My husband bet me nobody would remember that quote. So I'll give you a hint. Think "Anastasia" (the cartoon - starring John Cusack and Meg Ryan). Think Rasputin going nuts because Anastasia is alive, so his ears and eyes and other body parts start falling off. Now picture the cute little bat on the left and his very sage advice, "Stress - it's a killer". Ah, little Bartok. Wiser words were never spoken (well at least not from a cartoon).
The honest truth is that stress can be detrimental to your health. No, your ears and eyes won't start falling off. But uncontrolled or repeated stress can cause increased blood pressure, suppressed immunity, bone loss, increase in blood cholesterol, weak muscles, an increase in blood sugar, and increased fat around the abdomen, which puts you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes. How does stress do this? It increases the level of cortisol in your body, a hormone that stimulates feelings of hunger and that is responsible for your craving sugar and high fat foods. When your body senses danger, it draws out the glucose and fat that you have stored to prepare you for what we call "fight or flight". If the person does not use this accumulated "fuel" that is created in these situations to fight or flee, however, it has no choice but to turn it into fat. When people can't deal with stress, they may be faced with chronically elevated levels of cortisol. And that's where a vicious cycle starts. Stress will affect the way our body chooses what to eat, how we digest those foods, and how we absorb nutrients. Poor diet contributes to stress which, in turn, contributes to a poor diet.
When we establish a habitual behavior pattern that incorrectly links several different stimuli in our bodies to the act of eating, food becomes our mechanism for dealing with stress (and anxiety, sorrow, and other painful feelings). After a while, even the smallest things begin to stimulate this stress response. Eating that whole row of Girl Scout cookies, the dish of M&M's, or the entire bag of chips; or eating very little throughout the day and then gorging ourselves at dinner, are all signs that our signals have been messed-up. Emotional eating is a pattern that has been established over time but, thankfully, it is one that can be broken. If any of this resonates with you, even to a small degree - if you ever feel like your eating habits are out of control - it could be an emotional response, a pattern you subconsciously created long ago. Or if you turn to food for comfort, or just to keep yourself occupied....there is a way for you to break this habit.
Tomorrow I will cover ways in which to break the pattern of "emotional eating". I was able to do it...
In the meantime, happy and healthy eating!
The honest truth is that stress can be detrimental to your health. No, your ears and eyes won't start falling off. But uncontrolled or repeated stress can cause increased blood pressure, suppressed immunity, bone loss, increase in blood cholesterol, weak muscles, an increase in blood sugar, and increased fat around the abdomen, which puts you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes. How does stress do this? It increases the level of cortisol in your body, a hormone that stimulates feelings of hunger and that is responsible for your craving sugar and high fat foods. When your body senses danger, it draws out the glucose and fat that you have stored to prepare you for what we call "fight or flight". If the person does not use this accumulated "fuel" that is created in these situations to fight or flee, however, it has no choice but to turn it into fat. When people can't deal with stress, they may be faced with chronically elevated levels of cortisol. And that's where a vicious cycle starts. Stress will affect the way our body chooses what to eat, how we digest those foods, and how we absorb nutrients. Poor diet contributes to stress which, in turn, contributes to a poor diet.
When we establish a habitual behavior pattern that incorrectly links several different stimuli in our bodies to the act of eating, food becomes our mechanism for dealing with stress (and anxiety, sorrow, and other painful feelings). After a while, even the smallest things begin to stimulate this stress response. Eating that whole row of Girl Scout cookies, the dish of M&M's, or the entire bag of chips; or eating very little throughout the day and then gorging ourselves at dinner, are all signs that our signals have been messed-up. Emotional eating is a pattern that has been established over time but, thankfully, it is one that can be broken. If any of this resonates with you, even to a small degree - if you ever feel like your eating habits are out of control - it could be an emotional response, a pattern you subconsciously created long ago. Or if you turn to food for comfort, or just to keep yourself occupied....there is a way for you to break this habit.
Tomorrow I will cover ways in which to break the pattern of "emotional eating". I was able to do it...
In the meantime, happy and healthy eating!
Looking forward to the next part. I have always craved sugar and/or caffeine when I am tired (which is most of the time). I think emotional eating is much more common than people think.
ReplyDeleteI hope that what I posted helps you, Carole! Do let me know. It should. But also, in your case, if you eat because you are tired, you may need to be getting more "energy" food in your diet. Make sure you are eating enough protein, fiber, and good carbohydrates. If you are really dragging in the late afternoon (say, 3:00), have a healthy snack of Cabot low-fat cheese with a few TLC crackers, or a Greek yogurt, or your "favorite" veggies with some Fat Free sour cream mixed with Ranch Dressing mix to dip them in. Good luck and keep in touch...
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