The Lowdown on Feelings and Why We Eat Them
We are all guilty of stress, whether you feel it every now and again or live with it permanently. Stress can cause us to make the worst decisions for our health, justifying things like binge-drinking, smoking, and most commonly, emotional eating. Stress-eating is more common than you might think, and if you’re a stress-eater, you’re not alone.
But - that’s doesn’t mean it’s OK. Stress-eating is just another term for overeating, not to mention indulging in empty calories your body neither wants nor needs. This can result in fatigue, painful bloating, skin issues, and of course, weight gain - not to mention mental problems such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and yes - more stress. It’s a vicious cycle, one that’s easy to fall into and incredibly hard to break.
If you’ve tried everything to beat the monster of stress-eating, without success, hope isn’t lost.
My name is Alana Kessler, and I’ve been in your shoes. Thankfully, I managed to climb out of them - and I want to help you do the same.
When it comes to overcoming stress-eating, there are two things you need to focus on:
1. Mindfulness
Eating the right foods, at the right time, is one of the most effective ways to win the war against stress. It all begins by understanding your triggers, and to do that, you need to be mindful. You do have control over what you put into your mouth! Surprisingly, you can still use food to soothe your negative emotions - but it’s important to do so in a mindful way. You need to be fully aware of your actions, and consumptions, so that you can take accountability and stop emotional eating once and for all. Why not keep a food diary? You’ll soon become more aware of your habits so that you can snack healthier, remove temptation, and take a hunger reality check - without depriving yourself.
2. Nutritional Education
Do you really know what you’re putting into your body? That Pop Tart might make you feel great in the moment, but what about in the long-run? Is 30 seconds of instant gratification worth having sugar and processed wheat plague your intestines and health for years to come? It’s important to research the ingredients of your “favorite” junk food. Whenever stress hits, accompanied by a craving to stress-eat, take a deep breath and think of your long-term health and happiness. You’ll quickly see that a healthy plate of protein and vegetables will make you feel much better than that candy bar.
It doesn’t matter how “far gone” you think you are. I prove time and time again that everyone is capable of change, through creative solutions that are easy to start integrating into your lifestyle immediately. I blend mindfulness with quality nutritional education to rewire your mind and behavioral patterns.
My “work” is my life, and I spend my days equipping people just like you with the tools you need to promote sustainable, long-term change.
You’ll quickly notice a drastic change in your quality of life, whereby you won’t only lose weight, but you’ll start to feel more confident too. Most importantly, you’ll feel happy - and isn’t happiness what we’re all chasing?
3 Reasons Why We Crave A Binge
What is a binge?
A typical, overview definition of a binge is frequently consuming unusually large amounts of food in one sitting and feeling that eating behavior is out of control. However, it’s much more than that. A binge or craving is our nervous system's response to try and get in control. It’s when you eat a lot of food in just a few hours in order to try and drown out your emotions, even if you aren’t hungry. Then after you’ve finished eating, you quickly feel shame or guilt about it.
Binge eating vs overeating
It’s also important to recognize the difference between simply overeating and entering a binge cycle. While both may be mindless behaviors, causing you to eat too much without thinking about why, there are some major differences. General examples of overeating are:
Having more than one dessert after dinner
Finishing a whole bag of popcorn while watching a movie
Binge eating on the other hand is more emotionally driven, often linked to emotional eating habits unlike overeating, and usually always ends in guilt over what was eaten. General examples of binge eating are:
Sneaking a bag of candy into your room, and finishing it in secret
Eating a whole cake in one sitting and then feeling guilty about it
Finishing a third burger even though you’re already uncomfortably full
When we have a craving for something and we are heading into a binge cycle, there are underlying things that are going on that could be the cause behind it. The first step to conquering a binge is understanding what is causing it.
3 underlying motivations behind binges
Decision fatigue
Unconscious, unmet needs
Fear of desire
Decision fatigue
This is when there is a stressful or hard decision in your life that you know needs to be made, but you are worried or anxious to make it. Often times we crave this binge because we’re not sure what that decision is going to be. And we're looking for a resolution but don't have it yet.
WHAT CAN BE DONE INSTEAD
What we can do in this situation is acknowledge the fact that we are confused and that it’s okay to be confused about this decision. We need to recognize that decision fatigue is something that's natural. It’s about syncing ourselves with the unknown and what we don't know yet, and that it’s okay to not know.
Unconscious, unmet needs
This is that energy of urgency, attachment and fight. The binge is going to be a fight for your needs to be met. We want to be conscious of the feelings that we are unwilling to feel, and acknowledge what some of the needs were looking to have met are.
WHAT CAN BE DONE INSTEAD
What we can do in this situation is ask ourselves what it is that we’re unwilling to feel. Then by saying, how can I help this feeling feel seen, is when we will find those needs we were looking for in a binge.
