• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
The Sassy Dietitian

The Sassy Dietitian

Real Food Nutrition in a Fast Food World

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Services
    • Media & Brand Partnership
    • One-On-One Coaching Waitlist
    • Group Programs
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

STAY UP TO DATE!

How To Manage Stress Eating Without Stressing Out

Yum

April 2, 2020 By Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD Leave a Comment

Stress eating is something that comes up often when I talk to clients. It’s not something to be ashamed of but it’s definitely something we can talk about to make you feel a little better about everything. There will be times in your life where stress eating may make you feel better and other times it may make you feel worse. The goal is to learn how to manage stress eating so that it doesn’t get the best of you. 

What is Stress Eating?

This is the situation where you are stressed out and you eat either different than you are used to and/or in different quantities or frequencies than you are used to. We’ve all been there, a break-up, a bad test grade, a bad day at the office, a fight with a best friend, or maybe even a coronavirus pandemic. We don’t always know how to deal and a lot of times we end up coping with food. 

Let me just clear the air before we get into the details. It is OKAY to cope with food in the short term, it happens, we are only human. HOWEVER, if coping with food becomes completely uncontrollable, makes you feel mentally or physically ill or causes some negative effect to your health, it may be time to make some changes and/or get some help. 

In fact, if you feel that this is something completely out of your control and feels like it may be an eating disorder, do not hesitate to reach out and get help ASAP. 

Why Stressing Out & Trying to Control it Isn’t a Good Idea

So, it may seem that when you are stress eating the best thing to do is stress about it and try to control it. Unfortunately, that usually causes things to backfire. Stress isn’t just a mind game, it is a true emotional AND physiological process that has an impact on the entire body inside and out.

When you are stressed there are a lot of factors at play. One of the biggest ones is well known and it is your stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is actually a steroid hormone that is produced and excreted by your adrenal glands that are like tiny hats on top of your kidneys. They play a big role in your stress response. And while it’d be nice to no have to deal with stress, you need a stress response for many things in life.

For instance, if a bear was chasing you, you’d need a heightened alertness and blood pumped to your extremities so you could RUN AWAY. That is cortisol (as well as other factors) at play to help keep you safe and alive. This is acute stress that goes away shortly after the stressor is gone.

However, this is not the stress that we are talking about, today we are discuss chronic stress…

Chronic Stress

However, most of us are experiencing CHRONIC stress, meaning we are at this heightened level of stress all the time. Why is this not so optimal? Because your body is not meant to be stressed all the time, it’s meant to be acutely stressed and then come back down. If you do not address the chronic stress, it can first lead to things like:

  • Weakened Immune System (aka you get sick easily and/or often)
  • Weight Gain or inability to lose weight
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Loss of Libido
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety/Depression
  • Digestive Issues
  • High Blood Sugar
  • Trouble Sleeping and/or Troubles Staying Asleep
  • Headaches
  • …and more

Another major issue is that it can lead to issues with hunger cues. You may find you are MORE hungry or LESS hungry than normal which just complicates the whole situation of stress eating, now doesn’t it. When cortisol elevates it also presumed that insulin elevates as well as your hunger cue hormone ghrelin (think grrrrr stomach growling = ghrelin). 

To make it less complicated, when you are more stressed the signals in your body are messed with and you may end up feeling MORE hungry or LESS hungry and you will also most likely crave things that have a higher sugar and/or fat content as your body is seeking energy and comfort. 

What if I have NO Appetite when I’m Stressed?

This is totally common but not necessarily normal. If it lasts for a few days, just ride it out, however if it’s chronic (aka lasts more than a couple of days) or happens often, it might be time to seek help from a professional. 

Usually this response is in response to anxiety related to chronic stress. Meaning, you are in a constant state of fight or flight that is manifesting physically in the body, making you tense and maybe even making you feel sick to your stomach or nauseous. Everyone is different so we respond to stress in different ways but know that the way to manage it is usually the same (see below). 

In the meantime, you may want to try to stick to a schedule of eating, find bland foods that are tolerable, and find someone you can talk to to help you through this stress and anxiety. 

How to Manage Stress Eating

Ok, now that we know what stress eating is and what it may look like in your lives and bodies, it’s time we find some easy diet and lifestyle ways to combat it, don’t ya think?

This isn’t an all or nothing approach, start small and build upon it until you feel comfortable and confident with the management of your stress eating. Know that restriction is only going to lead to bingeing, so we are going to try to mitigate that with some easy changes below. 

Be mindful. 

This is hard but can be something we can all benefit from. Before eating, sit down, say an intention or a prayer or even just say that you are thankful for the food in front of you. Turn off the TV, put your phone aside and just be with your food. Do not eat on the run, while standing or while doing 10 other tasks, simply eat your food. This will be hard at first and will be a tough habit to break if you are used to be distracted when eating but it will help overtime. 

