What Do You Do When You Get Stressed?

We all seem to be getting heavier at the moment, and it doesn't matter how much we try to fight it then those pounds just keep piling on. I think one of the main reasons is because we tend to comfort eat. Let's face it, we enjoy eating, there are loads of different textures and tastes to experience, it relaxes us, and if you eat something sugary like a chocolate bar you get a rush of energy (and chocolate actually makes your brain release 'feel good' chemicals).

Unfortunately as we find it pleasurable to eat things, then when we have something go wrong in our lives, or we have a really bad day at work, then a lot of people will turn to food to comfort them and that means you are eating a lot of extra calories. I think the difference between people who comfort eat and those who don't is a question of coping mechanisms, we all have our own coping mechanisms and they are things we probably learnt as we were growing up. So if you notice someone who seems to deal with stress well and never seems to eat comfort food, then maybe the way they deal with stress is to go to the gym straight after work and release it on the treadmill.

Other people will go and talk with friends, or do Pilates, watch a funny film, even build model railways, these are the things which comfort us and help us deal with life. That means if you want to stop comfort eating then you need to find something else to replace it, you can't just stop doing that or you won't have anything to help you deal with stress.

The first thing you need to do is keep a food journal, monitor what you eat and when you think you are comfort eating, that will help you both notice when you are doing it, and allow you to plan things that can replace it. Say you find that lunch time at work is the worst for you because you have a stressful meeting every morning or something like that, well at lunch then you can go for a walk instead, the fresh air and change of environment will help clear your head and relax you.

If you find you do it towards the end of the evening, then maybe you could try a bit of yoga or Pilates before bed, or even meditation. I know that doesn't sound very appealing to most people, but those are just ideas, find what works best for you and you can cut out all those unnecessary calories.

Once you have stopped yourself from comfort eating then you need to shed the extra pounds it helped you put on, check out the Fat Burning Furnace program if you are interested in a top diet and exercise system to follow.