Emotional eating is often triggered by negative emotions. A very common situation is that in the face of stress and anxiety, we can easily lose control of our food and consume a lot of so-called junk food. Let me give you a common example: exams are coming soon, or you are under a lot of pressure at work during this period, you are worried that you will not be able to complete the task, and you are afraid that the result will not be satisfactory. You may order a lot of takeaways all of a sudden, or take out ice cream and chocolates, and eat them in boxes and buckets. You are obviously not hungry, but you can’t control it, and you don’t want to control it.

If you are not sure whether you have emotional eating, you can count the following seven common emotional eating in your life. You have experienced several: First, often eat when you are not hungry; Second, often eat too much, and the stomach is uncomfortable; third, often hide and eat alone; fourth, eat much faster than ordinary people; fifth, eat food in a short period of time The amount is much larger than that of ordinary people; Sixth, after eating, negative emotions often occur, such as anxiety, depression, guilt, disgust, etc.; seventh, when eating, I often feel that I can’t stop down.

When faced with high pressure, if we can skillfully manage our negative emotions, we will not Emotional eating occurs. Only those who don’t know how to manage their emotions use emotional eating to cope with stress. A research team from Anhui Medical University followed 4,316 high school students. Their conclusion is that if we suppress our negative emotions, such as ignoring them and pretending nothing happens, we are more likely to eat emotionally, which can lead to obesity.

In general, there are two key points that should be kept in mind.

Negative emotions will trigger emotional eating through various physiological and psychological mechanisms. The result is excessive intake of high-calorie foods, leading to obesity.

Negative emotions themselves will not lead to emotional eating. How we manage our negative emotions will determine whether we will engage in emotional eating.

Since emotional eating is so bad, what should we do? In fact, the first difficulty is that we often ignore it, that is, we often do not realize that we are eating emotionally. Just imagine, isn’t the reason why a person eats emotionally because he can’t perceive his emotions in time, or can’t take care of his emotions? Emotional eating is actually a manifestation of suppressing emotions, because the subconscious chooses to suppress it, so if you don’t actively observe it, you will naturally ignore it and mistakenly think that your eating is only out of physical needs. So, how can you tell if you’re eating normally or eating emotionally? This is critical.

First of all, every time you eat, you can take just one minute to temporarily Stop all your actions and ask yourself the following five questions:

1. Am I hungry or full now? If you are already full, how full are you now? This question will help you focus on your gut instead of your mouth.
2. Am I eating at a normal pace or too fast? This question will help you focus on how fast your hands are moving and how fast you are swallowing.
3. Am I eating alone or with a group? If eating alone, am I intentionally avoiding other people? This can help you focus on your surroundings.
4. How much control do I have over my eating right now, and if I were to stop eating right now and stop eating what is on my plate, would I be able to do it? This helps you focus on how you relate to the food in front of you.
5. When I finish eating the food in front of me, what thoughts will I have about myself, and what emotions will I have? Do I feel regret, guilt, guilt? This question helps you focus on the future, not just the present moment.

These five questions can help you break out of your long-established habits and discern whether you are eating normally or eating emotionally. Only by being aware of your emotions in time can you reduce emotional eating and reduce obesity.

Source: “If you want to lose weight, a very efficient scientific weight loss method”