? Did you start eating more?
? Did you eat more of the wrong foods? Sometimes just eating
more empty calories can result in gaining weight. In fact, most
obese people don’t eat more than their slimmer counterparts but
it’s what they eat that’s causing them to gain weight.
? Did your exercise patterns change?
? Did you eat out of boredom?
? Are you an emotional eater?
You need to think about it. Really study and examine how you eat and
what is the thought that leads to the action of eating?
In our lives we form habits and those habits can either be helpful to us
or they can harm us. Many habits become second nature to us so we
don't even give our actions a second thought.
Because our habits are second nature we never think about them For
instance, feeling sad and reaching for a handful of cookies for comfort.
It is important to understand what prompted you to reach for the
cookies and deal with that thought or emotion.
Rather than indulging your craving, take a deep breath and focus on
your breathing. As you listen to your breath the desire for the cookie
will gradually subside until you don't want the cookies. You have now
overcome that initial 'rush' to gain satisfaction and now you can have
more control over the situation. It only took a few moments but you
have taken a huge step in controlling your cravings.
Emotional eating can also be related to happiness and pleasurable
memories. As a child many of us were rewarded with food which gave
food enormous leverage over us. The pattern for rewarding ourselves
with food carried over into our adult lives where it became a problem
for us.
