Advertisement A majority of the clients I work with are seeking weight loss. We, of course, work on the basics of weight loss, but the foundation of weight loss and the key to successfully keeping the weight off is to truly gain an understanding of our relationship with food.
That means understanding why we eat above and beyond physical hunger, which is the physical need for food to keep our bodies going each day.
Experts say we eat out of emotional hunger
75 percent of the time. Emotional hunger, otherwise known as emotional eating, is eating in response to an emotion (such as boredom, stress, anxiety, loneliness, frustration), to social events or simply just because the food is there. When we can understand why we eat, we can work at eating mostly because of physical need.
Here are some tools I have clients use:
Ask yourself why you are eating right now. Every time you decide to eat, stop for a moment and ask yourself why you are eating. Is it because you are physically hungry (meaning you have an empty, pitting feeling in your stomach)? Did your blood sugar drop? Are you suddenly crabby, you can’t concentrate or a headache just came on? Is it because the container of rocky road ice cream sounds good after just getting in a fight with your loved one?
Start a food journal. Take the thinking a step further and, for at least two weeks, write down every time you consume food or liquid. Also record the reason you’re eating or drinking. Having tangible evidence to look at is an eye-opening experience for many people.
Have a plan. When you start to recognize some of the reasons you emotionally eat, start thinking of some non-food ways to deal with that emotion. For example, one of the reasons you eat is because it’s habit to snack at night when you’re watching TV. Instead of snacking, could you keep your hands busy by scrapbooking, folding laundry, working on a puzzle or sipping on a glass of water?
Enjoy one of our “Winning Weighs in the Kitchen” seasonal recipes:
Georgia Pecan Wild Rice
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon salt or favorite spice rub
4 cups cooked wild rice
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
Sauté onion in butter until translucent. Add the pecans, and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add salt or spice rub, and stir in the cooked wild rice. Continue cooking until heated thoroughly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 140 calories, 6 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber.
Rebecca Cripe is a registered dietitian at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.
