hunger Archives - Be Well Solutions

Munch Mindfully with Strategies to Overcome Emotional Eating

During stressful or overwhelming days, it can be easy to turn to food to help us cope. We start craving comfort foods and indulgent snacks but usually feel guilty or even more stressed. Munch more mindfully with these strategies to help overcome emotional eating. Check Your Hunger As you experience a comfort food craving, check in with your hunger cues. If your go-to method of coping with stressful situations has been food for longer than you can remember, it can be hard to differentiate real hunger from emotional hunger. Take a moment to ask yourself if your body is physically hungry. Try delaying the snack or sipping water to see if the hunger subsides or continues. Also, ask yourself if your craving is for a specific food item. If your craving is specific, it can indicate emotional hunger. Checking your [...]

Indulging Without Overeating

Indulging Without Overeating Just when life feels stressful enough, the holidays arrive. For many, this time to unwind and relax, yet people commonly describe their stress levels as “very” or “somewhat” elevated from mid-November into the New Year. Pressure from finances, buying the right gifts, and a disrupted eating and exercise routine can drive some people to seek comfort or distraction in food. As a result, plans for an occasional indulgence may turn into an overeating habit. Making simple shifts in how you think about food might help. First and foremost, let go of the notion you need to punish or correct yourself for indulging. You can always return to your regular eating routine regardless of how much you ate or how much weight you may have gained through the holiday season. But if you find yourself stuck in a prolonged period [...]