Fear of desire
This is more of a flight and an overwhelm. It's a fear of feeling positive sensual sensations because we are worried we're going to be overwhelmed and exploited. We are worried that we won't be able to control it and that it's going to overtake us. Often times when we have a craving in a binge, we feel this disassociation. And that's essentially what a binge is, a disassociated eating experience. It's because of underlying motivation and it's a fear of desire.
WHAT CAN BE DONE INSTEAD
What we can do in this situation is to use meditation and mindfulness through body sensations in a safe, neutral place to help to re-introduce yourself, and create a new connection with the sensations of your body in a situation that is not heightened.
Types of lifestyles more susceptible to a binge
While anyone can be susceptible to a binge or cravings, there are certain lifestyles that are more likely to attract binges and cravings. Once you recognize that you fall within one of these lifestyles, you will be one step closer to conquering and taking control of your binge. However if you don’t relate with one of these lifestyles, and still find yourself binging, it does not mean that you still can’t take control.
Extreme diets
Sometimes an attempt to lose weight can lead to bingeing. This is especially true when people follow unhealthy diets to lose the weight, such as skipping meals or eating too little. If they don't reach their goal weight, they may feel so guilty and terrible about themselves that they eat even more. Remember that if you do start a diet, it should be one of a progressive speed.
A major stressful event
Sometimes people binge after they've gone through a major stressful event, like a divorce, losing a job, or losing a friend or loved one. Those who binge eat are usually more likely to binge or get binge cravings if they're anxious or stressed. If you find yourself going through a major stressful event and fear a binge, try to focus your stress through meditation or mindfulness. And remember to allow yourself to feel.
Burn out from work
Sometimes those who are considered workaholics tend to be highly susceptible to a binge. It’s typically associated with jobs involving work that is highly demanding, yet insufficient in the resources it offers to their staff to help cope with job demands. Try to find ways of reducing or eliminating the stress caused by work, like asking for adjustments to your workload or taking time off when you can. Remember that addressing the stress that makes you eat excessively can help you break free from it.
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These might be hard to practice when you're about to binge but this can be easily tackled by setting up a regular meditation practice daily. It becomes more ritual when you turn your attention toward your neutral body sensations, or even to some discomfort sensations, and begin savoring and recognizing what the positive sensations are. This will help you to desensitize yourself, and help you to re-calibrate and re-establish a different type of relationship with things that make you feel good and things that you want. It helps to avoid that behavior and that coping mechanism of needing to disassociate.
Extra tips to help avoid binges
Keep a food diary where you keep track of what and when you eat, along with any impactful or emotional events that happen. A food diary will help you learn when you tend to binge, and can also help see what was going on in your life that may have led you to do it.
Practice mindfulness. By focusing on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, you will be less likely to let your underlying emotions control a binge.
Portion out your food. Try measuring out one serving onto a plate instead of bringing the entire bag to the couch with you. You'll be less likely to eat too much if you have to get up for more.
Think about why you're bingeing. Are you stressed or anxious? Find different ways to soothe these emotions. Try daily meditation or take a 30-minute walk.
What Happens To Our Body During Stress?
What are hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers that are secreted directly into your blood, and are then carried to the organs and tissues in your body, so that they can exert their functions. There are many different types of hormones within the body, and each acts on their own different aspects of bodily functions and processes.
What role do hormones play in our body?
Hormones affect the growth and development, mood, sexual function, reproduction, and metabolism functions within the body. While each and every hormone is equally as important to your overall bodily functioning, there is one hormone that is seen as the most important in the nutrition world. And that is the cortisol hormone.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone within the body that is made in the adrenal glands, and is used for a variety of bodily functions. Some of these functions include:
Blood sugar regulation
Inflammation reduction
Metabolism regulation
Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone because of its role in the body’s stress response. However, it plays a much bigger role than just being a stress response or a regulator within the body.
What does it do for our body?
Cortisol, as a hormone, is meant to spike in the morning to give you a surge of energy that will allow you to be productive throughout the beginning of the day. As you enter the afternoon though, cortisol will begin to dissipate in order for the other hormones to rise. This decrease in cortisol will allow you to begin relaxing, so you are able to sleep at night. However not everyone’s body allows this natural balance of cortisol, and some can experience abnormally long periods of high levels of cortisol.
When we live in a society like we now do, where doing and consuming and producing is held at such a high value, caring for our body often comes last. This lifestyle can often be the cause of cortisol levels being out of wack, wreaking havoc on your body and even causing a number of unwanted symptoms.
What happens when our cortisol levels are off?
When your levels of cortisol are off balance and out of wack, it effects the body’s entire system. Often times, an imbalance of cortisol is one of the causes behind certain underlying issues you might have been experiencing. These underlying issues might have seemed mysterious in how they came to be. But once you recognize that your imbalance of cortisol levels is what’s causing these symptoms, you’ll be one step closer to alleviating them.
