Are you someone who reaches out for chocolate, cakes, crisps or any other type of food when you aren’t hungry? Do you find that if you are upset, frustrated, bored or experiencing any other type of negative emotion that you suddenly crave a certain type of food? If this is you, then Epsom, Sutton, Surrey, Weight Loss Hypnotherapist, Maria Furtek shows you 4 ways of controlling your emotional cravings.
Unless you learn to firstly be aware of this pattern of emotional eating and secondly deal with it, you will always have a problem with cravings! This type of eating is really about your emotions, and as we are “emotional beings” the best thing you can do, is find alternative ways to manage your difficult emotions. I know that intellectually you already know that eating chocolate or peanuts or whatever other type of food you crave, doesn’t solve your stress. However, when your mind is saying “I want chocolate! I want chocolate! There is chocolate in the cupboard!” it is hard to engage your logical mind and rationalise your cravings!
To counteract those cravings, you need to find a way of dealing with your emotions that brings a sense of joy, peace, happiness or just generally a sense of well being without it involving food.
You need to take control of the cravings before they control you and your behaviour and sabotage your weight loss!
These 4 tips below will help you to curb those cravings before they take control and destroy your weight loss efforts.
1. Exercise
Yes I know that it can be difficult at the point of a craving to start jogging or whatever, but exercise increases endorphin levels in your brain and therefore relieves stress. So increasing your level of exercise generally if you are losing weight and experiencing emotional eating, will help you overall. After a workout, you feel less likely to munch your way through a bar of chocolate, becasuse you will feel good about yourself and your cravings will naturally decrease.
2. Get a massage
Massage is a wonderful way to rebalance, and reduce stress. Investing this time in looking after yourself will not only make your body feel more relaxed but will relax your mind too. This in turn may reduce anxiety and improve sleep problems. Massages like Indian Head Massage, a full body massage, aromatherapy massage and reflexology can be a wonderful way to help you mange your emotions more effectively and hence impact positively on your cravings.
3. Get a hobby
Having a passion or interest that focuses your mind and thoughts will pay dividends in combatting boredom eating. Find something that truly inspires you to get up and get out there. It could be anything from photography, horse riding, sport, to sewing – if it occupies you and doesn’t involve food, you are on to a winner!
4. Love an Animal
Whether you find yourself a pet and look after it, or perhaps enjoy a neighbour’s pet or volunteer at an animal centre – it will help you if you eat because you are lonely. Animals have a way of bringing unconditional love and companionship into our lives. Looking after another thing, takes the focus off ourselves and stroking a cat or dog is said to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
In my next blog I will share 5 more ways to crush your cravings so that you can get cracking on your weight loss .