We need to stop using food as our way to relax, then we will start losing weight fast. Let’s face it, that is what we all want. It is so easy to grab food – especially “junk food”, to help us settle down and relax. Many people not only grab food, but they will use alcohol or cigarettes as their way to relax. None of the these are good for us. Alcohol, cigarettes, and food, yes food, can all be addicting.
We need to eat food to get nutrition and energy, not as the primary way to relax. We can easily change our daily habits into new habits that will help us to relax easily without food, feel good and achieve the weight loss we are striving for. It normally takes approximately 21 days for a new habit to take place. That may sound like a long time – but it’s not. Just think about it – three weeks to a new you. Someone that can now lose weight fast and relax without food.
Don’t confuse “eating to relax” with “emotional eating”. They are two completely different issues. Many people suffer from emotional eating. They eat from different emotions such as fear, nervousness, being upset, having an argument, or just anxious about something. What I am referring to is people eating for no other reason but relaxation. Many people use the excuses such as, “I’ve been working all day, I just want to relax”, or “I’m done for the day, I’m going to sit and read or watch TV and relax”. Sound familiar? It sure doe’s to me!
So now that we recognize our problem with eating to relax, we need to learn how to change “eating to relax” to “relaxing without eating”. We can do this easily. And this is how:
1. We simply make dinner our last eating time. Now I know this can be hard. Especially if dinner time is late afternoon or early evening. The later evening is when we need to settle down for the day and to have the low calorie snacks, such as raw vegetables, without the dressing, or popcorn without the butter.
2. We need to make it a rule not to eat in front of the TV. All meals, and snacks should be eaten in a designated eating area such as the dining room, nook, or kitchen counter top. Also sit down when you eat and appreciate what you have and how good it tastes when you eat it slowly. You will feel full faster when you eat slower. No more unnecessary eating in front of the TV or computer for extended times – we can tend to eat much more this way. Instead, sip on a large glass of water, or even a decaf coffee.
3. Talk a walk for at least a half an hour. Carry a large water bottle with you and sip on it slowly. You don’t need to walk fast. Just walk slowly and enjoy the scenery around you. Walking is very relaxing.
4. Chew gum – this can help trick the brain into thinking you are chewing food.
5. Find an interesting activity to keep your mind busy. Many times we feel “we need to be doing something” to help us relax. This may sound silly for adults – but think of the things you used to do when you were a kid. Paint-by-numbers, crossword puzzles, word search books, putting puzzles together, coloring, writing stories, etc. If you are really “into it”, your mind will be busy thinking about what you are doing, not being bored and tempted to eat.
6. Surf the internet. You will be amazed at how much information, on any topic you are interested in, is available to you. But, this is not the time to be eating. Make it a rule not to eat at your computer.
7. Spend time with your family or friends and show them how you don’t need to keep eating all the time.
Take it step by step and you will see your progress each day. Be satisfied with your progress and don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. It’s okay. Just get back on course and always focus on relaxing without eating. Remember if you feel stuffed after eating a lot of high carb foods, you are going into fat storing mode. You don’t want to over eat and feel stuffed, you want to focus on being full, satisfied and feeling good; versus feeling tired and stuffed.
Natural relaxation is extremely important for our health. We need to relax and give our body a break so it can naturally repair itself. But remember, you are not helping your body if you are eating for no other reason but to relax. It is important when we eat, that we eat the foods that are good for us as you can find in our original PowerFood reports.
Try some of the things mentioned and you will be on your way to relaxation, feeling good and easy weight loss. It will get easier for you as you begin to lose weight, look and feel better, and have new habits for relaxing.