This is how our clients battle emotional/stress eating

Stress and emotional eating are closely related, as stress can often lead to emotional eating. Emotional eating is the act of using food to cope with emotional or psychological distress, such as stress, boredom, or sadness.

When a person is under stress, the body releases the hormone cortisol, which can increase the desire for high-calorie, high-fat foods. This can lead to overeating and weight gain. Additionally, stress can also disrupt the body's hunger signals, making it harder to know when to stop eating.

Emotional eating can lead to a cycle of overeating and feeling guilty, which can further contribute to stress and negative emotions.

To break this cycle, it's important to find other ways to cope with stress and negative emotions, rather than turning to food. Below you will find some habits you could use to break the pattern:

- Practicing mindfulness and meditation

- Exercising

- Spending time with friends and family

- Engaging in hobbies and activities

- Talking to a therapist or counselor

- Getting enough sleep

It's also important to be mindful of your eating habits, and to pay attention to your body's hunger signals. Eating when you're actually hungry, rather than when you're stressed or emotional, can help to prevent overeating.

Try to identify the situations, emotions, or feelings that lead to emotional eating. This can help you recognize when you're at risk of emotional eating and take steps to prevent it. Pay attention to your body's hunger signals and eat when you're actually hungry. Avoid eating mindlessly or as a way to cope with negative emotions.

Also, keeping a food diary can help you become more aware of your eating habits and identify patterns that may be related to emotional eating. Last but not least, be kind to yourself, remember that emotional eating is a common problem and that it's not a failure or a weakness. Be kind to yourself and don't blame or shame yourself for emotional eating.

It's also important to remember that breaking the cycle of emotional eating can take time. it's a process, be patient and take small steps. It's also important to have a flexible diet, where you can include all types of food, in moderation, without feeling guilty. While you are breaking the patterns and working to use different coping mechanisms, below you will find some strategies that can help you in the short term:

- Plan healthy meals and snacks in advance, and have them readily available. This can help to prevent impulse eating when you're feeling emotional.

- Remove treats from your house (kitchen overhaul). If you live with someone else, then it is time for a conversation. You should try to get into an agreement that you can buy those treats for a one time occasion instead of buying for an entire year (Chao Costco).

- Add more volume and protein to your meals, this will keep you satiated for longer. Bad choices happen when you are "hungry".

- Find the low calorie/healthier version of that meal you are craving, Use our cookbook or Pinterest for the W (I got you).

- Buy low cal snacks.

- Stay hydrated: Sometimes cravings can be mistaken for thirst, so make sure to drink enough water throughout the day.

- Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can lead to increased cravings for sugary and high-fat foods.

- Stay active: Regular physical activity can help reduce cravings and boost mood, making it easier to stick to your diet.

- Before you reach out for that treat, eat your meal and wait 5-10 min.

- Realize that hunger is not the end of the world, it is ok to be hungry for a bit. In most developed countries, people are never truly hungry.