Do you sometimes feel like you can’t stop eating? Well, we all feel that way from time to time.
But what if that feeling is consistent, and you don’t know how to deal with it.
You’ve tried all the diets but still, feel depressed about your weight. What if we tell you that the problem can be of a psychological nature, not just a physical one.
You are tired of being constantly obsessed with your weight and even more tired of feeling depressed after every binge eating.
Is it time to finally break out of that vicious cycle of overeating?
In that process, this article will help you because we believe that everything is possible with tiny changes, including establishing some new healthy habits that will change your life for the better. So keep reading.
Psychological Reasons For Not Losing Weight
Yes, the food is awesome. In addition to the fact that we could not survive without it, we enjoy various tastes and often overdo our food intake.
And, of course, just think about all those pancakes, burgers, and slices of pizza while watching a movie. Your mouth is already watering.
You didn’t imagine apples and avocados, right?
Our brains simply love sugar, refined carbs, and fat.
Refined carbs have the power to lift us up quickly but bring us down even faster.
That food is considered comfort food. It’s an easy food to prepare, food with which we want to reward ourselves.
And of course, you shouldn’t deny yourself comfort food from time to time.
The problem is when you are unhappy with your weight and can’t stop eating.
What are the most common psychological reasons for not losing weight?
Emotional Eating
Do you have a need to suppress your emotions with food?
Any stressful situation that happens to you, your solution for it is food.
It doesn’t have to be too stressful. It’s enough to have a day at work after which you’re tired; there’s food waiting for you to fix everything.
Food serves as an escape from your problems and gives you comfort from everything that troubles you.
Emotional eating is a form of self-sabotage and can lead to obesity.
Those problems that bother you will not disappear if you choose to solve them with food.
And the food you choose to feed your emotions, we’re sure they’re not the healthiest choices.
You know how everyone gets a big bucket of ice cream in the movies after a breakup? You choose something like that too.
Mindless Eating
We understand that not everyone has time to sit at home non-stop and prepare healthy meals.
The fast pace of life, work, responsibilities, and constant rush all take their toll.
At this rate, skipping some meals is very common, and then making up for it twice.
Routine and constant do not exist, and you eat quickly and often on the go.
When you aren’t paying attention to what and when you eat, it is clear that there will be a lot of fast food.
Maybe you are even too lazy to eat.
Misconceptions About Weight Loss
Various diets and fantastic ways to lose weight are advertised as perfect solutions.
You know those commercials “lose 10 pounds in exactly 10 days” and similar.
Often people fall into these traps and set unrealistic goals for themselves, such as losing the exact number of pounds in the exact number of days, and if they fail, they become disappointed.
Or let’s say they succeed, then they act as if they have completed their goal and think the pounds will never return.
That’s how we come to the so-called yo-yo effect, in which the pounds constantly return, and it is impossible to establish a proper weight.
Negative Body Image
It is difficult to have good eating habits when we have a negative attitude about our bodies.
Just because you have a few extra pounds doesn’t mean you should hate yourself.
If you think you’re ugly and don’t see the point of stopping overeating, you’re creating a negative image of yourself in your brain.
A negative body image can also be influenced by others telling you that you must lose weight and stop overeating. For example, a husband who comments on your weight.
Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Unrealistic beauty standards lead to a negative image of one’s body.
Just think about it, we live in a society where beauty is highly praised.
It is often said that beautiful people have it easier in life. And that’s true.
Physical beauty is associated with social status and is a symbol of success.
As much as the view “beauty comes in all shapes and sizes” can be heard today, it still seems that physical beauty is always determined by the same standards.
The impression is that it is more pronounced than ever because there are social networks today where beauty bloggers tell us about their morning routines that make them so beautiful.
5 Ways to Stop Depressive Overeating
“I Eat Because I’m Depressed, and I’m Depressed Because I Eat.”
Do you want to finally get out of that state of mind and change your life for the better?