Hydrate.

So often we  forget that we do, in fact need water. I’m not saying that you need to hydrate because then it will curb hunger, it won’t, but you need to hydrate for your body’s overall health. Hydration will not only aid in digestion and keep your joints feeling lubricated but it may help support your immune system and help with keeping stress and inflammation at bay. 

Find a support system.

Reach out. I tell my clients this all the time. You don’t have to go through anything alone. If you find yourself stress eating, REACH OUT. Ask a friend to text you or jump on a call with you, whatever you need to relax. Use your support system to help you manage your stress, talk about your worries, and keep stress eating at a minimum. 

Get in some movement.

Our bodies want to move. They don’t want to be cooped up all day and in a sedentary position. They want to go for walks, stretch, jump, bike, swim, etc. and when we do that we can help to lower our cortisol and thus lower our overall stress. This doesn’t mean to OVER exercise/move, it just means that natural movement daily is probably just what the doctor ordered. Having trouble getting started? Use that support system. 

Manage Sweets.

This is not an order to never eat sweets again or to not keep them in your house. Instead i’m going to suggest we meet somewhere in between. Having a sweet treat here and there can be comforting and enjoyable and frankly, stress relieving. So we want to keep some on hand, but we don’t need every meal or snack to be a halloween candy jar. 

So, what is one to do? A few options:

Stock only what you can handle.
Only keep items on hand that you find are enjoyable but do NOT make you feel like you can’t stop. For example, I love peanut butter cups and peanut m&ms, however, i can have just one pb cup and be satisfied, with peanut M&Ms I will eat the whole dang thing.  So, I keep pb cups on hand and RARELY have peanut m&Ms around, if I do I bring 1 small pack in and that’s it. 

Enjoy delectable food away from home.
For example, if you find you eat the whole pint of ice cream when it’s in your freezer, make plans to get ice cream AWAY from home. That way you can enjoy a serving without feeling like the wheels are off.

Have healthier sweet treats at home & make them readily available.
Let’s be honest, if it’s between chips and carrots, chips win every time. So have carrots on hand but make them easily accessible (hello, baby carrots) so that you at least know they are as easy to eat as the chips. This doesn’t mean you won’t eat the chips, just means you now have easy access to a healthy option. 

Moderate Caffeine & Alcohol

Don’t run away yet, here me out. While caffeine and alcohol are quite enjoyable, they can also lead to more stress and more stress eating. SO, we have to find ways to enjoy without causing more harm than good.

Caffeine can lead to jitters and anxiety, which can make us more stressed. Some people are more susceptible to this than others. So, I highly recommend trying to limit caffeine (ideally <200mg/day) when you are anxious and stressed. This is even more true if you are struggling with sleeping. 

Alcohol, while it can certainly bring us joy can also weaken our immune response and deplete us of key nutrients we need to manage stress. This might mean you feel more anxious after a night of drinking and may even have poor sleep. I also find that drinking alcohol can lead to more stressed-like eating habits (hello 1 am pizza!). So try your best to moderate alcohol (no more than 1-2 drinks/night) when you are stressed and/or stress eating. 

Eat real food

This one may come as a shock, but eating real food can help nourish your body and give it the energy, vitamins and minerals it needs to fuel you and reduce overall stress & inflammation. This doesn’t mean you need to be perfect because, once again, restriction leads to bingeing, but try to center your meals around protein, veggies, fruit, etc. and do your best to snack on real food when able. 

Okay, I hope that was helpful especially if you are reading this during the pandemic. Know that you are not alone, and even I, a dietitian, stress eat. It’s a normal coping response but do not let it get the best of you. 

Do you experience stress eating? If so, what works for you to help manage it? Remember if you find it’s hard to go at alone, you can easily find a dietitian and/or therapist to help you in the process. 

xoxo,

Sassy

…

Pin Now, Stress-less Later

…

I MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST AND ON THIS SITE. HOWEVER, ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. COMPENSATION HELPS WITH ANY EXPENSES NEEDED TO KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.

Related

Filed Under: Blog

STAY UP TO DATE!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

@thesassydietitian

We’ve made it over a week together and it feels We’ve made it over a week together and it feels like it’s always been this way.

Motherhood is a wild ride & it’s only getting started. I have never been so tired & simultaneously so fulfilled in my life. That’s not to say it’s not filled with tears, worries and doubts but what fun would it be if it were all sunshine and roses anyway?

Going into this all I have felt so supported by friends going through this with me BUT I felt so unsupported by the general public. It seems like we want to fear and shame moms because misery loves company, right?!

The focus quickly shifts from mom to baby (still shocked that I only have an appointment at 6 weeks even though my body went through the biggest event of its life) and there also seems to be this shift from joy to shame & guilt.

