You answered "yes" to all 10 questions, which means you're probably a stress overeater. You're using food to anesthetize the stressors in your daily life.
Here's What to Do:
- Identify the problem: Take a moment to see what it is you're really chewing on here. Could it be your over-controlling boss, your irritating friend or job frustration? Perhaps you're worried or depressed about your spouse.
- Know the stress overeating triggers. Don't know what they are? Next time you feel like stress overeating, keep a journal. Don't eat — rather see what thoughts occur in your head. It works like a charm! You have to let those endorphins and serotonin circulate and calm you down.
- Take a short walk.
- Try gum if you still feel like having something to chew on. Gum is always accessible. When people get stressed, they want to chew something. Gum is great for that, as is low-fat granola in yogurt and nonfat popcorn.
- Substitute junk food with healthy food that won't lead to a stress-overeating binge. Some good options are: 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat peanut butter on a multigrain cracker, baby carrots dipped in a serving of hummus and a moderate carbohydrate/low-fat/high-protein energy bar (the bar should be a total of 100-200 calories. That includes total fat: 3-7 grams, total saturated fat: 0-4 grams, carbohydrates: 10-25 grams and protein: 10-20 grams. I like these bars: Luna, Balance, Odwala and Essentials).
- Learn stress management!
- You also may want to check in with your physician to see if you have some underlying depression, which is particularly common in women who stress overeat. Depression can be managed with a healthy lifestyle and may require medication if it's severe enough to impair normal daily functioning. Counseling also may be necessary. It always helps to talk things out. Always have a list of people handy that you need to catch up with. Pick up that list and go for it!
