The more you eat, the fatter you get; the more angry you get, the fatter you get. 6 tips to get rid of emotional obesity

The economic downturn and the pressure from work and family often make people suffer from emotional obesity. Doctors pointed out that the outpatient clinic has found that the number of people seeking treatment for emotional obesity has increased by 20% in recent days, with more women than men and more white-collar workers than blue-collar workers. Obesity caused by emotional eating, in particular, makes it difficult for people to "lose weight."

Liu Boen, executive director of the Taiwan Obesity Prevention and Health Education Association and a weight loss specialist, pointed out that obesity caused by emotional stress is common in economic downturns. However, according to an outpatient survey, more than half of female white-collar workers seek medical treatment due to emotional obesity, and their main complaints are: "The more I eat, the fatter I get; the more angry I get, the fatter I get."

Emotional obesity and stress are invisible killers

Basically, stress is the invisible killer of emotional obesity. It is mainly because stress causes mood swings, which causes the pituitary gland to change. The alpha value of the hypothalamus becomes higher, which increases hunger and reduces satiety. Once you are not full, you cannot sleep well and have to eat all the time, which will cause your mood swings to become greater. In severe cases, it will lead to abnormal eating behavior.

Especially for obese people who have difficulty losing weight, or those who often gain weight again after losing weight, most of them are related to "overeating" and "emotions". The most common emotions are: anxiety, sadness, fear, anger, rage, boredom, loneliness, and even promotion, love, etc. Most people want to release them through "eating" to cover up these inner emotional pressures.

Emotional eating may lead to obesity and three highs

Dr. Liu Bowen emphasized that emotional obesity is closely related to diet. It is worth noting that if there is emotional eating, people will often unconsciously consume excessive food during the eating process, and will particularly like to eat heavy-tasting food, which is mostly high in sugar, salt, and fat. In the long run, in addition to easily leading to obesity and the three high diseases, it will also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. To change emotional obesity, there are 6 tips that can help:

1. Don’t forget to be patient when you are hungry: When you suddenly want to eat, think about whether you have eaten just now. If you are sure that you have eaten and your stomach is not rumbling with hunger at the moment, please be patient and wait for the urge to eat to disappear.

2. Review your diet: Record what you eat every day, the amount you eat, your current hunger level, and how you feel when eating, etc., to identify possible risk situations and learn how to respond or try to avoid them.

3. Cultivate proper interests: Cultivate proper leisure hobbies, such as taking a walk, watching movies, listening to music, reading or chatting with people, to replace the bad habit of eating to relieve stress.

4. Avoid junk food: Do not store cakes and candies in your residence, car, or desk. When you are in a bad mood, avoid going to supermarkets or hypermarkets or postpone your shopping plans to prevent your emotions from affecting your decisions.

5. Choose buffer foods carefully: If you feel the urge to eat between meals and cannot control yourself, you can first satisfy your craving with low-calorie foods such as fruits, lettuce, yogurt, high-fiber soda, etc.

6. Dietary quantity control: Three meals should be taken at regular times and in regular quantities, with emphasis on balanced nutrition. If you ignore or intentionally skip certain meals, your body will not be able to meet daily needs with calories, and you will be more likely to engage in emotional eating.

【Doctor's Tips】:

To get rid of emotional obesity, you often have to be prepared for a long battle. If you are worried about your lack of willpower, you might as well invite friends, family, and colleagues to accompany you so that you can supervise and encourage each other. If unfortunately you still get fatter the more you eat, and the more angry you get, the fatter you get, don't give up rashly. The correct approach is to seek help from a professional weight loss physician.