These underlying symptoms could be causing you to experience one, or all of the following:
Fatigue
Stress
IBS
Anxiety
When cortisol levels are off, it can cause more damage to the body than just experiencing a few underlying symptoms. It can also have an effect on your emotions, sleep, weight and everyday functioning. But there are ways to help your body decrease these high cortisol levels as naturally as possible.
Ways to decrease your cortisol levels
When we talk about decreasing cortisol levels, we always want to try and do this as naturally as possible so that the body can start to re-regulate itself. Once your body begins to re-regulate itself and can lower its cortisol levels naturally again, you might find your underlying symptoms beginning to disappear. Here are some natural ways to help your body decrease its cortisol levels in the evening.
Get on a regular sleep schedule
Getting yourself on a regular sleep schedule means going to sleep around the same time every night. While this may seem difficult at first, one way to make getting on a regular sleep schedule easier is to create life boundaries for yourself. These boundaries could be emotional or technological, and when we set them we say to ourselves, “I’m not going to receive or allow into my energy sphere anything that’s going to charge me up.” For these boundaries, try to not use your phone after 5pm.
Eat more nutrient-dense foods
There are a variety of nutrient-rich foods, but the main ones to focus on when naturally decreasing your cortisol levels are the following: (All of these foods are Low-FODMAP approved!)
VITAMIN B FOODS
Diary (milk, cheese, eggs)
Vegetables (potatoes, kale, spinach)
Fruits (oranges, bananas)
Meats & Fish (chicken, red meats, tuna, salmon)
VITAMIN C FOODS
Vegetables (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli)
Fruits (cantaloupe, kiwifruit, strawberries)
OMEGA FATTY ACID FOODS
Fish (cold-water fatty fish like salmon and tuna)
Nuts (walnuts and flax seeds)
Breathwork exercises
When your body is experiencing high levels of cortisol, it causes your breathing to speed up and increases your pulse and blood pressure. Breathwork can help reverse this response, relax your body, and even help to naturally lower your cortisol levels. Here are some breathing exercises to try:
Alternate nostril breathing
3 part breathing
4-7-8 breathing
Low intensity exercise
Often time when we experience stress, we want to go hard when we exercise, but this actually has a reverse effect. When we are doing high intensity workouts, our body believes we’re in danger, and then in turn releases higher levels of cortisol. Low intensity workouts are a great way to naturally lower your cortisol levels, while still allowing you to exercise. Here are a few you could try:
Yoga (try yin yoga)
30 minute walk
Try adding these low intensity exercises in at least a few days a week.
Some additional ways that could help naturally lower your cortisol levels are eating regular meals at least every 4 hours, and limiting your caffeine intake to before noon.
Lifestyles more susceptible to increased levels of cortisol
While anyone can be susceptible to being unable to lower their cortisol levels naturally, there are certain lifestyles that are more likely to attract these abnormal levels.
Poor nutrition
Those who suffer from malnutrition, such as an eating disorder, are likely to become more susceptible to experiencing higher levels of cortisol more frequently. With those who are suffering from an eating disorder, cortisol is usually released in higher concentrations during periods of high stress. And when periods of high stress are frequent with eating disorders, this could make lowering their cortisol levels seem difficult. However, difficult doesn’t always mean impossible.
WHAT CAN BE DONE INSTEAD?
Try practicing gratitude meditation. By getting in touch with the abundance in your life, whether it’s the people, things, or attributes, you can become much less dependent on food to bring that feeling of comfort and safety that many who have eating disorders look for.
Chronic stress
When you have chronic stress, your body can't gauge the seriousness of a stressful situation. So something as simple as a traffic jam, would kick-start your stress response system if you suffer from chronic stress. Cortisol is meant to give you that surge of energy in the morning and then dissipate as the day goes on. But when you’re under constant stress, cortisol doesn’t always decrease like it’s supposed to.
WHAT CAN BE DONE INSTEAD?
Try to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness-based practices like yoga or meditation can help reduce anxiety and stress. These practices can also help improve your cognitive function and overall well being. Try integrating a mindfulness-based practice once a week in the beginning.
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When your cortisol hormone is out of wack, it affects your entire body system. From your emotions and sleep to your weight and your everyday functioning, cortisol can even create underlying issues such as IBS, fatigue and anxiety. While it can be hard to keep your cortisol levels in check, there are always ways of making it easier on your mind and your body.
Extra tips to help lower your cortisol levels
Developing hobbies can promote feelings of well-being, which translate to lower cortisol.
Find something that you love to do, and try to do more of it.
Relationships with animal companions can reduce cortisol levels. Interacting with an animal companion can also reduce stress and pets benefit from positive relationships with their humans as well.
Learning to forgive yourself and others can help to reduce cortisol levels. Feelings of shame, guilt or inadequacy can lead to elevated cortisol levels. So through resolving guilt, you can improve your life satisfaction and decrease your cortisol levels.
Tools
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