I need more space for the guests to sleep...Chaya Rochel already finished cleaning and is already stocking her freezer...last year’s Pesachdike apple kugel tasted weird, I need to find a new recipe...the boys need haircuts...I need to find an outfit for the baby to match the girls...wow, look at the price of matza this year...look at the price of everything - how do people do it?....my girls really don’t help enough...I’m so tired and I can’t afford to get sick...did I really just eat half that bag of chips? Where did the rest of those chocolates go - I ate them?! I MUST lose 10 pounds before Pesach! Why did I let myself eat that? I need to go shopping for Pesach clothes, but I really want to lose weight first....
If any of this seems even remotely familiar to you, you are dealing with stress eating. Stress eating doesn’t come from hunger. It comes from emotional discomfort, and is soothed with food. Stress eating is actually a very effective way of reducing emotional anxiety in the short term, because foods like chips and chocolate actually release serotonin - a brain chemical that allows you to feel pleasure. Unfortunately, the effects of this process aren’t very long lasting, as the extra calories always bring along more stress and anxiety.
So why do we do it? We all know that the short-term stress relief is not worth the long-term regret and misery that come from gaining weight, especially when we want to be losing weight! Yet over and over again, we find ourselves eating foods that we later regret.
Actually, not stress eating is more difficult than it seems. When we are stressed, we have our own hormones working against us. “Stress activates your adrenal glands to release cortisol, increasing your appetite,” says Melissa McCreery, Ph.D., ACC, psychologist and the emotional eating expert behind the site Too Much On Her Plate. Stress also impedes hunger hormones, like ghrelin, which regulate your appetite. And if the anxiety is affecting your ability to get to bed, a lack of sleep ramps up your appetite even more. So, fighting stress eating means fighting a host of raging hormones determined to keep you eating!
So how can anyone fight it? We have found that there are a few keys to successfully fighting stress eating before the holidays.
1 Make your environment diet safe. If chips, chocolate, or nuts are your go-to for stress relief, do not bring them in the house. This means that the battle begins in the grocery store. If you find that you end up eating whatever is in front of you, then you need to make sure that foods like baby carrots, sugar-free gum, and clementines are more easily accessible than sandwich cookies and leftover cake from Shabbos.
2 Be prepared. Along the lines of making your environment diet-friendly, make sure that you are prepared for emotional stress. Buy ready-made salads and easy to prepare frozen vegetables. Prioritize your eating and sleeping habits. Time your day with your meals in mind so that you don’t come home starved from a full day of shopping and errands. Make a master diet shopping list so you always have what you need in the house. By eating well throughout the day, you will prevent stress eating simply by being less hungry.
3 Find forms of stress relief that don’t involve food. Take a hot shower or a nap. Make a list to clear your head. Vent to a friend. Read a book or watch a show that distracts you. Buy a punching bag. Any of these can act to release your stress level, thereby reducing your cortisol and ultimately your appetite. We often gravitate towards food because it is immediately accessible, but taking the extra minute or two to find a better way to reduce stress is critical. The great part about finding alternative stress relief methods is that they work! After choosing a better form of stress relief several times, it will become easier to make that choice. Emotional eating is just a habit, and like all habits, it can be broken and replaced with new habits.
4 Learn to be comfortable with discomfort. It is ok to be worried, anxious, jealous, resentful, or overwhelmed - you do not have to numb these feelings. We are generally so determined to go back to our comfortable “baseline” that we quickly numb our feelings with food. Challenge yourself to accept the uncomfortable feelings, acknowledge them, but not force them away with food. The discomfort will pass soon enough, without you hurrying it along.
According to studies conducted on thousands of women across many countries and cultures, concern about weight ranked as number one or two on women’s priority list - higher than financial concerns, job concerns, and for some women, even higher than concerns about their relationships! Something this important to us deserves our time and attention. Investing the time, effort, and money to make sure that stress eating doesn’t get to you this holiday season is a worthwhile priority.
Best of luck and go relax!
Alice
Alice Harrosh, Alice Harrosh is a Nutrition Counselor and Manager at Nutrition by Tanya, with 12 locations, including one on Main street in Queens! Alice knows that making healthy choices is not always easy, as she has been through the struggle herself. As an optimistic person, Alice’s favorite quote is: “It’s never too late to start eating better. If you have a bad morning, make it a better afternoon.” For more information on Nutrition by Tanya or the TAP (Tanya-approved products) food line, please visit www.nutritionbytanya.com or call 844-Tanya-Diet (844-826-9234). For daily tips and inspiration, you may follow @nutritionbytanya on Instagram.