Resolution 21: Avoid Stress-Triggered Eating

Avoid Stress-Triggered Eating

As many of you know, I am in the throws of a stressful time: only 12 school days are remaining, yet I have about 15 days worth of curriculum that I would ideally like to cover still; we have a tentative teaching contract, which for me (a negotiator) means a lot of informational sessions after work each day; the end of the school year is booked solid with banquets, meetings, and celebrations; I am house-sitting for family members; I have to renew my teaching license this year and I only have about a month to finish this process; and I have my PGP (Professional Growth Process) final evaluation due at the end of the week. Not to mention, on top of all this I have students and parents who want up-to-date grade information regarding my classes, as well as co-workers who would like to talk about the new Minnesota English Language Arts standards that are being implemented next fall. What this equates to is simple: STRESS. 


When I get stressed, I eat. (I don't know that I eat more per-say than I do otherwise, but I do know that I eat less healthily.) According to a Mayo Clinic online article, "[stress] can also lead to an unhealthy cycle--your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel badly, and you overeat again." Yep. Those people at the Mayo Clinic know what they are talking about. When rushing from meeting to meeting, it is all to easy to swing by McDonald's on my way from one to the other. When working late at school to catch up on scoring essays, the vending machine is far too close by. When getting home late from a stress-filled day, a beer all too quickly becomes a few beers and a snack on the side. Therefore, this time of year I need to be particularly focused on making good choices. 


The same Mayo Clinic article has ten suggestions for how to avoid making poor choices when dealing with stress (after each you will see my commentary): 

• Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.
• Sometimes a short nap, or even a few minutes of sitting quietly in a room with no distractions, can help me get my frustrations under wraps. I simply need to be disciplined enough to take the time to be still. It sounds easy, but it's not. 
• Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
• I find this hard, primarily because I often don't have time to think about if I am hungry or not--with my busy schedule I have to eat when I have a window of opportunity or I may not have another opportunity for a few hours. I know that is the not the right reason to eat, but it is the crux I need to overcome.
• Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between mood and food.
• I need to be better with this: I did it religiously when I began this blog, but the busier I get the less apt I am to be consistent in recording my calorie intake. 
• Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
• I am lucky to have my husband, friends, family, and all my blog readers to help me stay motivated and focused on my goals. For me, this one is not an issue. 
• Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
• Boredom is not an issue for me at this time of year. 
• Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.
• This one is also not an issue for me. Scott and I have rid our house of almost all tempting foods. In addition, since Scott does the grocery shopping almost exclusively, he has to deal with his hunger pangs, not mine. 
• Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
• The food I crave most is dark chocolate. Rather than ridding my life of this decadent joy, I have replaced it with small, snack-able portions. I keep Ghirardelli dark chocolate baking chips in my freezer at home, which allows me to have only a few chips when I have the urge to consume delicious dark chocolate, rather than a whole chocolate bar. We also keep Hershey's lite chocolate syrup in our fridge: mixed with skim milk this is a chocolate-craving-curbing solution that beneficially also fills me up a bit. 
• Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
• I try this, I really do. Unfortunately, this is where I struggle most. I may bring an apple to work for after the final bell rings and I still have hours of meetings before me, but I commonly set that aside when I see that a coworker has brought brownies to share... This is one I will surely have to focus on this week.
• Get enough sleep. If you're constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.
• Most of the time, sleep is not an issue. Although, when I find myself running solidly from 7:00 AM until 9:00 PM I crave some wind-down time when I get home. On these nights I may not get as much sleep as I crave. That said, most nights this is not an issue. 
• Seek therapy. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.
• I don't think I am here yet.

Here's to hoping I have a stress-less week! However, since that is not likely, I will just aim at having a stress-manageable week that allows me to make good food choices.