Emotional Eating and Weight Loss

Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food -- usually "comfort" or junk foods -- in response to feelings instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.

Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, at least in the short-term. As a result, we often turn to food to heal emotional problems. Eating becomes a habit preventing us from learning skills that can effectively resolve our emotional distress.

Depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with interpersonal relationships, and poor self-esteem can result in overeating and unwanted weight gain.

By identifying what triggers our emotional eating, we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and take food and weight gain out of the equation.

How to Identify Eating Triggers

Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories.

• Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people.
• Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety, or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."
• Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.
• Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
• Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.

To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors, thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.

How to Stop Emotional Eating

Identifying emotional eating triggers and bad eating habits is the first step; however, this alone is not sufficient to alter eating behavior. Usually, by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a habit. Now you have to break that habit.

Developing alternatives to eating is the second step. When you start to reach for food in response to an eating trigger, try one of the following activities instead.

• Read a good book or magazine or listen to music.
• Go for a walk or jog.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Do deep breathing exercises.
• Play cards or a board game.
• Talk to a friend.
• Do housework, laundry, or yard work.
• Wash the car.
• Write a letter.
• Or do any other pleasurable or necessary activity until the urge to eat passes

Other Emotional Eating Tips

Sometimes simply distracting yourself from eating and developing alternative habits is not enough to manage the emotional distress that leads to excessive eating. To more effectively cope with emotional stress, try

• Relaxation exercises
• Meditation
• Individual or group counseling

These techniques address the underlying emotional problems which are causing you to binge and teach you to cope in more effective and healthier ways. For more information on these techniques, contact your doctor.

As you learn to incorporate more appropriate coping strategies and to curb excessive eating, remember to reward yourself for a job well done. We tend to repeat behaviors that have been reinforced, so reward yourself when you meet your weight loss goals. Buy that blouse, take that vacation, or get that massage you wanted. By rewarding yourself for a job well done you increase the likelihood that you will maintain your new healthy habits. 

Morning Coffee or Brunch Time My way

“When waiting is the hardest choice.”
Are you facing a difficult time in your life?
Give yourself the gift of patience. Patience is the main ingredient necessary to get through difficult times.
Yes, it’s hard to be patient! But, without patience, you would have no hope. And, if the universe was organized so that your desires materialized instantly, that wouldn’t serve you either.
Patience helps you grow. It nourishes both compassion and empathy. So, embrace patience. Ultimately this makes you a stronger person.Be patient!
©Jane Powell

****

To keep yourself focused, keep yourself moving. To keep
Yourself focused, keep taking on meaningful challenges.
Watch yourself as you make a difference in the world.
Experience firsthand that your actions have consequences,
And that will motivate you to take more focused action.
Continue reminding yourself of the reasons why you have
Chosen to do what you do. Make sure your daily tasks are
Aligned with the goals you've set for yourself.
Keep the objective in sight. When you can clearly see where
You are going, you'll naturally keep working your way there.
You have the power to achieve what you choose to achieve.
Focus each moment and each action on your dream, and the
Dream will surely and steadily become real.

 Feel good at the core

Life is increasingly filled with distractions, and they can be very compelling. Yet the distractions are not what bring fulfillment.

Fulfillment, by its very definition, requires that you focus your energy and attention on what’s truly important to you. In order to fulfill your purpose, you must live with that purpose at the center of your awareness.

Distractions can be exciting, fun, interesting, informative and enabling. However, there is more to life than just bouncing from one distraction to another.

The pleasures that only take a moment to achieve will be completely gone in the next moment. Yet the joys in which you invest great time, effort and substance will last a lifetime and beyond.

To truly enjoy life’s many pleasures and diversions, you must have a solid perspective from which to experience them. That perspective, that foundation, is built with focus, discipline and authentic purpose.

The distractions can make you feel good, for a moment or two, on the outside. Choose also to continually build the substance of your life, and to feel good about yourself at the very core of your being.