Follow these 5 steps:
1. Work on The Problem That is Behind Overeating
You can lie to yourself that you are a foodie and a hedonist, but as soon as you feel bad after all that overeating, it means there is a problem behind it.
Do love problems make you want to eat a bucket of ice cream? Tired of work and just want to eat and sit in front of the TV after work?
Or are you generally dissatisfied with life and all that sweet food gives you at least small moments of pleasure?
Ask yourself why you overeat?
What emotions are you trying to cover up by burying them with food?
Pro tip: Keep a food diary
“Write your feelings down instead of eating them.”
Really write down what problems you have and which ones make you overeat.
That way, you will become more aware and focus on them instead of solving them with food.
2. Eat Mindfully Instead Mindlessly
Being too busy and living fast cannot be an excuse to overeat.
Yes, it is easy to eat fast food, but do you know the consequences of its long-term consumption?
Long-term consumption of junk food has enormous consequences on your metabolism.
Is it worth destroying your physical and mental health in the chase for work, money, or a career? Health is always much more important.
Pro tip: Meal prep
You say you can’t eat healthy because you don’t have time to cook?
And what if you already have a meal waiting for you to take to work?
It may take a little time to prepare all that food, but if you prepare it in advance, you will be doing yourself and your health a big favor.
Oatmeal that you leave overnight and add some fruit in the morning is a perfect breakfast that will save you from making unhealthy choices in the morning.
We’ve already given you an idea for one meal. You explore further.
3. Learn to Love Food to Love Yourself
The fact that you overeat non-stop does not mean that you love food.
To love food, you have to respect it.
Food is not respected by eating it mindlessly, but by knowing what you are eating and what it does for you.
Food is fuel for your body, and you don’t want to put bad fuel in yourself.
Those extra pounds will surely go away with a healthy attitude towards food and proper intake.
You must love yourself even with extra pounds. By losing those few pounds, you become more satisfied with your look, but you should love yourself always.
Pro tip: Recognize trigger foods
What is that food that makes you want to eat more and more?
Simple carbohydrates are highly addictive. They always make you want more and more of them.
For example, a soda drinks full of sugar will not quench your thirst but will only make you want something sweet with them.
4. Eat Whole Foods
To lose weight, cut out processed food full of additives.
Make your main food choices whole foods as much as possible.
Whole foods mean everything that is not processed, refined, and full of additives.
Whole foods include vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, meat, fish, and eggs.
The preparation method is also essential. For example, potatoes are incredibly healthy, but if you deep fry them to get French fries, you get one of the most unhealthy foods.
Also, don’t forget to drink a lot of water.
Our bodies are over 70% water, so if you become dehydrated, you will feel hungrier than you actually are.
Pro tip: Drink water as soon as you wake up
A glass of water immediately after waking up will have a good effect on your entire metabolism, which will receive a signal that it should wake up, and the digestive organs will be ready for the first meal.
5. Physical Activity
As hard as it is to fit physical activity into your busy day, you should.
As much as you hate any form of exercise, there are many benefits to that decision.
If you are physically active, your body will burn excess calories, and your brain will produce all that useful dopamine that makes you feel happy.
You know that good feeling when you are overeating, and with exercise, you will have the same feeling, but the guilt will not come afterward.
Instead of guilt, there will be a feeling of additional satisfaction because you did something useful for yourself.
Pro tip: Try alternative types of exercise
You don’t have to do any sports or go to the gym if that’s not your thing.
There are other ways to exercise. For example, dance classes and hiking are all great ways to exercise.
Undoubtedly there is some form of exercising in which you will find yourself.
In Conclusion
“Eating is a natural way to feel happy. Overeating isn’t.”
— Deepak Chopra
By solving emotional problems and implementing healthy habits, you can stop being depressed due to overeating.
Remember that you are not on some lame diet. Instead, healthy eating habits are part of your everyday life, and you love that!