Stress-Related Eating

Good morning!

This morning, I enjoyed such a yummy breakfast: blueberry-coconut oats. Mmm! Love ’em! The shredded coconut was a really fun addition. I forgot about how much I love adding it to oats.

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• Shredded coconut

With breakfast, I also sipped on a deliciously creamy iced non-fat latte.

So good!

Stress-Related Eating

After I wrote yesterday’s lunch post, I starting thinking about my stress-related eating. I don’t deal with stress well at all. It’s actually sort of a disaster when it gets really bad. 😕 I work in front of a computer most of the time, so when I started to feel stressed, food always seems to comfort me while I type away.

Stress-related eating wasn’t really a problem for me until recently. The more stressed I get, the more I eat, and lately I’ve started to feel out-of-control when it comes to my emotions and the food that I consume. To be honest, it hasn’t been pretty.

At my check-in yesterday, I briefly talked with Tara, my trainer, about my stress-related eating. We chatted and came up with a few ideas to help better manage it:

• Step away from the computer: Go for a walk, clean a room in your house, paint your nails. Do something besides going into the kitchen.
• Take a deep breath: Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and meditate for a minute or two. The slow breathing will help relax you.
• Drink some water: Sometimes I mistake thirst for hunger, so chugging down some H20 sometimes does the trick.
• Chomp on veggies: If you want “mouth satisfaction,” eat veggie crudites. Tara says “she’s never seen anyone gain weight from eating too many vegetables!”

These are all great ideas that I will definitely try to incorporate into my life, but I think even just being more conscious of what I am doing will help me put on the brakes when I feel stressed and out-of-control with what I am putting into my mouth.

Question of the Day

Do you struggle with stress-related eating? How do you deal with it?

P.S. Don’t forget about my chia seed and cupcake aisle promotions. Lots of good deals! 😉 And, it’s Free Pastry Day at Starbucks!