7 Ways To Stop Stress Eating & Finally Lose Weight.

What is the effect of stress eating on the body?

In the corporate world, stress eating can be a big problem for men.

We've all done it. Think about the amount off cakes and chocolate you've indulged in when your not even thinking? Or when you have a deadline and think "F**k it" before shoveling junk food in your gob.

The average slice of cake is 300kcal, plus a few biscuits (300kcal) and a few beers after work (400kcal), that's 1000 kcal per day or 5000 kcal per week.

For someone who sits down 12 hours per day, this can be an additional 2-3 lbs of belly fat per week. Not to forget the negative impact it has on your gut health?(See Gut health Blog)

When you eat because of emotional reasons, you are irrational and this is why so many people struggle to lose weight, improve their health and perform at their peak.

You might have the best intentions to stick to a diet plan, eat more fruit and vegetables or stop drinking beer mid week to destress but if you are influenced by emotion, you will find it hard to stick to your plan.

Over the years, I've worked with lots of men in the corporate world who are under a lot of pressure to perform, hit targets and meet deadlines but this pressure results in them reaching for sugary snacks on autopilot.

And frustratingly, when it's repeated a few times, it becomes a habit which is almost impossible to stop unless replaced with over positive habits.

In the workplace, it is important for men not to lose their cool and turn into an emotional wreck. Instead, keep reading to find out how you can control your emotions, bring back your health and start performing at your peak.

7 ways to help you control stress eating

1. Check in with yourself.?Before stuffing your face, pay attention to how you’re feeling, e.g stressed, bored, lonely, or anxious. Write in a diary, how you're feeling and what you've eaten (you might start to see some patterns). Simply pausing and evaluating the situation can help you understand what compels you to overeat and may help prevent overeating in the future.

2. Reduce your stress levels.?Often we start our day shouting at traffic, then getting into work and having to face our endless to do list, before getting home and having to look after the kids, take the dog for a walk, cook dinner etc. Making sure you have regular breaks whilst at work e.g. go for a walk, make yourself a cup of tea, speak to a colleague you like, do some deep breathing, listen to music.... take your pick.

3.?Remove temptation.?Having tempting foods within eyesight can lead to overeating, even when you aren’t hungry. Studies have shown that having high calorie foods in eye sight stimulates a part of the brain called the striatum that modulates impulse control, which leads lead to increased cravings and overeating. So by keeping them in the cupboard, it can make a big difference.

4. Don't deprive yourself.?Being overly restrictive with food intake or cutting calories can lead to binging on high calorie foods and overeating. This is why it is so hard to stay on a fad diet because it feels like your body is working against you. Enjoying your food, sticking to 3 meals a day and having the odd treat is healthy and will stop you falling off the wagon.

5. Drink water.?Studies have looked at people who are overweight and found that most are chronically dehydrated. The body does not know where it's stress is coming from and being dehydrated causes the body to go into survival mode. This makes it crave more high calories foods but also leads to alterations in mood, attention, and energy levels, which can also affect your eating habits.

6. Be more present.?The world is full of distractions and constantly pulls our attention left, right and centre. ****If you’re used to dining while parked in front of your laptop, try eating in a less distracting environment. One of the reasons why some of us are piling on the pounds is because we are not eating slowly and paying attention. Attempt to concentrate only on your food, paying special attention to feelings of hunger and fullness.

7.Move more.?When your bored or stressed, you might reach for a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar. Why not replace this habit by going out for short walk instead. This will not only take your mind off it but research has shown that walking can boost mood and reduce stress, which may reduce your chances of stress eating.

Conclusion

People tend to eat for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger. These reasons tend to be feelings like boredom, frustration, anger, sadness and stress. One this habit has been formed, it's nearly impossible to change but it starts with awareness of the problem.

Most of us don't even know that we have this problem. You might have tried dieting, working out more, fasting.... Which are way to lose weight but if you haven't address the triggers to you eating in the first place, 9/10 it ends in failure.

You might lose weight to start off with but overtime those triggers are still there and the habits has still been programmed so you end up reverting back to your old habits a few months later (otherwise known as treating the symptoms and not the cause).

It all comes down to action. If you struggle, you could say "oh well, I like having cakes at work when I feel stressed" or "it's not really a problem for me as everyone else in work does the same thing" but you have to have the expectation that being overweight, low in energy and not at your peak is likely to be a problem for the rest of your life.

If you are constantly in fight or flight mode and you never give yourself moments in the day to centre yourself, then not only be at the will of your emotions but you won't live a calm, present, fulfilled life that everyone is striving for.

Start by taking ACTION today, create a plan and set an intention. Post it on social media, tell your work colleagues, shoot me a message... anything to hold you accountable.

And one last thing, that does not mean you should say "no" to every piece of cake you're offered but having the control to make the decision with a clear mind rather than basing it on your emotional state.

I hope that helps ??

Coach Stuart