About a 5 Minute Read

So many of us turn to food for comfort when the world goes sideways. Reaching for a bag of chips, a carton of ice cream, or a box of cookies when you are feeling spread too thin feels like an easy solution. 

The problem is that the quick fix of sugar and carbs is momentary, and more often than not it leaves you feeling worse once that food high inevitably settles.  

The reason we reach for junk food to mend a broken heart, ease the stress of a demanding job, or quash our fears is both physiological and evolutionary. In other words, we’re more or less wired to react that way, which means that those are pretty serious motivators. BUT, humans have changed quite a bit since over the centuries, so let’s start by educating ourselves. Then we’ll find out how to set up a game plan for what to do instead of loading up on those empty calories. 

No matter how loudly your body screams, “FEED ME CRAP!” you know that a stress binge will leave you feeling sluggish, defeated, and chubby. 

So why do we do it? 

Stress causes our bodies to automatically increase respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism, and the blood flow to our muscles. Your whole body goes into “fight-or-flight response.” And that triggers your body to release a hormone called cortisol, which increases your appetite. 

Your body knows you need energy to deal with all the B.S. causing you to stress out so it tries to “help” by keeping you fueled for your fight. Worse, all that stress you feel suppresses your production of ghrelin, a hormone that helps keep your appetite in check. As a result, you end up feeling starving, stressed, and pretty much off the rails when it comes to food. Our brains crave energy-dense foods high in calories, carbs, fat, and sugar because they provide the quickest boost. Thanks, nature. 

So what do we do about it? 

Legitimately, EVERYONE has their own basket of crap to deal with daily, from finances, to jobs, to relationships, health issues, etc. Life is brimming with a never-ending series of triggers. But we are powerful beings, smart enough to understand and reason through what’s happening in our heads and in our bodies, which means we are capable of making better choices. If we want to be our healthiest and happiest, we have to make active, intentional decisions to take care of ourselves. 

Here are six ways to keep a bad day from driving you straight to the pantry: 

1. Get outside. One of the quickest and best ways I know to circumvent a binge eating disaster is to get outside. Go for a walk, a run, or a swim. Heck, sit on your balcony or porch with a good book and a cold glass of water. Breathe in the fresh air, soak up some sun, and let nature relieve your stress instead of reaching for a snack. The grass, the sun, and the sand contain ZERO calories. Getting yourself away from the kitchen is the key.  Are you at work when the urge strikes? Do a few laps around the office, walk up and down some stairs, or even get yourself out of the building for a few minutes. It all helps distract your mind.

2. Attack a clutter project. Close your eyes and pick one annoying pile of clutter that irritates you every time you see it. Grab a trash bag and a box and go after it. It could be as small as a drawer or as big as a whole closet, or even the basement. It could be a week’s worth of unfolded laundry or messy shelves in the garage. Time is precious and we are often too overwhelmed to keep up with all the little stuff that adds up to big stress. Left to accumulate, the little stuff starts feeling insurmountable. So clean it. Toss it. Give it away. The satisfaction you get from attacking that one eyesore will keep your mind and hands too busy for snacks. (This is an especially great tactic in the office - when was the last time you cleaned out your desk drawers?)

3. Visit a friend. Stress can keep you isolated. Think of the friends you haven't seen lately and make a quick date for a short walk, or a cup of coffee. Getting together with people you love automatically changes your attitude and your perspective. Since laughter is really important to me, I make sure to surround myself with friends who have a great sense of humour. When I get together with any of them, I can be assured of some great stories and lots of laughs. I can’t tell you how much better that makes me feel than eating. Love trumps food, every time.  (And if you’re currently on home isolation, a video chat is a great alternative!)

Don't feel like you have the right friends to talk to about your weight loss or fitness goals? I’ve got you covered. Click here to join our Habitudes Facebook group!

4. Run some errands. Make a list of three tasks that you’ve been putting off. Now, go get your keys and hit the road. Once you are out of your house (or office), you won’t have access to the junk food that was calling your name. Plus, you’ll end the de-stressing session with your dry cleaning in hand, library books returned, and a full tank of gas. That’s a win! 

5. Take a class. Peruse your gym schedule or local community center bulletin board, pick a class, and go. Surrounding yourself with other people who are taking care of themselves will put you in a better state to do the same. Plus the benefits of exercise and creative hobbies include a mood boost (and exercise gives you a caloric burn that lasts). That’s way more than I can say about that pint of Chunky Monkey!. 

6. Change your sheets. Okay, this one might seem a little crazy but hear me out. Fresh sheets feel like a new beginning. They smell good. They feel good. I don’t know about you, but I sleep better on fresh sheets. I wake up renewed and feeling clean. The simple act of stripping the bed and putting clean sheets on it says, “That’s over and I’m ready to start fresh!” Plus, if you flip the mattress you get a little strength training in. Clever, yes? I call that “stealth exercise.” 

What all six of these techniques have in common is that they remove you from easy access to junk food and they either get your body or your mind moving. You deserve to feel amazing, and that means making active choices to boost your health and well-being. 

When stress pushes you toward a passive solution and you feel like you are going to give in to a slow swim in a pool of calories, you can fight back by making an active choice. These are just six suggestions. There are about a million other ways to shift your focus, from washing your dog to planting a garden.

And here is a BONUS tip: Don’t keep any of those tempting foods in your pantry or desk in the first place! If they aren’t there and you have to go out to get them, you will be far more likely to find a different solution. Instead, take a minute to check in with your feelings, take a few deep breaths, and allow yourself to indulge in a few moments of a favourite book, play with a pet, or just sit and be with your thoughts. Those cravings will pass.

Try to remember that there is a big difference between Self-Care and Self-Comfort. Self-Comfort is short-lived and usually not helpful for reaching your goals. It’s OK to indulge in Self-Comfort from time to time, but whenever possible, aim for Self-Care first, which includes the options I’ve listed above.

What other methods do you have for avoiding emotional or stress eating?

Have a health of a day,

Juli