I'm a foodaholic. How to stop yourself from eating problems

Stress can motivate in a positive way, but then the energy is spent constructively. For example, many restore resources in the gym or invest energy in creativity. However, some people in a stressful situation calm down by eating food in large quantities. Stress eating is considered a psychological problem; prolonged overeating brings a number of problems with the body to a person, and also increases emotional distress. Possible consequences: high cholesterol, excess weight, depression. Is there a way out of the vicious circle called “fullness relieves stress”? What can you do in this case?

Causes of overeating

Each person has their own individual set of reactions to stress. Most people try to relieve tension and neutralize the source of their worries. Favorable options include yoga, physical exercise, breathing practices, and the like. Negative methods include smoking, drugs, and alcohol. Excessive food abuse can also be included in the group of destructive methods. Why is food chosen for comfort?

1. Food is used to replace the lack of love and support . If the stomach is full of food, then other needs are dulled due to the feeling of fullness. People who lack attention, physical affection, and pleasant words replace love with constant chewing. In addition, it is difficult for them to distinguish the natural desire of hunger from gluttony.
2. Habit - the problem comes from childhood. Parents are sensitive to the child’s absorption of food and rejoice at the portions of food they eat. Affection and simple communication are replaced by worry about the child’s appetite. Subsequently, such a person finds it difficult to communicate with people if he is hungry or is not eating.
3. Overeating relieves internal tension. Constant conflict situations, breakdowns and workload are eaten up with tasty things. They become a kind of medicine.
4. Overeating may not be related to psychological problems, but is a direct consequence of a busy daily routine. A man is busy at work, he snacks on the run. After a hard day, a hungry evening comes, then the real feast begins. As a result, the stomach is overloaded and food absorption is impaired. This way of eating is extremely unconstructive; snacking and worrying affect your health, in particular, cholesterol increases - the main culprit of heart disease.

Doctors add that the reasons for eating difficulties appear in people of a special type. The traits of such people include a hereditary predisposition and the inability to control their appetite. The influence of family attitudes is also important, for example, the presence of abundant feasts and a special attitude to nutrition among close relatives.

In most cases, a person associates food with something pleasant. They think about her and worry about her absence. Sometimes it overshadows all other pleasures. A certain reaction is developed when a person needs to eat badly. Afterwards, a feeling of guilt may arise, which is also drowned out by snacking and eating food.

Why do you crave sweets during times of stress?

Most people, especially women, relieve stress with candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream and other sweets. Why exactly does sweet food help fight negative emotions?

When a person eats sweets, glucose enters the blood. Glucose is a source of energy. The body, feeling a surge of energy, produces serotonin - the hormone of joy. Therefore, after eating sweets, a person’s mood lifts for a while, he feels a surge of strength and vigor.

If too much sweet was eaten, and the energy released was not wasted, the body will begin to make reserves, increasing body weight. In addition, sweet tooth lovers develop insulin resistance over time, which means they need to increase the dose of sugar. A person no longer has enough of one candy; to get pleasure, he needs to eat a whole bag of candies.

Why is uncontrolled oversaturation of food dangerous?

Why are doctors sounding the alarm? What harm can overeating cause? Let's consider the main possible difficulties.

A person who eats stress uses unhealthy foods in their diet. Carbonated drinks, sweets, cakes, fatty and salty foods are used. A person chooses dishes with a pronounced flavor, it is important for him to eat away tension. Fatty meats, sausages, eggs, cheese, sour cream are the main products that contain a very high content of substances such as cholesterol. Therefore, with a daily menu with a predominance of this combination, cholesterol increases, the functioning of the cardiovascular system worsens, and the percentage of the likelihood of diabetes mellitus increases.

Important note: cholesterol, or rather its excess in food, aggravates metabolic disorders, and in overweight people who eat stress, it already suffers.

The provoking factor is poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Over time, cholesterol forms plaques that clog blood vessels and lead to diseases such as stroke and heart attack. According to medical statistics, the mortality rate from these diseases in Russia is the highest.

If cholesterol affects only the walls of blood vessels, then excess weight affects the entire body. Most problems appear after the age of forty, but young people can also suffer from diseases whose source is obesity. The main diseases of obese people: caries, gallstones, infertility, “fat” liver, arthritis.

It is natural that an obese person dreams of losing weight. But with any excitement, he starts eating again. Cholesterol can be reduced with medical help. But what to do with a psychological problem?

Exercise 1

You can do it sitting or lying down - whichever is more convenient for you.

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself as a three year old child. Your mom and dad are next to you (it doesn’t matter whether they were with you at that age, whether they are alive now or not). Imagine them giving you what you really want: love. They stroke you, hold your hand, kiss you, you are happy and laugh.

Feel the warmth, care and love that fills you through your parents. Curl up in one of their laps while the other one strokes you, and feel all the tenderness they feel for you.

Stay in this state. Try to “add” to yourself through this image everything that you once lacked and are now trying to compensate for.

Thank your parents for everything bright and beautiful that happened in your life thanks to them. Wish them good luck and happiness (even if they are not with you now).

You'll make yourself feel warm and cared for without relying on food as an anchor. There is a high probability that after this exercise you will want to eat much less.

How to deal with eating problems

How to stop eating everything after a stressful situation? This question worries everyone who dreams of losing weight or has returned from a doctor with a diagnosis of high cholesterol. In most cases, it is impossible to do without external support, the help of a specialist. It can be very difficult to cope alone. The most important thing is to admit that you have difficulties with nutrition and not put off the decision. What to do?

