How to Lose Weight by Eliminating Emotional Eating–Step One
Posted on December 21, 2007
Filed Under Weight Loss |
Step One: Addressing the Food Issue
In the previous post, we covered the difficulties of losing weight due to emotional eating.
First of all, to lose weight, throw away your junk food and avoid buying them in the future. This is crucial in the beginning of a weight loss plan. If you find this too much of a cold-turkey method, try reducing the intake of junk food (including sodas) by 50% immediately with the intent of eliminating them in the future. Remember out of sight, out of mind.
Secondly, plan what you’re going to eat for the day or if possible, for the week. Remember to eat at least three meals and one or two healthy snacks (We’ll talk about what constitutes a healthy snack in another post). By planning out your meals in advance, you’ll be less likely to eat whatever is in sight, also known as the “see-food diet.” Also, cut out late night suppers and stop eating at least 3-4 hours before bed-time, so your body has time to burn off some of the calories. I eat dinner sometime between 5:30-6:30pm, and I noticed I lose weight quicker. If I start to feel a little hungry later in the evening, I make myself a cup of herbal tea. If you like Chamomile, try Celestial Seasonings “Honey Vanilla Chamomile.” It’s yummy! Also, it’s helpful to cut back on caffeinated drinks (such as coffee and diet sodas) to one or two a day. If you like cream and sugar in your coffee, reduce the amount you put in. Switch to skim milk as well. As you are aware of, diet sodas contain aspartame, which is toxic. Please, please don’t drink too many of these. In time, you’ll feel better once your body has flushed out the caffeine.
You’ve heard the expression, “chew your food 10 times before swallowing.” Well, it’s true. Simply put, the slower you eat, the less you’ll eat and the more weight loss takes place. It takes 15 minutes for your brain to register the chemical signal that lets it know you’re full. If your scarf your food down, you’ll end up eating too much. I have a friend who takes one hour to eat dinner. At first, I thought she didn’t like the food I had prepared, but later after many dinners I realized that that’s how she eats. I’ll tell you, she doesn’t have an issue with her weight. In fact, I’d say she’s at an ideal weight. As for me, a mother of two small toddlers, I don’t have the time to eat meals at a leisurely pace, but I have slowed down. However, I certainly do not eat in front of the computer or television.
It’s also important when you eat. To lose weight, you should eat when you start to feel hunger pangs. If you wait until you’re starving, you’ll either over eat or eat whatever is in sight, which probably won’t be healthy eating.
As a general rule, to shed pounds, put the fork down before you feel satisfied. To maintain your current weight, put the fork down when you’re satisfied, NOT full. I know this is hard but it’ll get easier with time. Again, becoming familiarized on when to eat, when to stop, and what to eat takes time, especially if you have been trapped by emotional eating. Don’t worry, if you fall off the band wagon, try again the next time. Don’t throw the towel in so easily. REAL change is GRADUAL. What’s important is that you take some daily initiative towards your weight loss goal.
In my next post, we will continue on how to lose weight by eliminating emotional eating by addressing the hardest obstacle, the emotional issue.
Comments
Leave a Reply
