One of my favorite sayings is “Desserts is stressed spelled backwards.” Stress affects the brain and creates craving. One of the most ways to deal with this is to stuff food into your mouth until the feeling goes away. In these hard times, when people are trying to spend less, food is still the cheapest way to medicate fear and worry about money.
Macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, cereals and popcorn are inexpensive to purchase. However, it is not always the type of food that creates problems, it is the quantity! Do you have a food that you often crave because it reminds you of what mom or grandma gave you when you were sick as a kid? Are you comforting yourself with that when you feel scared about whether you will have enough money to pay your bills? Does eating it do anything other than give you a temporary respite?
In order to end the stress-overeating cycle, you first have to make some new decisions about how to not abuse food. Let’s start with some helpful hints to regulate your food intake without feeling deprived. When you go on a diet and take away all your favorite foods you are creating even more stress, and that leads to more cravings! Therefore, I am not advising you to forgo all comfort food and eat only foods you consider to be “diet” food. I want to teach you how to get more out of eating less.
Junk food is a common medication for stress. It reminds me of the intravenous solution that people receive in the hospital. The liquid drips and drips the nutrients or meds directly into the body. That is what happens when you eat foods like chips, pretzels, popcorn, M&Ms, nuts, and other foods that you tend to eat by the handful. You are unaware of what you are eating and swallow mouthful after mouthful, in a mindless way. Oh, the calories!
Instead, purchase individual packets of these foods and others that tempt you. Manufacturers are now offering 100-calorie packs of cookies and crackers. Chips have always been available in small lunchbox portions. When it comes to foods like spaghetti and macaroni or fries, look at the package label that tells you what a portion size is and actually use a measuring cup at first to see how much that is. If you are making foods ahead of time, you can put portions in baggies or small containers and freeze them. Then, just take one out and defrost when you want it.
At first you might balk at the idea of having what seems like a small size. This is especially true if you compare how much popcorn you eat at the movies with the 100-calorie version you can buy in the supermarket. What is the secret to eating one average portion and being able to feel satisfied? It is simply to take a small bite and keep it in your mouth. Taste it! Did you know that your taste buds are on your tongue and not in your stomach?
Gulping down your food while you are talking to someone else on the phone or watching TV is just putting wasted calories inside you. Take one piece of popcorn, one M&M or one teaspoon of ice cream and let it melt in your mouth. Take one forkful of macaroni and cheese, one chip or one nut and chew it slowly as you focus on the taste. You may be surprised at how pleasurable this experience is.
Another way to achieve taste satisfaction without calorie overload is to ask yourself what kind of food experience will lead you to feeling satisfied. Do you want to eat something sweet, sour, salty or spicy? Once you have made that decision, think about the quality of the food. Many people like their treats in liquid form and go for milk shakes, sweet juices or large lattes filled with chocolate, cream and calories. Others like the softness of ice cream, pasta or cake. Chips, nuts, pretzels, cookies and chewy candy please those with a yen for crunching. Make a choice that feels exactly right and you will feel fulfilled. But remember to choose one portion and make the most of enjoying the taste and texture to the full.
When you worry about your financial problems plus the added pounds you have gained, you will feel worse than ever. Start to eat consciously. Choose foods you like in smaller portions and face your fears instead or running away to the refrigerator.
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