Lean for Life

CLASS 8Managing Stress EatingCHRIS ESSEX, Life CoachJENNIFER REILLY, DietitianLean for LifeTodays ClassBrainstorm: What stresses us?Stress and CortisolAcute Stress versus Chronic StressReal Hunger vs. Phantom HungerManaging EmotionsFood and Mood ConnectionStrategies for Managing Stress Eating

BrainstormWhat stresses us?3Stress and CortisolStressorExample: Car on beltway cuts you off

Stress responseBrain signals body to turnout a hormone called Cortisol.

Cortisol relays the message throughout the body to mobilize your life-saving response.Your heart racesYou become highly alert, even vigilant.Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion and fast-acting muscles.Metabolism shifts, too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.4Acute Stress and CortisolSuch emergencies do not last forever.

Your stress response system has built into it the capacity to turn itself off.

The stress hormone cortisol acts as its own shut-off signal.

When it reaches the brain it commands the brain to cease the bodys production of the hormone.5Chronic Stress and CortisolUC/SF researches Chronic stress research.Chronic stress the system does not turn off.

As the situation that gives rise to stress endure, they keep ramping up the production of cortisol.

You go into an inner Code Red marked by anxiety, vigilance, and hyper-alertness.Depression is one consequence of chronic stress.

At the same time, other nodes of the long-term stress circuit are activated.One of them directs you to search for extremely pleasurable food, notably high-energy bundles of fat and sugar like cream puffs and chocolate bars.Your body is attempting to build long-term energy reserves.

6Self-Assessment Are you an Emotional Eater?Shrink Yourself, Roger Gould, MD7Real Hunger versus Phantom HungerReal HungerThe hunger in your belly signals you when your system has a biological requirement for food.

Phantom HungerSends out a signal demanding food when unruly emotions and unresolved personal agendas start pushing themselves into awareness and you feel compelled to eat, or more accurately to stuff yourself and shut the feelings up.Phantom hunger has such power that it drives you to almost any length to satisfy it.

8Hunger: Which Kind?Real HungerDevelops slowlyResults from a physiological needBegins with a tummy rumble, becomes stronger grumble, & finally evolves into hunger pangsWill wait for foodMake a deliberate choice about what you consumeYou notice how much you put in your mouth & stop when you are fullPhantom HungerDevelops rapidlyResults from an emotional triggerDemands food immediatelyYou rarely notice what is being eatenEven if you are full, you want more foodMay demand particular foods to be fulfilledResults in guilt or promises to do better

9Managing EmotionsExcerpts from THE SOLUTION Laurel Mellin; Regan Books 1997Questions to Ask to Manage Your EmotionsHow do I feel?

What do I need?

What do I expect?

Is that reasonable?

What is reasonable?

Are my thoughts powerful and positive?

What could I say to myself that would be?

What feeling does that bring up in me?

Can you allow yourself just to feel the feelings of sadness and fear; knowing that within a few moments they would fade?10Food and Mood: Stress FoodsStress-Inducing FoodsSimple sugars/ processed carbohydrates (sugar, white flour, pastries, cakes, soda, white pasta)Blood sugar spike & insulin overproduction => blood sugars plummet => stress on body => cortisol released

Stress-Reducing PlanEating balanced mini-meals 5-6 times a dayEach mini-meal needs:Lean proteinComplex carbohydratesEssential fatsFruits and veggies11Food and Mood: ExtrasFor EnergyProtein-rich foodsBoron: almonds, walnuts, avocados, broccoli, potatoes, pears, prunes, honey, oranges, onions, chick peas, carrots, beans, bananas, red grapes, red apples, raisins

For MemoryThiaminRiboflavinCaroteneZinc

12Food and Mood: ExtrasFor Fighting DepressionComplex carbohydrates (whole grains, beans, veg, fruit)Folic acid-containing foods (think foliage)Selenium (Brazil nuts, garlic, sunflower seeds, chili peppers)Mild caffeine Choline (eggs)

For Relieving AnxietyComplex carbsAvoid caffeineAvoid alcohol

13Food and Mood: ExtrasFoods that are memory-dullingSaturated fats (found in animal products: butter, meat, etc.)Alcohol

Five Example Foods for a Better MoodOatmeal: soluble fiber stabilizes blood sugarsWalnuts: essential fatty acidsTea: mild caffeineSalmon: vitamin DLentils: folate14Strategies for Managing Stress EatingSleep

Learn to relaxRelaxation techniques:Hot bathMeditationRelaxation breathingTaking breaks,YogaExercise,Sex

Manage your self-talk.15Strategies for Managing Stress EatingMake yourself goodie bagsHealthy food optionsA hard-boiled egg, red-pepper strips and 4-6 whole-grain crackers.A smear of peanut butter and an apple.

Use E-mailE-mail yourself each time you eat.Include the circumstancesObserve patterns and plan accordingly.Instead of turning to food, e-mail a buddy and tell him/her how you are feeling.Wait for a response before eating.

Use your Smart PhoneFood diary apps

16Strategies for Managing Stress EatingTry to wait.Tell yourself to wait 15 to 30 minutes to eat.The craving to eat may pass or you may become distracted and forget about food.

Keep track of what you eat.

If you have a pattern of snacking at a certain time of day, change your routine to keep yourself occupied during that period.

Make it a habit to eat only when seated and when not otherwise occupied by a task.Eat consciously.17Strategies for Managing Stress EatingEat regularly.

Post-it Are you really hungry?Think about why you are eating.

Know thyself.What are you weakest times and places?

Remove trouble.Remove tempting foods from your home or desk.Never grocery shop when hungry.

18Strategies for Managing Stress EatingMake time for physical activity.Exercise is a natural stress reducer.

Sip green or black tea before you reach for a snack.The drink contains theanine, an amino acid that increases the relaxing chemicals in the brain.

Join an Internet community for support such as the Emotional Eating Forum or prevention.com/foodtriggers.

19SummaryWhat is one concept, strategy, thought, idea or practice your are leaving with?

Of what will you be more mindful?20All Notes and Powerpoints Here: BitchinDietitian.com/Lean-for-Life-Class