Do you find yourself skipping meals or eating little earlier in the day only to find yourself bingeing or overeating in the afternoon or evening? This comes up all the time with my clients so when a member of The Food Freedom Collective asked me what she could do about it, I decided to do a short live video in the group.
I have shared the video for you below
The new series of The Great British Bake Off kicked off recently and coincidentally triggered a conversation initiated by a number of my clients during their sessions. It began with ‘I watched bake off this week and……’
(Now for the sake of full disclosure, I want to add that a vast majority of my clients come to me for help with emotional eating, bingeing and overeating.)
So it got me thinking; what impact do entertainment based baking programmes such as Bake Off have on these very people who struggle with emotional eating? Is watching a programme about baking, really likely lead to a binge?
If emotional eating is something you struggle with, would you change the channel and never watch a baking programme again? If friends and family are watching, would you lock yourself away? Or would you indulge in the programme (and some cake) and then feel bad about it afterwards? Perhaps for you this wouldn’t be a cue to unhelpful eating behaviour at all.
On the surface this may look like a trivial dilemma to some, but for many women battling with their relationship with food, it could be a potential trigger they need support with.
One of my clients, who has been working so hard on behaviour change, did watch the programme in the evening when historically a binge would have happened. She was overjoyed when telling me that she ate balanced meal and felt satiated and didn’t binge later in the evening. This was a great milestone for her. We have been working on regulating her blood sugar so that she is less likely to crave. Addressing her ‘all or nothing thoughts’, is also now beginning to pay off.
Another client decided that she would like to bake something to share with her flat mates and enjoy the programme with them. Here we discussed her mindset around this. For her, eating this piece of cake mindfully, slowly, chewing well and savouring its deliciousness was the way to go.
The answer is not clean cut. Firstly it depends where you are on your journey. Where that journey begins depends to some extent on the history of your relationship with food.
One thing I can tell you for sure is that food restriction does not work. This is far more likely to result in a binge at some point. The intense cravings may lead to one piece of cake consumed at great speed, in secret, mindlessly, perhaps standing up. You won’t have taken enjoyment from it, your stress response will have been triggered, and one piece will lead to two, three or more. It’s likely that automatic negative thoughts such as ‘I’ve blown it’, will prolong your ‘fight or flight’ response. Your digestive function will now be reduced affecting the way you metabolise your food i.e. how you burn your energy.
So you could try this; Watch Bake Off, then, if you would like a piece of cake, chose to have it, if you are able to eat it mindfully. Take some deep breaths, perhaps serve it on some lovely crockery, take very small mouthfuls, chew it well and savour the flavour. Finally, ensure the thoughts about yourself that follow are kind and compassionate.
If you are struggling to overcome emotional eating, binging or overeating, I want you to know you are not alone. I work with people just like you who need a new approach to gaining balance and moderation in their life. I will help you to take back control without feeling deprived or hungry.
I developed The Food Freedom Method online coaching programme, after working with hundreds of women who shared your pain. It looks at how, what and why you eat, incorporating nutritional therapy, coaching and the psychology of emotional eating.
My proven 8 step method will coach you through the process giving you all the tools you need to finally overcome the cycle of overeating and dieting. It will help you shed the layers of shame and guilt and be able to accept yourself. You will discover how to make sense of what your brain and body are going through, feel supported and empowered.
If you are ready to transform your life, join the waiting list to gain access to the special, one-time only launch price and find out more
Summer holidays ....in the past they have been the chance to break free from the normal routine of frantic dashes between the school gates and work. Perhaps summer holidays won’t feel so different for you now, in the new worlds of living with the pandemic.
Many of my clients have struggled with emotional eating during the lock down and equally find holiday eating (and drinking) a challenge. When it comes to managing these situations the strategies for coping with both are pretty similar.
The key is to have a plan and to be really clear on what matters to you most. Here’s my take on how to survive the summer and indeed the post lock down months without getting in to an emotional eating cycle.
Ideally, you’ll want about half of your plate to be vegetable and leafy salad action and about a quarter to be some kind of protein (chicken, meat, fish, lentils, chickpeas/ hummus, halloumi etc). If you’re at home, get the BBQ out or grill some fresh fish or kebabs. The starchy slow releasing carbs such as sweet potato, quinoa and brown rice ideally take up no more than a quarter of your plate. Eating like this will help to prevent cravings and keep you feeling satiated.
Alcohol is essentially sugar, which spikes your blood sugar, leading to weight gain and cravings. It is, however, arguably a holiday essential. The key to not letting alcohol send you in a to a cravings frenzy, is to have a little something with protein before you go out or crack open the bottle!
Try something like a little cottage cheese or unsweetened nut butter on an oatcake (if you can find them) or even a small handful of nuts. The protein will help offset the sugar in the alcohol.
Most alcoholic drinks are full of sugar, making it a sure-fire way to unbalance your blood sugar levels, which may in turn lead to cravings and unhelpful eating episodes. But summer holidays are summer holidays, and many associate this with drinks in the evening.
If the drinks are going to happen anyway, it’s worth looking at how to mitigate the situation. The best drinks are those containing the least amount of sugar – dry white wine, dry champagne or other sparkling wines like prosecco. If you’re a fan of gin or vodka and tonic, try having a less sweet version by using soda water or sparkling water and a dash of fresh lime. Sweet cocktails made with fruit juice or sugar, and spirits with sugary mixers are best avoided. Making a deal with yourself about how much you will have before you go out, can be surprisingly helpful.
If you’re going to have an ice cream (and, let’s face it, whoever heard of a holiday without one), it’s best to have one after your lunch, when the good you’ve done with the protein-based salad can help offset the sugar in the ice cream.
Think of it as a see-saw. Ice cream on its own means blood sugar shoots up. Ice cream as your pudding has less of an effect. The protein you eat with your at lunch or dinner can help bring the see-saw horizontal again.
If you’re at home it’s easy to throw together a healthy ice cream from frozen banana, nut butter and natural yogurt (pop in a blender and then eat it straight away)
Looking after your emotional wellbeing by doing fun things you genuinely enjoy will help you feel happier and more able to deal with life generally. When you are happier, it is easier to focus on what is important to you and on your ultimate goal of feeling fabulous. Try to find 3 things to do every day just for you and, importantly, just because they make you feel happy in the moment. Having the discipline to start this routine during the holidays can give you an insight into how it might work for you when you return to life as we now know it!
NB. I will be sharing my top alcohol free summer drink recipes you in my next blog
I hope you find these tips useful. Please hit reply and let me know what might work for you – I would love to hear your thoughts.
If you are unable to break free from the endless cycle of yo-yo dieting, binge eating or chronic overeating, you are not alone. I work with people just like you who need a new approach to gaining balance and moderation in their life. Contact me to find out about my signature Food Freedom one to one programme (in addition to The Food Freedom Method on line programme launching soon)