How to handle emotional eating during COVID-19 & the holidays
Learn to honor your emotions without using food
When COVID-19 mixes with the holiday season, it creates the perfect storm for emotional eating. My clients are reporting feeling the need to cope with food now more than ever. If you identify with this - you are not alone!
Emotional hunger is defined by having an unmet emotional need that presents itself with a desire to eat food. This is often referred to as emotional eating. In an emotionally uncomfortable situation, it’s important to note that we usually revert back to the process we already know--unless we fight the pattern. It's hard to let go of something you've never known anything different from.
The key is to reprogram your response in these situations. Our past has a huge influence on our perspective and mindset. Just because something has always been a certain way, does not mean it has to continue the same way.
Several components of intuitive eating play a part in honoring your emotions without using food.
- Learning to reconnect with hunger, fullness and satisfaction of food
- Rebuilding trust with your body creates a unique calmness with food
Emotional eating can be triggered by:
- Lack of rest.
- Lack of comfort, warmth and nurturing.
- Inability to express feelings.
- The feeling of not being heard, understood and accepted.
- Boredom or the need for entertainment.
- Bribery or reward (using food as a reward for achieving certain tasks).
- Excitement or celebration.
- Someone showing love through “food pushing”.
*If any of these needs are not being met, food could be used to meet the need. The goal is to not rely on food as your first and only coping skill.
What can you do to meet your unmet needs without using food?
- Call a friend
- Yoga/meditation/deep breathing exercises
- Write in a journal
- Color, draw or paint
- Read a book
- Listen to a podcast or specific music genre
- Watch a movie or favorite TV show
- Play a game on your phone or smart device
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Want to dig deeper? My recently published Intuitive Eating Journal addresses Emotional Hunger and Emotional Eating Interventions.
As my gift to you, I have provided Day 24 of the Intuitive Eating Journal as a FREE Download!
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Address the Stress
A pivotal factor in overcoming stress-induced eating is to address the stress. Your response to the demands of the world determines your stress level.
Use this FREE Coping Skills Worksheet to compile a list of your current sources of stress and create your own list of calming skills and distraction skills to be prepared when you find yourself feeling stressed.
Identifying your sources of stress is critical. After you have a good idea of the things that cause you stress, you can then decide how much control you have over them and develop coping skills accordingly. Deep breathing and yoga are two of my favorite strategies to manage stress!
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Don't let the holidays trigger the scarcity mentality
The scarcity mentality interferes with our beliefs about food. What are those “only one time a year” foods for you?
For some, the scarcity mentality means seasonal pumpkin spice lattes. For others it means annual Girl Scout cookies. The limited availability of seasonal foods creates an allure. This allure can strengthen to the point of feeling out of control around these "once a year" foods.
Ask yourself if this food or beverage is truly only available for a moment in time. Is there a chance you can order the same thing online, or recreate a version of this food or drink at other times of the year?
If this food is only available at certain times – the choice is to savor and enjoy the food vs. allowing a sense of urgency and stock piling take over. For many, the feeling of scarcity feels like an urgency, panic, vulnerability, and pressure. What are your feelings surrounding certain foods being perceived as scarce?
Remind yourself that you can really have these foods at any time. Once you do so, the power of these foods diminishes.
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The Intuitive Eating Journal is here!
Are you tired of the restrictive, depriving diets?
This journal is for those who want to break free from the shackles of dieting. It's time to make space for the things that truly bring you joy in life! If you can’t bear to go on one more diet…this Intuitive Eating Workbook is for YOU. I’ve been there and I’m alongside you in this journey.
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Virtual Nutrition Counseling
Thanks to technology, I am able to give you guidance at the times that work best for you. Whether you have free time on your lunch break, after the kids are asleep, or on a Saturday morning: I am there in real-time. This takes the stress, time, & cost out of driving to and from appointments.
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It has never been more convenient to workout at home
The world wide web provides up with virtually any type of fitness routine at our fingertips, in the comfort of our own home.
Here are my go-to options for in-home workouts:
Looking for more?
Here are 125 free workouts for 2020
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Benefits of exercise
Unrelated to weight
- Balancing hormones
- Building lean muscle mass through strength training, which positively affects your metabolism
- Increased bone density
- Increased flexibility in the tendons and ligaments
- Assists with blood circulation
- Aids in digestion
- Reduced risk of injuries
- Improved mental health
- Increased heart and lung strength
- Improved memory
- Improved sleep
- Helps manage blood sugar
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Pumpkin Pie for BREAKFAST!
That's right, this Dietitian is suggesting to eat pie for breakfast. Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats!
It's easy, high in protein and fiber, vegan, gluten-free and delicious!
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
- optional: 1/2 scoop protein powder or 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt for added protein
- optional toppings: pecans, dried cranberries, granola or nut butter
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl except for the toppings. If you’re using Greek yogurt or protein powder, add that in now.
- Stir everything together, cover, and let sit in the fridge overnight. That’s it!
- Take the mixture out of the fridge the next day. Feel free to add a sprinkle or pecans, cranberries, granola or an extra drizzle of maple syrup before serving if you’d like.
Serving size: 1
Calories: 310
Protein: 11g
Fiber: 10g
Looking for more fun recipes? Visit one of my favorite recipe index sites, Eating Bird Food. You're able to filter the recipes by cooking time, number of ingredients, kid-friendly, meal type and more!
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Your body is a temple. Be kind to it!
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