One of the biggest reasons I ended up overweight was because I couldn't stop stress eating! As soon as I encountered stress, I would immediately start craving all kinds of bad stuff! This didn't help me any since I live in Philadelphia (think Philadelphia cheese steaks and Philadelphia pretzels), and there are plenty of quality delivery restaurants within a few mile radius of where I live (lol)!
The good news is that I was finally able to overcome stress eating... and down below I'm going to show you how I did it and I hope these tips can help you as well with overcoming this dangerous habit!
Quick Stress Buster
One of the things I learned in a stress and anxiety relief program is that you should always have some quick stress busting exercises to go to whenever you encounter stressful situations.
Now, these types of exercises must be able to do instantly and at any time. The one exercise that I went to almost every single time was simple deep breathing exercises.
By doing deep breathing exercises, you will decrease tension, stress, and anxiety. Also, another benefit is that deep breathing will directly help in decreasing cravings as well!
The type of deep breathing I always did was very simple. All you do is breathe in through your nostrils slowly for 3 seconds, and exhale out your mouth for 6 seconds. Repeat for one to two minutes. You should feel a warming sensation followed by an amazing feeling of relaxation and inner peace! Not to mention, you can do this ANYWHERE at ANYTIME!
Prevention Snack
Another tip to help overcome responding to stress with food is by identifying common times of your everyday life when you may encounter stress (such as coming home to your spouse... JUST KIDDING!), and ensure that you have had a high protein and high fiber meal or snack prior to this time.
Protein and fiber are 2 quality nutrients that aren't just great for weight loss, they also help in keeping you full and satisfied... which of course will help decrease craving urges.
Some examples of these types of foods I would personally choose would be a Whey protein shake and an apple. Simple!
Alternatives
This trick combines 2 problem solvers in one! The first problem solved is keeping bad foods out of reach to begin with and the second of course is decreasing craving urges. This trick is to have alternatives to your common go-to craving foods!
For example, one of the things I LOVED to have when stressed out was cereal. Give me a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the I.R.S. could come knocking at my door and I wouldn't care one bit (LOL)!
So, what would be a smart healthier version of this specific craving I had? Easy: Get healthier bread (such as Ezekiel bread), lightly brush some olive oil on it, sprinkle some cinnamon on it, and pop it in a oven or toaster oven until toasted! Healthy, delicious, quick, satisfying, and oh yeah, did I mention: HEALTHY!
Bottom line, those tips should help you stop stress eating just as long you as you stick with it. However, the only thing that will help you in the long run to stop responding to stress with food... is by learning how to decrease stress and anxiety... period. In other words, you have to fix the problem at the source. There is an excellent online guide that will help you with this that I highly recommend...
Click: Stop Stress Eating to learn more and see how this guide has helped me overcome my own personal battles with stress anxiety!
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