Emotional eating and stress-related binging
How Jason overcame his emotional binge eating, lost 30 pounds, and achieved the body composition of his dreams.
Jason battled emotional eating for years; he blamed it on a lack of willpower. He continued to beat himself up for days after having a stormy night of binge eating. He didn’t know what led to his emotional late-night binge eating.
After a long, stressful day of work, he would go to the gym to relieve some of the stress before going home. After the gym, he would shower and eat before diving DEEP into more work.
After finishing his work at night, He would find himself going into the pantry and grabbing snacks before sitting on the couch to watch his favorite TV show. He would end up eating himself to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night on the couch, and finally getting up and making his way to his room. When he woke up in the morning feeling like shit, he would continue beating himself up all day because of what he ate the night before.
He tried not to do it every day, but since he had been doing it for years, it became a habit, even on the weekends when he wasn’t dealing with the stresses from work. Something would trigger his emotions, and his immediate response was to reach for food. This vicious cycle lasted for years before he finally realized he needed help.
He reached out to someone online, and they gave him some advice. All he needed to do was take the unhealthy snacks and hyper-palatable foods out of his house. So, Jason removed all the junk food from his house. Later that night, he finished his work and sat on the couch; out of habit, he stopped by the pantry and realized there weren’t any easy snacks he could munch on. So, he decided to make some pasta and chicken. He ended up doing the same thing, staying up late overeating. But at least he was eating something healthy.
Problem solved!
Well, not necessarily…
Even though Jason had switched from junk food to healthier food, He was still overeating at night, which was not allowing him to be in a caloric deficit and achieve his weight loss goals. He was also messing with his sleep, which wasn’t putting his body in the most optimal state to reach his goals, even if he was in a deficit.
The problem was that he didn’t address the actual underlying problem itself. He just replaced the junk food with “healthier” foods. After a few months, Jason contacted me, and we chatted about my coaching. He decided to sign up for my coaching, and we addressed the root of his problem.
Jason’s problem is that he’s an emotional eater; he eats out of stress and boredom.
These behaviors often stem from using food to cope with emotions, anxiety, and stress. It's not a mere sign of weakness; it's a complex mix of emotions, psychological triggers, and learned patterns. We devised a game plan to address what triggered him to binge on food.
I explained to him that humans seek dopamine when tired, stressed, or emotional, which is precisely what he did every day.
Fresh Hope programs use something called “reaching into the toolbox.”
We taught him and retrained his mind to turn to his toolbox for a healthier dopamine boost instead of reaching for a quick fix in the pantry.
My toolbox of alternative coping mechanisms:
Going for a walk or exercising
Reading a book,
Meditating & Breath Work (I Recommend Insight Time for guided meditations)
Journaling( My favorite)
Playing with your dog(also one of my favorites)
Arts and crafts, etc.
Our program helped him uncover the "real cause": a need to manage stress and anxiety. By learning emotional awareness and coping strategies, he shifted his mindset.
Outcome
Over time, Jason made mindful food choices, managed stress healthily, and gained confidence, self-esteem, and emotional resilience. He transformed his relationship with himself and his emotions.
By solving emotional eating and stress-related binging, you pave the path to achieving your weight loss goals. Imagine being in control of your eating habits and managing stress without food. It's not just about weight loss; it's about transforming your lifestyle to improve mental health, confidence, and overall quality of life. The program is designed to guide you through these transformations.
Always remember, there is a Fresh Hope For a Better YOU!
Oliver
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Are you a busy professional who wants to lose 20+ pounds and keep it off for good? Are you ready to embark on this journey towards becoming the person you were meant to be? Your path to a better you starts here!
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