How to break free from emotional eating?

How to break free from emotional eating?

> > With the temperature getting higher day by day, losing weight has become a top priority for many young people. But instead of keeping their mouths shut and spreading their legs, some people always fall into the state of "start eating when they disagree". Some people eat uncontrollably when they are in a bad mood, but the guilt, anxiety and other emotions that follow after eating prompt them to induce vomiting, take diet pills and other extreme behaviors. Similar conditions are not uncommon among young people nowadays, and even severe cases can lead to "eating disorders". > > >

With the temperature getting higher day by day, losing weight has become a top priority for many young people. But instead of keeping their mouths shut and spreading their legs, some people always fall into the state of "start eating when they disagree". Some people eat uncontrollably when they are in a bad mood, but the guilt, anxiety and other emotions that follow after eating prompt them to induce vomiting, take diet pills and other extreme behaviors. Similar conditions are not uncommon among young people nowadays, and even severe cases can lead to "eating disorders".

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Overeating in a bad mood may lead to an "eating disorder"

The psychiatrist pointed out that the behavior of "starting to eat as soon as a word disagrees" is not uncommon among young people. Some people feel depressed because of dieting, or because of work pressure, mood swings, etc., they often overeat impulsively late at night, alone, or when they are bored, depressed or angry, and they cannot control themselves until they feel bloated and uncomfortable. Although there is a brief sense of satisfaction and pleasure after binge eating, the accompanying emotions such as guilt and anxiety will prompt them to make compensatory behaviors of excessive weight loss.

This is actually a symptom of emotional eating. For the client, the act of eating is not to solve physical hunger, but to satisfy an emotional need. There are many ways to relieve stress and emotions, and some of them enjoy the satisfaction of eating, the satisfaction of chewing, and the pleasure of being full, so they use eating as a tool for self-healing.

However, it should be noted that if similar emotional eating continues for a certain amount of time and frequency, and as a result, you feel guilty of eating too much, or even make some inappropriate behaviors to avoid weight gain, then you need to pay attention. . If impulsive binge eating is repeated and uncontrollable, followed by excessive behavior, such as induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, excessive exercise, etc., then it is necessary to determine whether there is an "eating disorder". This condition is more common in young women, and is often repeated with binge eating and anorexia.

According to the diagnostic criteria of binge eating disorder, if inappropriate compensatory measures are taken to prevent weight gain after binge eating, the average number of occurrences is more than 2 times a week, and it lasts for more than 3 months, then it can be identified as "eating disorder".

According to a psychiatrist, many young women go to seek help and receive psychological counseling because of similar problems. Most of them are very concerned about their body shape and weight, and their self-evaluation is often affected by changes in weight and body shape; some people are obviously not fat. , and also try to diet for weight loss. Some people are afraid of getting fat, and even go on a diet too much. To a certain extent, they will go on to binge eat and fall into an "dead cycle".

Improve mood to cure binge eating

How to break free from the "dead loop" of emotional eating?

For ordinary and occasional binge eating, psychologists suggest that the first thing is to self-awareness, whether it is a recent work stress or emotional stress. You must first find the cause of your binge eating, and choose to use methods other than eating to solve your emotional problems.

Subjectively, try to distinguish whether your eating is due to physical hunger or emotional hunger, and try to avoid using food to solve emotional hunger. There are many other healthy ways to relieve work stress or emotional impact, such as finding someone to talk to or communicating with, doing some exercise, cultivating some hobbies to divert attention, etc. In real life, don’t let yourself get food too easily, such as deleting some take-out software, don’t store too much food in the refrigerator, etc. There are no snacks at hand, and you can’t find anything to eat at home, which can objectively reduce the probability of overeating.

And for people who have been binge eating for a while, feel out of control, and have caused other life problems, it's best to seek professional help. Psychological counseling is necessary. In severe cases, medical treatment is required. The drugs used for binge eating disorder are also mainly used to improve mood. Once the mood is improved, the desire to binge eat will decrease. To some extent, binge eating and depression are synonymous, and binge eating disorder may also be secondary to depression.

Plus, here are 4 ways to help you break free from emotional eating.

1. exercise.

Make your daily exercise a priority. Physical activity is good for your mood and energy, and it's also an excellent stress reliever.

2. Relax.

Find time to relax. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes a day to relax, de-stress, and soothe. This is your time to free yourself from responsibilities and regain your energy.

3. Connect with others.

Don't underestimate the power of intimacy and social activities, and spending time with positive people who can improve your quality of life can protect you from the negative effects of stress.

4. sleep.

Have you ever noticed that when you're sleep-deprived, you're craving foods that give you a quick boost of energy. There's a reason behind this, a lack of sleep can directly lead to nervousness, overeating, and weight gain.

There are two hormones in your body that regulate normal hunger and satiety. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, and leptin sends messages to the brain when you're full. However, when you don't get enough sleep, ghrelin levels rise, stimulating your appetite so you eat more, and leptin levels drop, making you less likely to feel full and keep eating. Therefore, the more sleep you lack, the more food your body will crave.

Not only can physical and mental exhaustion make it harder to beat your appetite, it can also raise your stress levels, leading to more severe emotional eating. To control your appetite and reduce food cravings, try getting more rest and getting a good quality sleep.

Text/Li Yanming Chief Physician Nanning People's Hospital of Guangxi

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