Turned on the radio lately or flipped the newspapers a few days back and kept seeing and hearing the term comfort eating?
Well it is a term which most of us may turn our backs on but let’s face the fact that Malaysia has the highest obesity rate in South East Asia.
Most of us may ask what is comfort eating? Have you ever noticed yourself or your friend having a sudden urge to eat something really tasty the moment they are stressed or depressed or going through a bad day even when it is not their meal time? That is known as comfort eating.
Comfort eating is perfectly fine if an individual does it once in awhile. But when they start overdoing it, for instance it is a must for them to have KFC everyday just because they are going through a bad break up, that is when the problem actually starts.
Overcoming this problem is something which you and I can do but the main ingredient which you would need is a strong will power. Firstly, learn to have an upper hand on your body and know how to discipline yourself. Once you are in control and your feelings isn’t, then you will be able to overcome this habit. Know when it needs to eat and when it is just demanding for food when it doesn’t really need it.
Secondly, if you are someone who enjoys leaving junk food around your house or work stations just so that you can nibble on it every time you are not feeling yourself, then opt for something healthier. Instead of having that packet of chips around your table, choose to have a box of cereal or energy bar or a carton of yogurt and nibble on that when you are down.
If you feel that the plate of nasi lemak with chicken rendang is really calling you and you can’t hold yourself any longer, then have it but try to have it in a smaller portion. If you can tell yourself to hold on and you know you would need it on another day when you are going through something worst, then choose something lighter instead like a bowl of bee hoon soup.
Thirdly, learn to divert your mind away from food every time you feel the need to chew on something. If you are going through a bad day, pick up a book instead if it isn’t your meal time yet. Reading or playing games or doing anything else would actually help you to forget about food for awhile.
Lastly do the math for yourself. It is always advisable to calculate your calorie intake every time you are about to eat something. If you know you have this problem, calculate your calorie intake after each meal and see how much it adds up to. Then rationalize with yourself the amount of calories which you just took in to calm your emotions down.
The same way you started this habit is the same way you are going to stop it. try this techniques for a few weeks and see how your body starts to change.
