Emotional Eating for Overweight Adults: How to Recognize and Overcome It

You're an adult. You have the money to by that meal. You've purchased it, and its time to find an empty room or place to eat that delicious junk food just by your self. Emotional eating is a common problem among adults who struggle with their weight. It refers to the habit of eating in response to emotional triggers, such as stress, boredom, sadness, or anxiety, rather than physical hunger. Emotional eating can lead to overeating, binge eating, and weight gain, which in turn can cause more negative emotions, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

If you are an overweight adult who engages in emotional eating, you are not alone. Studies have shown that up to 75% of overeating is triggered by emotions, and that emotional eaters are more likely to be overweight or obese. However, recognizing and addressing emotional eating can help you break free from this cycle and improve your health and well-being.

Here are some steps you can take to recognize and overcome emotional eating:

Identify your triggers: The first step in overcoming emotional eating is to identify your triggers. Keep a journal or a log of your eating habits and note down when, where, and why you eat. Pay attention to your emotions and try to pinpoint what triggers your cravings. Is it boredom, stress, anxiety, loneliness, or something else? Once you know your triggers, you can work on finding healthier ways to cope with them.

Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment. By practicing mindfulness, you can learn to recognize and accept your emotions without letting them control your actions. Mindful eating, in particular, can help you tune into your body's signals of hunger and fullness and eat more mindfully.

Find healthier ways to cope: Emotional eating is often a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult emotions. However, there are healthier ways to cope that can help you manage your emotions without turning to food. Some examples include exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or talking to a trusted friend or therapist.

Plan ahead: Planning ahead can help you avoid the temptation to turn to food when you're feeling emotional. Make a meal plan for the week and stick to it, and keep healthy snacks on hand for when you need a quick pick-me-up. If you know you tend to overeat in certain situations, such as when you're watching TV or browsing social media, make a plan to do something else instead, such as going for a walk or reading a book.

Seek support: Finally, don't be afraid to seek support if you're struggling with emotional eating. Talk to a trusted friend or family member, or consider seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders or emotional eating. Support groups can also be a great source of encouragement and motivation.

Emotional eating is a common problem among overweight adults, but it's not a hopeless one. By identifying your triggers, practicing mindfulness, finding healthier ways to cope, planning ahead, and seeking support, you can break free from the cycle of emotional eating and improve your health and well-being.

Why Many Fail in their Diet Journey

 Dieting can be a tough journey, and unfortunately, many people end up failing at it. While some people manage to lose weight and keep it off, the majority of dieters end up regaining the weight they lost, or even gaining more weight back. So, why do so many people fail in their diet journey? Let's take a closer look.

Unrealistic expectations

Many people start a diet with unrealistic expectations. They want to lose a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time, and when they don't see results as quickly as they expected, they get discouraged and give up. It's important to set realistic goals and understand that losing weight takes time and effort.

Lack of consistency

Consistency is key when it comes to dieting. Many people start a diet with a lot of motivation and enthusiasm, but they struggle to stay consistent in the long run. They might have a "cheat day" that turns into a "cheat weekend," and before they know it, they've fallen off the wagon. It's important to stay consistent with healthy eating habits and to have a plan in place for dealing with setbacks.

Lack of accountability

Accountability is important when it comes to dieting. Many people try to go it alone, but it's much easier to stay on track when you have someone else to hold you accountable. This could be a friend or family member, a personal trainer, or even an online community.

Emotional eating

Many people turn to food when they're feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed. Emotional eating can derail even the best diet plans. It's important to identify the triggers that lead to emotional eating and to find healthy ways to cope with those emotions.

Lack of knowledge

Dieting can be confusing, and many people don't know where to start. They might follow a fad diet that promises quick results, but they don't understand the science behind healthy eating. It's important to educate yourself about nutrition and to make informed choices about the foods you eat.

Lack of support

Dieting can be a lonely journey, and many people don't have the support they need to succeed. It's important to surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you on your journey.

In conclusion, dieting can be a difficult journey, but with the right mindset, knowledge, and support, it is possible to achieve your weight loss goals. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can increase your chances of success and build a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Last and Final Tips (61 to 65 th) Keep Movin

61.

Select an exercise pattern to suit your life style. All f us have different life styles and professions so there is no sense in trying to follow the book strictly. Try and follow an exercise routine that is suitable for you. You have to understand that even more important than the exercise itself is sticking to it. So unless you choose something that can suit your life style, you are not going to stick on to it.

62.

Don’t stand, walk. If you can walk about then do so. Do not stand in a fixed position. Pacing about is a good thing to do. If you are thinking deeply about something, try pacing about, it will aid in your thinking.

63.