Ralph Marston
***


Feel the appreciation, happiness, and gratefulness for all that surrounds you and all that is within you.
Imagine having the life that you have always wanted. Then feel inside those feelings that you would have if you were already experiencing all that you desire. Combine that with these feelings of gratitude now for what you do have.
Focus on the positive things in your life. Release the negative thoughts, feeling, and actions. Release those feelings, the people and the things that bring you down or affect you negatively in anyway or at least set boundaries for yourself.
Live your life as if you already have the things that you desire. How? By believing and expressing yourself as if you had them or are living your dreams.
Be grateful for all that you have, for the life you have been given, for your family and friends, your job, and your home. Be thankful and give thanks for the abundance and prosperity that blesses you each and every day.
Feel the appreciation, happiness, and gratefulness for all that surrounds you and all that is within you.
***

Being rich

Being rich is not about how much money you get. It’s about how much meaning you give.

You don’t need a lot of stuff to be rich. In fact, the less you need, the richer you are.

Be genuinely joyful, and you are as rich as anyone can ever be. See the real beauty in even the smallest things, and every day, every situation becomes an unending source of richness.

Being rich is being able to lovingly give of yourself. And that depends not on the size of your bank account, but on your simple choice to do so.

When it comes to being rich, what’s on the inside is vastly more important than what’s on the outside. Being rich is feeling rich, and you can do that in any circumstance.

Being rich is fully appreciating and expressing the immense value your life has in every moment. Being rich is how you can be right now, and always.

Ralph Marston

 **&**

“In the quest to have more, be more and do more, you may lose yourself.”

 

It seems that each one of us is in a never-ending quest to have more, be more and do more. Our lives become a blur of activities that we don’t necessarily enjoy. As for the things that we do enjoy, the pleasures and pastimes that recharged our souls remain forever on a “to-do” list. In all the hustle and bustle, it is too easy to lose yourself.

 

Take control! Don’t be afraid to ask for help with those mundane, daily tasks. And, most important, don’t feel afraid or guilty about saying “No!” when you need time to recharge.

 

Deep inside, you know what’s most important. Always putting yourself second doesn’t serve anyone. Now, take out your “to-do” list and start doing! It’s the best way to keep in touch with who you really are.

 

©Jane Powell

***

Beginning today...
Beginning today I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy
of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time
with and someone I would like to get to know better.
Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly
share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.
Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to
revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for
growth and self-improvement.
Beginning today I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image,
my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.
Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope
for a brighter and better future.
Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.
Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do
things that make me happy . . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music,
pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath . . ..
pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.
Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something
different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

 ***

At peace with right now

 

Choose to be in a beautiful place, right here, right now, just as you are. Make your experience beautiful simply by the way you choose to see life and to live it.

 

There is nothing you need before you can have joy. Be joyful just because you can, and because your true joy gives so much value to life.

 

Be at peace with right now. Embrace the beauty and magnificent possibility of what is.

 

Feel the massive strength that comes over you when you make the choice to no longer fight against life. Feel the joy of acting positively and purposefully to make your most treasured dreams real.

 

Cast out any remnants of worry, blame, envy, resentment or fear. You have much more positive, meaningful and beneficial things to focus upon.

 

Be here right now in this beautiful, powerful place. Live and expand upon the treasure that is yours right now.

 

Ralph Marston

Reprinted from

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" Morning Coffee"
Created, and maintained by:
Dizzyrizzy2U@aol.comGrandmaGail2BC@aol.com
Copyright © 1996 -2013
" Morning Coffee" all rights reserved.

Creative Thoughts

“Unleash your creative power.”

Many of us do not see ourselves as naturally creative. We fail to recognize and appreciate our innate abilities. That’s because we hold limiting concepts of ourselves, and what it means to be creative. The thesaurus says that creativity is also originality, inspiration and imagination. That describes you, doesn’t it?

Whatever your calling is in life you have the ability to express creativity through it. Whether you want to improve your personal relationships, plant a garden, furnish a home, or cook a gourmet meal – all these avenues offer opportunities for inspired self-expression.

So, see yourself as original, inspired and imaginative. Then, unleash the creativity within and watch your attitude and accomplishments reach new heights you never thought imaginable.

©Jane Powell

Be Free    

If you are quick to take offense, then you'll be under the control of those whom you find offensive. If you are easily angered, then your actions will be dictated by those who anger you. If you are obsessed by what other people think, then you will be imprisoned by their thoughts.

