Are you stress eating? Try this surprising easy fix

I have interacted with literally thousands of people who have undergone weight loss surgery in the management of obesity. Not one of these people has ever told me they do not eat when feeling stressed. The reality is we reach for food in times of stress for the comfort or distraction it offers. It is not a moral weakness. Hunger cravings during stress are intrinsic human biological responses, the body's call for fuel to produce serotonin.

Fortunately, we can manage these cravings and control what we eat by carefully selecting the food we eat in response to stress-induced hunger and cravings.

Recent research identified vitamin C as a stress reducer. Psychology Today reported in June 2016 that studies show positive improvement when vitamin C is used as part of healthy and holistic stress management:

"It's already everybody's favorite nutritional supplement, linked, however controversially, to preventing the common cold and fighting cancer. But vitamin C recently added a new notch on its belt. The vitamin helps reduce both the physical and psychological effects of stress on people.

People who have high levels of vitamin C do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to acute psychological challenges. What's more, they bounce back from stressful situations faster than people with low levels of vitamin C in their blood.

In one study German researchers subjected 120 people to a sure-fire stressor—a public speaking task combined with math problems. Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Such signs of stress as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who got vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin."

Foods rich in vitamin C, particularly berries and citrus food, quickly cause a surge in serotonin production which produces a feeling of emotional relief. We often turn to simple carbohydrates -sweets, salty snacks or starchy foods- for comfort during stressful times. In a way we are correctly answering the cry of stress because we are eating foods that will increase serotonin which produces calmness. Knowing this we can eat in response to stress but rather than grab the snacky chips or cookies let's give an apple, a tangerine or strawberries a try. The resulting emotional relief paired with the knowledge of making a healthy choice is bound to go a long way in restoring emotional balance.

Emotional Eating Solved

LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest: Emotional Eating Solved
Check out the newest edition of our LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest in our Archive:

 

"Thank you for joining me in this week's LivingAfterWLS Digest, I know your time is valuable and appreciate you spending some of it with me. Today  we discuss the reality of emotional eating - have you declared yourself an emotional eater? Being an emotional eater is not a character flaw, it is part of the human code that has evolved over many generations. From the beginning of mankind our species has sought food in response to physical and emotional needs. This is universal to every culture on the planet. The emotional need for food is so embedded in our behavior it is unlikely we can ever change it and trying to modify this inherent behavior leads to frustration and feelings of failure. Rather than change the behavior why not acknowledge it and manage it in a healthy and rational way? Today's featured article addresses just that topic: Emotional eating got you down?

We also take a look at Rule #2 - Lots of Water as a reminder how important daily water intake is to our weight loss efforts and our overall wellness.  And don't miss our Quick Tips and a delicious make ahead meal of chicken and potato skins. 

 

I hope you find this digest useful in your ongoing efforts for improved health with weight loss surgery. You have the power and knowledge to make this your healthiest season ever! Let's do it together!"

Link to Digest

Emotional Eating: Consider this

Many of us come to realize we tend to eat in the face of certain emotions like stress, anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness, jubilation, etc. It is common to make unhealthy food choices when driven to eat for emotional reasons over biological reasons. (Probably any of us would confess to dipping into soft carbs like crackers or sweets when succumbing to emotional hunger.) What if, having acknowledged that we are emotional eaters, we prepare an emergency food kit with four or five foods that we enjoy and that also meet our WLS high protein, low-carb nutritional prescription. When emotions strike we grant permission to eat from the emergency kit. This can be quite effective because we are responding to our emotional craving for food comfort. At the same time we are nurturing our health and sparing us the inner self-loathing for our lack of control or will power. The key is to have an emergency kit and allow yourself to use it.




Many of you already know I always have hard-cooked eggs in the fridge for when I hit meltdown. My rule is to have an egg in response to emotional hunger, wait 15-20 minutes. If after waiting the emotional craving is still there I can have a bite of something else. In most instances by the time the 20 minutes has passed I don't recall being hungry, that's how this rule works for me.

"We cannot take the emotion out of our diet, but we can put nutrition into the emotion."

Humans have evolved to be emotional eaters - can you think of any occasion happy or sad or exciting or mundane at which food is not present? We cannot take the emotion out of our diet, but we can put nutrition into the emotion. We seldom have control of the emotions in the ebb and flow of life, but we always have a choice of what we put on our fork.


We have a terrific conversation on this topic in our Facebook Group: LivingAfterWLS Project 2014. Please join us!  Link Here:  Project 2014


Here is one of my most favorite to-go protein recipes ever, from page 145 of the 5 Day Pouch Test Manual:

To-Go: Cranberry Turkey Roll-Ups

This is a terrific recipe to use on Day 3 and a great method to keep in mind when preparing portable meals to support your weight loss surgery diet. Experiment with different meats, cheese and condiments to add variety and interest to portable meals.

Ingredients:
1 pound deli-style turkey, reduced-sodium, sliced
4 ounces cream cheese spread with chives and onions
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, no-sugar-added

Directions: Place two slices of turkey on a cutting board and spread with 1 teaspoon of cream cheese spread, and 1 teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Roll tightly, and secure with a toothpick and place in refrigerator container. Repeat with remaining ingredients, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Nutrition: Serves 4. Per serving: 232 calories, 27 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 5 grams carbohydrate.

More great recipes in the 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual. Learn more: 5DPT Manual