Don’t sit, stand. If you can stand, then do not sit. The golden rule is to choose a position that is less comfortable.

64.

Don’t lie down, sit. The rule that we mentioned above rings true here as well.

65.

Do not be a couch potato. It is the easiest thing in the world to become a couch potato. You know what we are talking about don’t you? That shapeless thing that sits or reclines on a shapeless chair in front of the television and stupidly munches away at something fried!

If you are inclined to become a promising old couch potato, break the habit, cut at the very root of the vine. And you want to know what is the best way for that? Take away that favorite chair of yours. In fact, it would be a very good idea if you could keep a chair that isn’t too comfortable in front of the TV.

This will discourage any tendency to become a couch potato.

56th to 60th Tip. Exercise Constantly

56.

Exercise out doors as far as possible. There are two advantages of doing whatever you are doing out side. One advantage is that it gives your body a chance to get a lot of the much needed fresh air and sunshine.

The second advantage is that the surroundings keep you perked up and it is a break form remaining cooped up all day long

57.

Try to collect some information about exercise, there are a lot of things that you can do at home. Extensive research has been done on exercise and plenty of this information is easily available.

You can try browsing the net or getting a book or two on how to exercise at home. This information will be useful to you to know how much you need to work out on each specific exercise in order to burn off the desired number of calories.

58.

Try to get somebody to exercise along with you. But it should be somebody committed or else

your interest might dwindle. This is indeed an excellent idea. One of the advantages of getting a committed person t exercise with you is that it keeps you going.

There may be days when you feel just too lazy to crawl out of bed in the mornings. On such days, the knowledge that some body is waiting for you is enough to slide out of bed.

Another advantage is that you can discuss your progress and fears with another person and be a sympathetic listener to the other person as well. This is a fine way of getting motivated your self.

59.

Stop when your body has had enough. There is no sense in pushing it. When you have worked out for a considerable time, your body will start giving you signals.

Heed those signals. This is particularly true in the initial stages. Take one step at a time. Stop when you are out of breath or when a certain part of your body tells you that it has had enough.

60.

If you want to increase your time of exercise or your work out routine, do it gradually and not in sudden steps.

Well easier said than done. Most of us have such hectic schedules that it is quite impossible to fit in tie for exercise right? Wrong. I want to say it once and for all, your body, or anybody’s body for that matter needs proper exercise. If you make up your mind to do it, you just can.

Fifty One to Fiftyfifth Tips (Measureable Targets)

51.

Dry wine is better than sweet wine. Sweet wines naturally contain a lot of sugar. But on the other hand, in dry wines most of this sugar has been fermented away so from the weight point of view dry wines are better than sweet wines.

52.

When you decide it’s time to start working out, start slowly and don’t get discouraged if you don’t achieve your fitness goals after the first week. Many people make this mistake. They feel that if they really push their bodies they can lose more weight in a couple of work outs. This is a very serious thing in fact.

If you try to push your body too much in the first few goes, you are likely to end up with sprained joints, a sore back and even torn ligaments. The rule to be followed here is slow and steady wins the race.

53.

Check your weight before you start the routine and keep checking for changes but do not expect a radical change immediately, it might be one or two weeks before you notice some change. However it is crucial that you continue to monitor your weight. You may bear in mind the fact that even a few pounds loss is a big achievement.

54.

When you do notice a change, reward yourself. When I say reward I do not mean go for some goodies like chocolates or sweets. Maybe you could go for a movie or buy yourself something like a new dress or a trinket.

This is something that can keep you going. It is a good idea to save on the money that you wanted to spend on ice creams and chocolates and then treat your self to something more substantial.

55.

You can take a day off from exercise every week. This is not just a very good idea but it is part of the exercise routine. Your body needs a day off from an exercise routine so do not hesitate to take a day off from what ever you have been doing.

41 to 45 (Avoid as much as you Can : Fried Flinstone)

41.

Watch your fat intake. Each fat gram contains 9 calories so by reading the total calories on a food and knowing the quantity of fat, you can estimate the % of fat, which should in no way exceed 30% of the food.

42.

Go easy on salt, as too much salt is one of the causes of obesity. Make it a point to really cut down on salt. Try to bring down your salt intake to half of what it was last year.

43.

Change from table butter to cholesterol free butter. If you have a choice why not g for it, any way it is healthier for you and tastes just the same. Bear in mind that these small changes can go a long way towards weight reduction.

44.

Instead of frying things try baking them without fat. Baking is by far a healthier method of preparing food than frying. Baking requires lesser oil or fat.

45.

Use a non stick frying pan for your cooking so that you do not have to add oil. The golden rule is to try and avoid as much oil as possible and a non stick pan is the perfect solution to this problem.

No 31 to 35 (Vegitarian Diet is the Best)

31.

