Have you gained “The Covid-19?”
Tips for coping with Emotional Eating during the global pandemic
Anecdotal evidence suggests “emotional eating” (i.e., turning to food for comfort while experiencing difficult emotions) and weight gain are up during the pandemic. At the same time, physical activity is down across the world with fewer people biking to work, going to the gym, and walking around the office. Between March and July 2020, daily step counts dropped nearly 50% in some parts of the world according to researchers at UCSF. Instead of moving our bodies during the pandemic, many of us are spending more time than usual in sedentary activities like Zoom meetings and Netflix. While at home, it is also easier to “graze” throughout the day or meander to the kitchen for a quick snack to break up the monotony. Emotional eating and grazing can sabotage our efforts to maintain a healthy weight and body – something that is particularly important during a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts individuals with obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions. The good news is that there are lots of ways to increase healthy habits and decrease unhealthy ones. Consider the following ideas:
Increase your ease of access to healthy snacks (e.g., apples with peanut butter, snap peas with hummus). The first step is actually buying these items at the grocery store. The next step is minimizing the effort it takes to prepare healthy snacks and meals. Because of this, you may find it more helpful to stock up on baby carrots and berries rather than beets and mangos.
Decrease your ease of access to unhealthy foods you crave when experiencing difficult emotions (e.g., don’t buy the chips or ice cream at the grocery store, move the Oreos from your cabinet into the freezer to make it less appealing to impulsively snack on them).
Don’t deprive yourself. Setting rigid rules like, “I am never allowed to eat chocolate” only makes you want that chocolate even more; it’s human nature! Instead, allow yourself your favorite foods in moderation. This is easier in practice if your favorite foods are pre-packaged in small quantities (which you can do yourself at home, even if you don’t buy them that way!).
Take regular breaks throughout the day to walk, stretch, or engage in light exercise instead of reaching for a snack. I like to go for a walk outside with a podcast on my lunch break.
When you notice an unhealthy food craving, ask yourself: Am I actually hungry? If the answer is yes, you can satiate yourself with a healthy food option. If the answer is no, the craving will pass.
Stay hydrated. Our minds often mistake hunger for thirst. Make sure to choose water instead of caloric beverages. You can spruce up your water with lemon, mint, or cucumber.
Foster healthier coping skills to use in response to difficult emotions. Try out a meditation app like CALM, Buddhify, or Deep Meditation; listen to relaxing music; or engage your artistic side by painting, knitting, playing piano, or molding clay.
Let yourself feel your emotions instead of constantly trying to distract yourself or push them away. It is both okay and normal to experience difficult emotions, especially during this challenging year. Refusing to feel your emotions can only work in the short-term; it is not an effective long-term strategy.
Practice mindful eating. Instead of eating in front of your computer or television, instead focus entirely on the sensations you experience at mealtime. This helps you slow down and eat less food than when you mindlessly eat while doing other activities.
Track your food intake. This tip takes a bit more effort than the others, but simply tracking your food intake it is the #1 way to lose weight! Try an App like MyFitnessPal, SparkPeople, or Lose It! to make tracking easier.
It can feel overwhelming to make so many changes. Behavioral health experts suggest starting with small, manageable, concrete goals. Consider choosing just one of the above ideas and trying it out for a week. If you’re quite successful (80%+) with achieving that goal at the end of the first week, continue with that goal the next week AND also set a second goal based on the tips listed above. If you progress in this way, you’ll have mastered all ten of the above tips in less than three months!
