What to do Instead of Stress Eating—a Key Success Strategy

December 11th, 2013, Comments

what to do instead of stress eating What to do Instead of Stress Eating—a Key Success StrategyRecently I received an email from a reader asking whether it is really helpful to focus on what to do instead of stress eating or other types of emotional eating. Her concern was that focusing on what to do instead of eating might just help develop more ways to avoid what’s really going on – busy work that keeps us distracted from the reason the overeating is happening—it’s a great question.

Certainly, if we spend our lives running away from or distracting ourselves from the reasons we overeat, emotional eating is never going to get any better—and neither is our life. One kind of strategy (in this case, distraction) doesn’t fit every situation AND distraction is only one type of approach to consider when it comes to not eating so much.

That said, there are times when a little bit of distraction (something that gets your mind off of eating or helps you forget about the chocolate in your desk drawer) might be exactly what will help you make the choice that you want to make in the moment.  Other times, you’ll be more successful if your strategy addresses what is really going on at a deeper level. Are you overwhelmed? You probably need some tools to reduce the overload and to take care of yourself and your feelings.  Eating because you are anxious? Ultimately, you’ll want strategies to cope with the anxiety in ways that are more effective than emotional eating. Of course, in this action-packed world, there are also times when we need help doing nothing or getting better at simply being in the midst of challenging or uncomfortable times.

The issue of what to do instead of eating is not at all simple—despite the fact that many weight loss specialists gloss over it entirely. You know– they’ll warn you to be alert for emotional eating “so that you don’t do it.” Really? This advice misses the most crucial step!

If you are going to avoid stress eating or eating because you are frustrated, or nervous eating—heck, if you just want to stay away from comfort eating—willpower and a “just don’t do it” approach will only take you so far. When the going gets tough, determination alone probably won’t be enough.

So what’s the missing piece?

When it comes to not overeating, a key ingredient for success is crafting a plan for what you will do instead. (Click to Tweet)

What will you do instead of reaching for the second portion, instead of going through the drive-thru after a stressful day at work, instead of mindlessly snacking as you watch TV? Sometimes we get so focused on creating a plan for what we will eat to lose weight, we forget to fill in the blanks around what we will do with all those times and emotions and situations where we are choosing not to turn to food.

Want to eat differently? Do yourself a favor. Before you start your new plan, make a list of what I call Instead Strategies. Make a list of things you will try when food is calling to you but you don’t really need it. Brainstorm ideas for what will you do when you’ve had a difficult day and you don’t want to stress eat. Remember to include ideas that work in the short term and also longer term strategies. Consider strategies that help you feel cared for as well as strategies that address the cause of your overeating (or the triggers) directly. Make sure your list isn’t all about staying distracted. If you rely too heavily on these types of techniques, you’ll probably run out of steam.

Want more help?  I devote an entire module to Instead Strategies in my Peace with Food program, my comprehensive step-by-step program for breaking free from emotional eating. I teach you the three very different types of instead strategies and show you how to determine where your current approach needs strengthening. You also learn how to tailor the type of strategy to your specific situation and to how you are feeling at that moment

What instead strategies will you be testing out this week? Write them down—and leave a comment below and let me know. Take good care,

Melissa1 What to do Instead of Stress Eating—a Key Success Strategy

A Thanksgiving Recipe for Less Stress and More Happiness

November 27th, 2013, Comments

Believe it or not, there are actually easy simple ways to tackle stress eating, overwhelm, and getting healthier and happier. Healthy thinking and mindset are critical pieces to making effective changes that last—without willpower and feeling deprived.  Even better, easy simple changes are the ones that are most likely to stick around and become habits that you do without even giving them much thought. Sound appealing? Here’s a quick recipe for lowering stress, boosting happiness, and creating more effectiveness in your life.

less stress eating with healthy thinking 250x246 A Thanksgiving Recipe for Less Stress and More Happiness

An Easy Recipe for Less Stress and More Happiness

  1. Before you leap out of bed and start your day, stop. Lie still and take one deep breath.
  2. After your big breath, make a decision. How do you intend to approach your day? Pick a word that fits—confident, happy, exasperated, stressed, sluggish, uncertain, passive, energized, cautious—you choose. Truth be told, we make the choice every day, so today, do it deliberately.
  3. While you brush your teeth, mentally list five things you are grateful for. Begin your day by setting your sites on things that go right.
  4. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish or feel by the end of the day. Say it to yourself in a sentence. “By the end of the day I will _______________.” Hint: focus helps. You should be able to speak your sentence in one breath.
  5. Before you eat, take another deep breath and pause.
  6.  Ask yourself how you’d like the food you are about to eat to be of service to you. Will it nourish, comfort, provide pleasure or happiness, give you a break, fill you up, or something else? Before you eat, stop and give thanks that you have this food and the opportunity to choose this experience—whatever it is.
  7. End your day with a ritual. Before you close your eyes for the night, tell yourself one thing you feel good or proud about that happened this day.

Have you created easy rituals that became daily habits? What has worked for you? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Melissa1 A Thanksgiving Recipe for Less Stress and More Happiness

 

 

« Older Entries