Many people use food as a tool to feel in control of a situation or soothe negative feelings. Chronic stress can cause physical changes in the body, leading to more compulsive behavior such as overeating. By being aware of feelings when we are eating, we can use tools such as substituting lower calorie food options or relieving stress at the source to reduce the impact of stress eating on your health. Here are some helpful solutions for you to use on a daily basis to cope with stress eating.

Identify your triggers.
When you think you might be stress eating, take five minutes and think about weather you are truly experiencing physical hunger or if you are eating due to stress, emotions, or boredom. Keep a log or journal your emotions to help yourself identify patterns in behavior.

Find a non-food way to manage your stress.

• Pick one thing to do or tell yourself when you notice you want to eat but aren’t hungry.
  • For example, a motivation or goal, positive self talk; you could think about the weight you’ve lost, the success you’ve had when not stress eating, or the hard work you’ve put into eating healthy.
• Have a distracting task to keep your hands and mind busy.
• Being physically active is a great way to improve mood and decrease stress.
• If you are exhausted from a long day, pick up a good book to read and take it to your bedroom where temptation is out of reach.

Be mindful of your food.

• If you are hungry, take a serving of food and put it into a bowl or plate instead of eating out of the whole bog so you know how much you’ve eaten.
• Plan your meals or snacks in advance so it’s easier to stay on course.
• Keep recipes for healthy comfort foods on hand. Modified recipes that cut down on fat, sugar, and carbohydrates are sometimes even tastier than “original” recipes!

Article courtesy of Nathan Pratt, University of Illinois Dietetic Intern

The post Stress Eating appeared first on Illinois Bariatric Center.

Have you ever gone out to eat at a restaurant and been amazed with how little food you receive?

Chances are, you said yes.

Additional thoughts regarding the amount of food include: “Am I still going to be hungry after I eat this?”, “I can get so much more food if I go to this other place.”, or “Man, I’m getting ripped off!”.

Over the years, we have slowly added calories to our daily diets. One of the major culprits of this weight gain is attributed to larger portions. This ingenious marketing tool by our restaurant industry has shaped our idea of what a real serving size is supposed to look like. Today’s serving size can be more than triple what the USDA recommends, which in turn has become the new normal. Eating a little extra doesn’t sound like a bad idea… until you realize how a “little” can add up. For example, an extra 25 M&M’s or 13 Lay’s potato chips each day can amount to a 10lb weight gain over the course of a year. So next time you go to your local watering hole, become a little familiar with some tips and tools to help you monitor your serving intake.

To help you create a healthy and balanced meal with the right portions, remember these visuals:

One of the biggest tips for going out to eat is to ask for a to-go container as soon as you receive your meal. Cut the portion in half, and place it in the container. Now you have successfully reduced your portion size, saved hundred’s of calories and have a meal for leftovers!

The post Portion Distortion appeared first on Illinois Bariatric Center.