{"id":40105,"date":"2015-05-20T11:15:11","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T15:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=40105"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:05:49","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:05:49","slug":"how-to-stop-stress-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/how-to-stop-stress-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Stop Stress Eating From Taking Over Your Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes it happens after you get an angry email from your boss. Or, maybe because you recently connected with a new love interest\u2026and now he or she\u2019s gone MIA. Whatever the dilemma, cue your hand in the bag of Cheetos<\/a> or a visit to the kitchen for, well\u2026whatever\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

You know what it is: stress eating. \u201cIt\u2019s perfectly human to want to avoid pain and seek relief,\u201d says Minh-Hai Alex, a registered dietitian and founder of Mindful Nutrition<\/a> in Seattle. \u201cStress eating usually happens when we want to disconnect from the moment. It\u2019s like changing the channel in our brain to try to change how we feel,\u201d she explains. Here\u2019s why food is such a salve for stress \u2014\u00a0and how to stop the cycle.<\/p>\n

This Is Why You Turn to Food When You\u2019re Stressed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s no surprise if you suddenly feel famished when deadlines or crises strike. \u201cStress activates your adrenal glands to release cortisol, increasing your appetite,\u201d says Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, psychologist and the emotional eating expert behind the site\u00a0Too Much On Her Plate<\/a>. Stress also impedes hunger hormones, like ghrelin, that regulate your appetite, research<\/a> shows. If the anxiety is cutting into your sleep, a lack of zzz\u2019s ramps up your appetite even more.<\/p>\n

“Stress depletes the cognitive resources you need to remain focused and resilient.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The Hidden Ways Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Weight Gain<\/a><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that anxiety-induced hunger can have long-term consequences for your waistline. In fact, one new study found that women who reported they were stressed burned fewer calories and fat, and had a higher insulin response after eating a higher fat meal. Published in the journal<\/a> Biological Psychiatry<\/em>, the researchers concluded that these stress-induced changes led women to burn about 100 fewer calories per day \u2014 a difference that could cause you to pack on 11 pounds in a year.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re under stress, you often feel out of control and overwhelmed \u2014 and that can leak into your eating habits, McCreery says. So it\u2019s no surprise that you go after junk food like a hungry lion, rather than keeping up your normally healthy habits. \u201cYou\u2019re worried about the past or the future \u2014 not what you\u2019re eating in the present,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Are You Exceeding Your Daily Sugar Intake in Just One Meal?<\/a><\/p>\n

Stress depletes the cognitive resources you need to remain focused and resilient, and to practice creative problem solving, says McCreery. That\u2019s why getting elbow-deep in a pint of mint chip always feels easier than actually coming up with a plan for how to tackle that super tough work project.<\/p>\n

\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Junk Food Is Calling Your Name<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s too bad you don\u2019t crave celery sticks and carrots during crazed moments, that would go against biology. Fries, snack mixes, cookies and ice cream are go-tos because these high-carb<\/a>, high-fat eats increase the brain\u2019s feel-good dopamine response, Alex explains. Then, next time you get into a bind, you\u2019ll hear the siren song of chocolate chips because your noggin has come to expect the rewarding hit of dopamine \u2014 and knows where to find it. (Ahem, cookies<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The Breakfast That Could Help You Eat 50 Percent Less at Lunch<\/a><\/p>\n

Not only that, but it\u2019s easy for stress snacking to become an ingrained habit. A 2015 study<\/a> in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism<\/em> discovered that one reason we eat high sugar foods is because sugar dampens stress-induced cortisol responses. Translation: You feel better on a sugar high<\/a>. Over time, your brain may start to rely on these foods to simmer down.<\/p>\n

Problem is, anyone who\u2019s done it (and who hasn\u2019t?) knows what it feels like after you eat for emotional reasons \u2014 the guilt and frustration hit you like a hangover. Research<\/a> from Penn State backs up what we\u2019ve all suspected \u2014 that eating bad-for-you foods can make a grumpy mood even worse.<\/p>\n

How to Stop Stress Eating<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ready to break free from stress eating and bring back<\/a> happiness to your eats? Try some of these simple tricks next time anxiety strikes.<\/p>\n

1. Focus on the real issue.
\n<\/strong>We all know food is just a crutch when we\u2019re stressed. \u201cStress eating is not the primary problem, but a symptom of unmet needs<\/a>,\u201d says Alex. Ask yourself \u2018How do I feel?\u2019 or \u2018What do I need?\u2019 to figure out what\u2019s really getting under your skin.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Get Good at Stress (And Make It Work in Your Favor)<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Think long-term.
\n<\/strong>Take a minute to focus on the future (whether that means recalling your weight loss goals, or how awesome you want to look on vacation<\/a> next month) before you give in to stress eating. It can help get you out of the moment so you make healthier food choices instead of succumbing to the lure of a tasty treat, suggests a 2014 study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Get mindful.
\n<\/strong>In a study<\/a> in the Journal of Obesity<\/em>, women who underwent mindfulness training<\/a> \u2014 learning stress reduction techniques, how to recognize hunger, and pay attention to taste \u2014 were less apt to stress eat and lost more belly fat compared to a control group. Next time you\u2019re feeling taxed, try this exercise<\/a>. You\u2019ll learn to identify your feelings, accept the unpleasant ones and focus on your breathing so you can fight the automatic urge to reach for a snack.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 9 Simple Tricks to Eat More Mindfully \u2014\u00a0Starting Now<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Be kind to yourself.
\n<\/strong>\u201cSelf-compassion can decrease stress eating,\u201d says Alex. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a kind, understanding friend to yourself, it\u2019s easier to resist the urge to try to disconnect through stress eating,\u201d she adds. If you do stress eat, promise that you won\u2019t beat yourself up and understand that it happens to everyone sometimes. That can help stop you from eating out of failure and help you make better choices later.<\/p>\n

5. If all else fails\u2026
\n<\/strong>Go ahead and indulge. \u201cFood is a lovely, comforting thing,\u201d says McCreery. So if you\u2019re going to do it anyway, she recommends really enjoying it<\/a>. \u201cSit down, let yourself relax, and taste the ice cream.\u201d Of course, do so in moderation. Plan on savoring a small brownie rather than the whole batch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can\u2019t resist reaching for a bag of chips when the going gets tough? Here\u2019s why stress eating is so hard to resist \u2014 and how you can fight it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":40108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[41,51,59,339,282,341,352,285],"class_list":["post-40105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-diets","tag-food-choices","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-hunger","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-loss","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}