Food is often connected to our emotions and this can lead to serious weight problems. For instance, many of us eat when we’re under stress which triggers patterns of over-eating/under-eating. Often we find ourselves eating “mindlessly” out of frustration, anxiety, loneliness, or boredom. Consider your eating habits during these times and how you feel before, during and after eating. By thinking about what event triggers your eating habits, you can learn ways to disrupt those negative patterns. Try these suggestions:
Separate Eating Meals/Snacks from Other Activities. If you sit in your chair, watch TV, or read the newspaper, you will feel like eating any time you sit in this chair, regardless of physical hunger.
Consider Eating as a Pure Experience. Nothing else should be done while eating and every bite should be enjoyed. Otherwise, you get all the calories, but only part of the pleasure. These are calories wasted, not tasted. Other relevant factors during eating include speed of eating and rate of chewing – slow both of these down.
Follow an Eating Schedule. Planning an eating routine or controlling the number of times you eat each day (especially if you tend to skip or delay meals and overeat later) can make a big difference.
Limit the Places Where You Eat. Most people associate places with eating. Some people can eat anywhere. They eat standing up, sitting down, at the kitchen counter, in an easy chair, lying in bed, or driving a car. Instead, select one place in your home where you will eat and eat all you meals there.
Follow these five techniques to break the mood/food relationship to lose and maintain your weight.
1. Set Realistic Goals. This will help prevent disappointment and a sense of failure which can break your healthy meal and snack patterns. Make sure your weight loss goals are achievable. Plan on losing 1-2 pounds a week. If your goals are not realistic, it could lead to depression or disappointment as well as cheating or quitting your weight loss plan.
2. Make Intermittent Goals. In other words, don’t commit to an unrealistic goal of walking 5 miles. Instead, make your goal for one-half mile, and then take ‘small steps’ to increase your steps each day.
3. Keep Food Records. Record everything you eat and drink. It could get as detailed as when, where, and what you’re doing while eating. This way, you can keep track of how many calories you have eaten. It’s the single, most effective tool to losing weight.
4. Avoid a Chain Reaction. Some of us eat because of a behavior we’re used to doing and continue to repeat. For example, we get stressed which leads to eating a cookie, which means falling off the weight loss plan, which leads to depression, which leads to eating more cookies. It’s a chain reaction. In this case, break the chain with a non-food reward. Instead of a cookie, treat yourself to a hot bath or some other activity.
5. Reward Yourself – Treat Yourself for doing well but NOT with food. Instead of a candy bar, take a long walk or buy a favorite magazine. Take small steps to a better health and you will achieve your weight loss goals.
The National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) educates and recognizes Extension professional who impact the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. During March, Living Well Month, NEAFCS launched a public service campaign to raise consumer awareness of the valuable educational resources available through Extension Family and Consumer Sciences. The “Raising kids, Eating right, Spending smart, Living well,’ theme reflects these many resources.
Additional information is available from Andrea Bressler at awb1@psu.edu; or your local office of Penn State Cooperative Extension. In Clearfield, the office is located in the Multi-Service Center, or by calling 765-7878. In Brookville, the office is located at 180 Main Street, or by calling 849-7361. And in Ridgway, the office is located in the Courthouse, or by calling 776-5331. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
(Reference: Small Steps to Health and Wealth, Rutgers Cooperative Extension)
Andrea Bressler, Penn State Cooperative Extension