Overeating prevents you from getting slim and confident on your way. The problem lies not in the lack of willpower, as is commonly believed, but in some psychological traps. How do you learn to live in harmony with your sense of hunger?
If you get upset every time you see your reflection in the mirror, and your self-esteem melts rapidly – unlike weight, it is useful to understand the reasons that make you overeat. Wine and self-blaming will not help. Most often food disruption is based on emotional hunger, in which you eat not when you are really hungry, and when you overcome unpleasant experiences.
Many women believe that restrictive behaviour is the key to losing weight, but they break the diet over and over again because of their weakness. How do you stop eating? – excruciatingly, they think. But that questioning is fundamentally wrong. Any strict prohibitions the brain perceives in bayonets and is likely to reward you with obsessive thoughts about “bad” foods. Instead of dieting, we suggest you learn some techniques to contain your emotional eater.
How to stop eating sweets
First you have to understand why you’re drawn to sweets. Most often, your addiction to sweets is caused by the desire to increase your levels of dopamine and serotonin (so-called happiness hormones). Sugar stimulates the production of these neurotransmitters in the brain quickly and effortlessly. But there are other ways to improve the mood.
Get a warm-up.
Even a couple of exercises or a short walk will help to calm down, cope with emotions and make the body extract endorphins, which increase tone and reduce appetite.
Keep moderation
Complete deprivation of the sweet can have the opposite effect, and you will want to storm the confectionery department even harder. Allow yourself a few slices of dark chocolate or your favourite breakfast candy. This is much better than a “swing” from periods of severe restrictions and subsequent food disruption.
Breathe properly.
An obsessive desire for sweets can be muffled by doing a simple procedure. Stand up, straighten your back and take a few deep breaths. Short meditations can also be taught to subdue emotional hunger.
Hug .
By hugging friends, family or partner, you can increase oxytocin levels, which calms and reduces anxiety. During a hug you will definitely not feel like sweets.
Do a self-massage.
Acupressure, or acupressure point massage, will help curb hunger. For a few minutes press the dots on the temples, under the nose, under the collarbone, on the wrists, on the goat of the ear and on the inside of the elbow.
How to stop eating flour
Flour and sweets are two faithful overweight companions. They supply the body with fast carbohydrates that only muffle hunger for a short time, but are high in calories. We will tell you about simple tricks to reduce excessive craving for buns, baguettes and croissants.
Find an alternative.
Replace white bread with wholemeal bread, and eat honey and dried fruit instead of sweet baking. Dietary choices can become a habit, and – who knows – you might love them even more harmful.
Distract .
Often we want unhealthy food when we are bored, anxious and lack positive emotions. Try switching your attention to something nice, for example: watch a funny video, write a message to a friend, go for a manicure.
Work with your thoughts.
Psychologists advise you to imagine that you have already eaten a coveted doughnut when there is an emotional hunger. How does that make you feel? Anger at yourself? Disappointment? Now visualize what happens if you hold back the urge. Will you feel pride, will your self-respect strengthen? Then choose the second one.
Drink the water.
Sometimes we confuse signals of hunger and thirst. Next time you want a snack, take a few sips of water. If the hunger attack is false, he’ll retreat.
Take a bath.
Relaxing treatments help you feel better and get in a positive mood. Arrange yourself a cool shower in the morning or a warm foam bath in the evening.