One of the main reasons I ended up overweight was because I couldn’t stop eating due to stress! As soon as I encountered stress, I immediately started to wish for all kinds of bad things! This didn’t help me at all since I live in Philly (think Philly cheese steaks and Philly pretzels), and there are plenty of quality delivery restaurants within a few miles of where I live (laughs)!
The good news is that I was finally able to overcome eating stress … and I’ll show you how I did it below and hopefully these tips can help you get over this dangerous habit too.
Quick stress buster
One of the things I learned in a stress and anxiety relief program is that you should always have some quick stress-busting exercises to go to when you encounter stressful situations.
Now, this type of exercise must be able to be done instantly and at any time. The only exercise I went to almost every time was simple deep breathing exercises.
By doing deep breathing exercises, you will decrease tension, stress, and anxiety. Also, another benefit is that deep breathing will also directly help decrease cravings.
The kind of deep breathing he always did was very simple. All you have to do is slowly inhale through your nostrils for 3 seconds and exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds. Repeat for a minute or two. You should feel a sensation of warmth followed by an incredible sense of relaxation and inner peace! Not to mention, you can do this ANYWHERE and ANYTIME!
Snack prevention
Another tip to help you overcome the stress response with food is to identify common times in your everyday life when you may encounter stress (like coming home to your spouse … JUST A JOKE!), And make sure you’ve consumed a high protein and high fiber meal or snack before this time.
Protein and fiber are two quality nutrients that are not only great for weight loss, but also help keep you full and satisfied … which, of course, will help decrease craving urges.
Some examples of these types of foods that I would personally choose would be a whey protein shake and an apple. Easy!
Alternatives
This cheat combines 2 problem solvers in one! The first problem solved is keeping bad foods out of reach to begin with and the second, of course, is decreasing cravings. This trick is to have alternatives to the foods you commonly crave!
For example, one of the things I LOVED to have when I was stressed was cereal. Give me a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and the IRS could knock on my door and I wouldn’t mind one bit (LOL)!
So what would be a smarter, healthier version of this specific desire you had? Easy: Get a healthier bread (like Ezekiel bread), lightly slather on some olive oil, sprinkle on a little cinnamon, and put it in an oven or toaster until toasted. Healthy, delicious, fast, satisfying, and oh yeah, did I mention: HEALTHY!
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