1. Control your diet. When people are stressed, they try to absorb as much food as possible, they get worried and start chewing faster. Your task will be to chew your food thoroughly. Satiety comes after a certain period of time, usually 20-25 minutes. Stretch out the absorption process.
2. Keep a diary and describe your bouts of gluttony. Why do this? It is necessary to trace the psychological source. When do breakdowns happen? To what situation does the body react acutely? If the cause can be eliminated, overeating will decrease.
3. It is understandable to want to lose weight, but it is unlikely to be possible to do this with the help of diets. If a person eats due to stress, then dieting will only make the situation worse. Losing weight due to impulsive overeating is possible only with the help of a specialist and by eliminating the underlying cause. In addition, you need a lot of desire to help yourself cope with the situation.
4. If you have an irresistible desire to eat food, try replacing it with exercise. This will help you get back into shape and redirect negative emotions. Active activity helps improve night sleep and reduce negative experiences.

Stage-by-stage struggle

How to overcome fatigue and irritability? In psychology, the replacement method is used to combat bad habits. If eating is the result of stress on the psyche, then it is necessary to combat stress with safe and healthy activities.

For example:

• sport;
• rest from work, relaxation;
• correct daily routine;
• new hobbies;
• walks in the open air.

Useful advice from psychologists will help you stop “filling stress” with sweet or high-calorie treats. For the body, switching from a stressful situation is a simple process that is not tied to a specific activity. If a person finds a technique to deal with stress, constant hunger will disappear.

Negative experiences shape stress resistance. If you do not deal with mental disorders using safe methods, a person weakens morally, emotionally and physically. Home treatment involves developing simple, healthy habits.

Physical exercise

The stress hormone, cortisol, is produced in the human body in uncomfortable, constraining conditions. It is impossible to control the production of cortisol, but regular physical activity will help develop a protective reaction. Practicing yoga leads to muscle relaxation, and eastern relaxation techniques make it possible to put your thoughts in order.

Running frees the body from accumulated negative energy. Recent studies have shown that physical activity promotes the production of the happiness hormone. After running or yoga, you don't feel hungry for two hours. During this time, memories of a stressful situation become dull, and the desire to seize on complexity decreases.

Walking and exercise

Journaling

Keeping a personal diary is a well-known technique for reducing mental stress. If a person worries and talks through difficulties, the stress level automatically decreases. A diary is a dialogue with yourself. A person admits his fears and honestly accepts his mistakes. It is useful to re-read the notes, analyze the relationship between trauma and its external manifestation.

If you eliminate stress irritants, you will be able to get rid of a bad habit. Through entries in a diary, a person frees himself from unfaithful friends or those who lower his self-esteem.

Developing healthy eating habits

A simple habit of eating only those foods that are good for the body will help you wean yourself from eating stress. Food is a source of energy and vitamins, and not a way of self-satisfaction. Nutrition should be approached as a healthy habit. Balanced diets will cleanse the body and help organize regular meals.

Sharp restrictions will not benefit a person who has experienced severe stress. Punishments will only make the situation worse. The diet you choose should be varied, nutritious and tasty. To make an easy transition to a new regime, you can sign up for a healthy eating course or buy a cookbook and try to cook delicious dishes.

Cleaning your home and refrigerator

Appetizing food that lies in the refrigerator provokes a person. The first thing you need to do is get rid of all the treats and quick snacks.

Groceries should be purchased according to a new scenario: psychologists advise buying a minimum amount of food and not overloading the refrigerator with supplies.

It's good to try new fruits and vegetables. You need to reduce the amount of treats you consume gradually, without causing unnecessary stress to the body.

Medical advice

What do the doctors say? For example, they suggest eating away stress, but only with healthy foods. This is a good way to lose weight, lower cholesterol and get your feelings in order. What are these products?

1. Chanterelles. They contain a large dose of vitamin D, which reduces stress levels.
2. Chocolate. Many people eat it when stressed. It improves mood and serves as a kind of medicine. But you need to eat it in moderation. Dose – 26-27 grams.
3. Green tea. This drink reduces the level of cortisol, a stress hormone. If your cholesterol is high, you can also drink it.

It is important to reduce portions, eat only half, and eat slowly. There is no need to be afraid to turn to specialists; today many effective methods have been developed to help people with uncontrolled overeating. Perhaps this will help avoid many problems, such as cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.

Video: “Weight and stress. Hunger or stress eating?

Diet correction

To stop harming your health, you don't have to go on a strict diet. You just need to adjust your diet in accordance with the following recommendations:

1. Food should be taken every three hours. This will help maintain glucose levels and eliminate hunger.
2. If, during a tense situation, you have a strong desire to eat something, you need to replace the food with water. Liquid creates a feeling of fullness. It is recommended to drink natural juices and mineral water. Green and chamomile teas are beneficial.

This is interesting! Psychologists recommend eating with your left hand (for right-handers). After 2-3 days, there will be no trace left of the habit of overeating.

1. It is important to maintain the level of vitamin D. It promotes better absorption of microelements and is found in cottage cheese, kefir, oatmeal, and seafood.
2. It is worth including fruits, vegetables, garlic, bananas and fatty fish in your diet. They increase the production of serotonin, a pleasure hormone that improves mood and prevents depression.
3. During periods of nervous tension, you need to lean on foods rich in B vitamins and magnesium. We are talking about buckwheat, nuts, apples, legumes and rye bread.
4. You should forget about simple carbohydrates. The euphoric effect of sucrose causes a strong addiction to sweets. Each time it becomes more and more difficult to give up cookies, sweets and ice cream.
5. Nutritionists recommend creating a meal schedule and menu for every day. Nutritious meals should be consumed in the first half of the day.

Important! Under no circumstances should you go hungry. Chronic malnutrition can cause serious mental illness!

As for children's overeating during stress, it is considered very dangerous for the child. The load on the digestive organs is the cause of hormonal imbalance. Pathological changes can ruin your health for life. Therefore, it is important to monitor the emotional state and diet of your child.