If you yearn for easy answers and quick solutions, you'll fall prey to people who offer nothing but promises. If you find the truth too difficult to bear, you'll be enslaved to those who tell you what you want to hear.

When you have the courage to think for yourself, the strength to accept what is, the commitment and discipline to make a difference, then you are free. You are truly free to live with purpose, joy and fulfillment.

Let your life be defined not by your reactions to what others do, say or think, but rather by your own unique vision. Raise your eyes above the pettiness and follow the path of the greatness that is within you.  

****
Live with honesty
Often, honesty is not easy. Yet ultimately, honesty is much easier than dishonesty.
Being dishonest is never worth the price you must pay. It is impossible to be truly at peace when you are living a lie.
With each bit of dishonesty, you narrow your options. Eventually, you squeeze yourself into a corner from which there is no escape.
A commitment to honesty puts the power of truth on your side. Honesty expands your options and gives durability to your relationships.
Being honest with others compels you to be honest with yourself. And it is only when you are honest with yourself that you can fulfill your awesome positive possibilities.
Deceit can often be tempting, yet honesty is always the best path. Live with truth and you truly live.

Ralph Marston

Today is different

 

If life has been good, today it can be good in a new and exciting way. If life has been difficult, today you can move beyond the difficulties into a more rewarding and fulfilling experience.

 

Whatever may have been before, today is different. And you can choose, right now, to make it different in a good way.

 

Your future is determined not by your past, but by your expectations. Today you can set those expectations at the highest level you can imagine.

 

If you expect to be a victim, that’s what you’ll end up being. Yet today is different, and today you can do much, much better.

 

Today is filled with great challenge, and with even greater promise. Make the decision to step up to the challenge, and to fulfill the highest promise of this day.

 

Today is different, and is yours to live with purpose, discipline, enthusiasm and joy. Today is different, and you can make it the best one yet.

 

Ralph Marston

****

Examining Your Life

 

Two brothers fulfilled their mother's last wish by hiring a small plane to carry them out to sea where they might scatter her ashes. One of the two pilots opened the cockpit door and the brothers immediately emptied the contents of the urn into the wind. But a stiff breeze blew the ashes back into the cabin, dusting the four startled occupants. A moment’s stunned silence, and then one of the young men sighed, “Just like Mom – she was always all over everyone.”

 

Maybe she was a critical person. But children, especially, often feel as if parents are “always all over them” when all those parents usually want is for their children to be the best they can be.

 

Humorist Franklin Jones said, “Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger.” And Norman Vincent Peale adds this: “Most of us would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” Few of us enjoy the experience when others point out areas for improvement. After all, who wants to hear what they don't want to hear?

 

Criticism IS hard to take and I'll opt for praise over criticism every time. I hold that encouragement is often more effective than criticism. I will work harder and with more enthusiasm when I am encouraged, and I know I can get the best out of others if I spend more time pointing out what they did right than what they did wrong.

 

But that said – honest and objective feedback is a necessity. To shy away from fair criticism, spoken by someone trusted, may be a great mistake. Those who are wise will occasionally seek out somebody they trust to hold a mirror before them in order to see themselves more accurately. To know the truth and to see ourselves clearly, as reflected in the eyes of a friend, is an immeasurable gift.

 

And here's the surprising truth: As you gaze at yourself in the mirror held by another, you will see far more than your flaws. You also will see the beauty that is uniquely you; beauty that others see clearly and you may hardly know exists. That is also part of the truth about you.

 

If you're courageous enough, allow a trusted friend to hold that mirror before you. Plato says, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” But a life properly examined makes living worthwhile.

 

Steve Goodier

 “Waiting gives you time for thought.”

Try something different today. If you happen to be standing in line and it’s moving slowly, instead of becoming agitated by the wait, focus on the positive side.
You now have a few extra minutes to review your errands and make sure you have not forgotten anything; a few extra minutes to think about a project at work; a few extra minutes to chuckle about something funny your child said earlier in the day.
Don’t tie up your emotional energy or become agitated or anxious about situations you can’t control. Instead, go with the flow. This change of attitude will make a huge difference in your day.
©Jane Powell