufficient rest. On extra emotional days try taking a 20 minute nap.
Harboring resentment or anger? Talk to another trusted person; get some guidance.
Get active: doing physical movement of any kind will cause sufficient distraction from cravings. Try to get your heart rate up. Even a walk around the block with fresh air and light are effective in breaking the craving.
Distract yourself. Much like physical movement, taking a mental break by doing any kind of different activity can distract you from the need for emotional eating, especially if it involves helping another person.
Be social. Have a meet-up or make a call and talk to someone. Avoid over-texting which can lead to even more isolation.
A structured weight loss plan with BonVie, including solid coaching, will provide lifestyle strategies to help manage emotional eating and food cravings. I’d love to hear from you..
