Weight loss experts report you'll gain confidence after you lose weight. Although true, science is proving that it's more important for the success of your weight loss program that you gain confidence before dieting, or even during dieting, to be able to successfully reach your weight loss goals. Emotional eating often leads to binge eating, particularly if you've been denying yourself your favorite foods to lose weight. Weight loss gets significantly more challenging when you turn to food for boredom, loneliness, comfort, depression, insecurity, celebration or anger. Losing weight to gain confidence means you have to gain confidence in your ability to lose weight first.
Emotional eating is common, and some studies estimate that 75% of the population participates in "emotional eating." Short bursts of emotional eating certainly isn't harmful to healthy diets, but more often than not, our emotional eating doesn't result in bingeing on bowls full of celery sticks. If you're thinking about participating in a weight loss program to lose weight, or you're currently trying to lose weight with your own diet plan, keep of journal of when you feel the need for "emotional eating" and what foods you typically eat under the circumstances. Being aware of yourself and your habits is the first step when trying to lose weight with any weight loss plan.
Stress can lead to overeating. This could be ingrained. Studies from Emory University showed that subordinate monkeys ate more often, and ate more foods high in fat than the dominant females. Another factor is whether your emotional eating is "external" or "internal." External emotional eating occurs if you eat more socially at parties, or overeat because you are with someone who is overeating. Internal emotional eating occurs when you plop down on the couch with a bag of munchies and say, "I'm bored" or "I'm depressed." A study by the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center found that "external emotional eaters" were better at retaining their weight loss goals than the "internal emotional eaters." Internal emotional eaters end up regaining weight, and go on and off endless weight loss programs to continue losing weight. Recognizing your internal emotional eating habits gives you the knowledge to fight emotional eating when your emotions try to override your motivation to lose weight.
You may see yourself as a self-confident person, however, after examining your diet patterns, you might find that you lack self-efficacy; which believes you have the ability to reach a specific goal. Self-efficacy was a contributing factor in a Queensland University weight loss study. In this study, the women with higher rates of self-efficacy were able to meet their dieting goals because they believed they could, and they sought the education to do so. Gaining education, believing in you, and getting encouragement from others are recommended to increase self-efficacy levels that would have a positive affect on a dieter's weight loss program.
Weight loss plans must consider the emotional aspect of losing weight. If emotional behaviors, weight loss education and dieting confidence are gained at the beginning of the weight loss plan, the weight loss is more likely to stay lost. Science is proving that if you believe you can lose weight, and then you'll be able to do it. Start your journal and get a grip on your emotional eating, especially while you're trying to lose weight. Gain a few pounds of self-confidence, and lose a few pounds of weight. If you need help, try a weight loss program like the Atkins Diet Weight Loss Program that has a strong support group. You can control the food instead of letting it control you. Just learn and believe.
In recent years, greater attention has been focused on the problem of emotional eating for both women and men.In fact, some experts have gone so far as to claim that most weight gain can be blamed on emotional eating.According to Women Today magazine, it has been estimated that as much as 75 percent of overeating is attributed to the emotions.
For a number of people, overeating stems from anxiety. For instance, if you find yourself consuming an entire bag of potato chips,it's possible that anxiety is the cause.While many people realize that alcohol and illegal drugs are not an antidote to anxiety,they may not understand that indulging in comfort food in order to combat anxiety can be dangerous as well.
In other cases, overeating may be the result of depression.If you feel tired, hopeless,and have lost interest in your normal activities,you may be suffering from a depressive episode.In order to deal with these uncomfortable feelings,people may turn to food in an effort to cheer up.The problem is that the food can lead to weight gain,which can lead to further depression.
At times, overeating may be a symptom of boredom.An individual may figure that he or she has nothing better to do than overeat.This can be particularly true when one is watching television or surfing the Internet. Rather than trying to determine a cause for the boredom, an individual may just try to fix it by indulging in high-fat, high-calorie food.
How do you know if you are an emotional eater?Ask yourself some key questions: Do I tend to eat when I'm worried?Scared?Sad? Do I find that eating lifts my spirits'Am I spending more time eating than engaging in other activities I enjoy?
Do my binges come after I've suffered disappointment? Am I turning to food in order to deal with the death of a loved one divorced or the defeat of my favorite team'If the answers to any of these questions is yes,you may be overeating purely for emotional reasons.
After you've identified yourself as an emotional eater, you'll need to take steps to correct your behavior. Perhaps the most effective technique is diversion.In other words, if you find yourself reaching for the cookie jar, find another activity to engage in.
The answer could be taking a walk, kickboxing, or dancing.Or it could be something less physically demanding, such as needlepoint or crochet.
The idea is to get your hands and perhaps the rest of your body moving.In time,you might find the urge to overeat subsides as you become involved with other activities.
Another effective step you can take is to identify the triggers for your emotional eating.Do you tend to binge in mid-morning,mid-afternoon, or right before bedtime? Are you snacking while watching television, while at the computer,or when you're sitting in your favorite chair?
By asking yourself these questions, you can identify the time of day when you overeat, as well as the location for your binging.With this information, you can learn to re-direct your behavior to less fattening pursuits.
Yet another helpful technique is to develop a support network to help you combat overeating.The members of your support team could include your spouse,children, parents, friends, or other over-eaters.
You may even consider joining a support group which specializes in helping those who engage in binge eating. If you feel the need to overeat, contact a member of your support team.Talking through your emotions could provide you with the emotional release you need, making overeating unnecessary.
If your anxiety or depression persists, consider seeing a psychotherapist.He or she can help you develop more effective coping mechanisms.If you find it difficult to talk to friends or family about your overeating, a psychotherapist can provide you with the talk therapy you need to overcome your problem.
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