Here’s some of what I heard from people:

😕Sleep when baby sleeps. You’ll never sleep again.
😕Don’t let baby sleep in a car seat, or a bouncer, or anywhere but their crib EVER. 
😕You’ll never have time to shower again, enjoy it now. 
😕Cry it out is cruel and harmful to the baby. 
😕Get baby on a schedule/never put baby on a schedule.

These are all things I heard and that truly led me to believe I was going to lose all sense of who I was and my life as I knew it.

What I wish people had said instead were:

🥰Your heart will grow bigger than you could imagine.
🥰You’ll cry the happiest tears you’ve ever cried.
🥰You’ll feel like a giant hole was filled that you didn’t even know was there.
🥰You won’t feel guilty about cleaning your house, it just won’t matter anymore.
🥰Babies pooping will make you laugh so hard you will feel like a kid again.
🥰You will have time to eat and shower and you don’t have to neglect yourself.

We need to do a better job of building each other up, supporting one another and our decisions while refraining from offering unsolicited advice and opinions. 

So for all you future mamas and new mamas out there, I see you, I’m proud of you and I cannot wait to share our stories with one another and the world.

Let’s stop fear mongering (just like the diet world) and start building one another up.

Xoxo,
Sassy & lil sassy man
🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s b 🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s been a long year of loss, unknowns and worry but it’s all been worth it to get to meet my lil man🥰
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now time to introduce this sassy human who is already so well loved to the world...
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Introducing 

💙 Connor James Ligos 💙
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
After an almost 24 hour labor, Connor joined us over a week past his due date on 2/12/21 at a whopping 9lb2oz & 22.5 inches long with a full head of hair and lungs to scream hello to us with.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We are so in love already and cannot wait to share him with the world. Thank you for all the love and support from friends and family and to all those that helped us in the hospital. Holy cow labor & delivery teams are truly magical and I cannot imagine doing it without all of their support.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now back to snuggling this human of mine and trying not to cry at every last thing he does 🥰 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Mom, Dad & Bode are all doing well!
.
.
.
.
.
#babyboy #pregnancyafterloss #rainbowbaby #birthdayboy #birthannouncement
I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk t I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk to others about what worked for us. That's great!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What's not great is when we push our nutrition and eating behaviors onto others ESPECIALLY when we are not qualified to do so.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So often when people meet me for the first time they are worried to eat around me and/or buy groceries around me. My friends can attest I am not judgemental around food and will gladly eat that cake, queso dip or sip on that glass of wine right alongside of you. I am not the food police and do not offer unsolicited nutrition advice unless it's a client who is paying for my help OR on Instagram and other social media platforms where my goal is to educate.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Why do I share this? 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Because I see far too many people diving down diet rabbit holes, finding success & then claiming to be nutrition experts purely because something worked for them. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I've also seen this alot being pregnant, everyone wants to tell you what worked for them. IF you use that stipulation of "this worked for me" then fine, share away but if you start doleing out advice please pause, take a breath and think about NOT doing it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
People are OVERWHELMED by diet culture and some so badly want to change but YOUR way is not the only way and it most likely is not what will work for your friend/coworker/cousin/neighbor so please, stop trying to be an expert in something you aren't.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Got it!?! 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ok, carry on.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
xoxo,
Sassy
.
.
.
.
.
#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #dietitianapproved #rdapproved #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #dietitian #dietitiansofig #albanyny #albanynutrition #albanynutrition
Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. I'm not saying you have to find perfect balance (does that even exist?) but I am saying that we shouldn't feel like either we have to eat perfectly or that we might as well give up.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Instead we should look to the grey area in between for our nutrition guidance. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What do I mean?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I mean that we need to realize that we can still eat cookies but we probably should throw some veggies in there. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We can have a glass or 2 of wine but we should probably also drink some water. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We can take rest days but we should also find ways to move our bodies regularly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
And the list goes on.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It's not about all or nothing it's about doing something daily to help your health and nutrition without it feeling like a set of rules or a free for all.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How do we find that grey area in between?
👉🏻 stop hopping on and off fad diets
👉🏻listen and trust your self, not your coworkers and cousins 
👉🏻focus on the simple things (ie drinking water instead of worrying about supplements)
👉🏻work to remove guilt and shame around food & body
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Where do you currently fall Right now?!
🤪 all
👍🏻in between 
🙅🏻‍♀️ nothing 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Xoxo,
Sassy
.
.
.
.
.
#dietitian #dietitiansofig #dietitiansofinstagram #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritiontips #thesassydietitian #rdchat #realtalk

Footer

The Sassy Dietitian

Real Food Nutrition in a Fast Food World

STAY UP TO DATE

SAERCH THIS SITE

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Copyright © 2019 · The Sassy Dietitian | Design by Reach Creative | Privacy Policy