50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates. It is a myth that you should try and avoid carbohydrates when you are on a diet. Rather the other way round I should say. Carbohydrates are a ready source of energy and so 50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates.

32.

25 to 30% of your diet should be proteins. Various processes and activities are going on in our bodies. Things are broken down and being built up again. Resistance has to be built up, recovery from disease too is needed and for all this the body needs plenty of proteins so see to it that 25 to 30 % of your diet consists of proteins.

33.

Fats should only be 15 to 20 %. You need only this much of fat in your diet so keep it at that.

34.

Try and adopt a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly better for those of us watching our diet. There are a lot of advantages of keeping to a vegetarian diet but I don’t want to sing an ode to vegetarianism now. What I would suggest is keep to a vegetarian diet as much as you can. Make a non- vegetarian diet a week end event or something if you find it impossible to give up eating all those animals.

35.

Choose white meat rather than red. White meat, which includes fish and fowl, is miles better than red meat, which includes beef and pork for those trying to lose weight.

The Next 26 to 30 Tips (Chocolates, Eggs, No Alchohol)

26.

Nothing more than an egg a day. Eggs are not such a bright idea. It would be best to reduce your intake of eggs to maybe three in a week. But for those of you die hard egg fans, you may have up to one egg a day but nothing more than that.

27.

Make chocolates a luxury and not a routine. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them. Even the bitter chocolates are not good for you because though the sugar is less there is still the cream in them.

28.

Choose a variety of foods from all food groups every day. This is a fine way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay. Change the items included in your diet every day. This is an excellent way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay and it helps you to experiment with a variety of dishes and there by you do not get bored of your diet.

29.

If you can say no to alcoholic beverages please do. Alcoholic beverages too are not good for you. Beer can be fattening and the rest of the alcoholic drinks may not be fattening by themselves but after a couple of swigs you will be in no position to watch your diet and your appetite too will be something to battle with.

30.

Try to have breakfast within one hour of waking. It’s always best to have breakfast within an hour of waking so that your body can charge itself with the energy it needs for the day. The idea is not to wait for your self to get really hungry. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but that does not mean that it should be the most filling meal of the day.

The TwentyOne to Twenti Five Tips (Start Burning)

21.

Count the calories as you eat. It’s a good idea to have an idea of the calories that most food items have. If it is a packed thing then the label is sure to have the calories that the substance has.

22.

Be sure to burn out those extra calories by the end of the week. If you feel that you have consumed more calories than you should have during the week, it happens you know, and then make sure that you work off those extra calories by the end of the week.

23.

Stay away from fried things. Fried things are an absolute no-no. The more fried things that you avoid, the lesser weight you will gain. Fried things are called so because they are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.

24.

Do not skip meals. The worst thing you can do while watching you diet is skip a meal. It has just the opposite effect of what you want. You need to have at least four regular meals every day.

25.

Fresh vegetables are better than cooked or canned vegetables. Try to eat your vegetables raw. When you cook them, you are in fact taking away nearly half the vitamins in them. And canned vegetables too are processed and are not nearly half as good as fresh vegetables. When you buy your vegetables it would be a good thing to see if the label says that it is pesticide free.

The 16 to 20 Tips of Loosing Weight (Get Easy at Snack Time)

16.

Eat only when you are hungry. Some of us have the tendency to eat whenever we see food. We use parties as an excuse to stuff our selves. Understand that the effect of a whole week of dieting can be wasted by just one day’s party food. Whenever you are offered something to eat do not decline it completely bit just break of a nibble so that you appear to mind your manners and at the same time can watch your diet.

17.

Quit snacking in between meals. Do not fall for snacks in between meals. This is especially true for those who have to travel a lot. They feel that the only time they can get a bite to eat is snacks and junk food. The main problem with most snacks and junk food is that they are usually less filling and contain a lot of fat and calories. Just think about French fries…tempting but terribly fattening.

18.

Snack on vegetables if you must. You might get the pangs of hunger in between meals. It is something that you can very well control. Or even better, try munching on carrots. They are an excellent way to satisfy those hungry pangs and are good for your eyes and teeth. True, you might end up being called Bugs Bunny, but its miles better to be called Bugs Bunny than fatso.

19.

Go easy on tea and coffee. Tea and coffee are harmless by themselves. It’s when you add the cream and sugar that they become fattening. Did you know that having a cup of tea or coffee that has cream and at least two cubes of sugar is as bad as having a big piece of rich chocolate cake?

20.

Try to stick to black tea/coffee. Black tea or coffee can actually be good for you. But personally I would like to recommend tea rather than coffee. The caffeine in the coffee is not really good for you because it is an alkaloid and can affect other functions of your body like the metabolism.