HELP! Why do I eat when i’m bored?
Ever felt slightly bored and all of a sudden you get a hunger pang, … make your way to your kitchen and start feasting away on a food source that is likely to be high in sugar, salt and or fat?
And yes of course, I have been there too!
This is what is known as boredom eating but don’t worry, it’s likely you are not alone.
Eating when you’re bored is a major player in emotional eating and is one of the most common triggers of emotional eating which may also lead to binge eating.
Boredom eating is an urgent and overwhelming feeling that often kicks in a craving for a certain type of food.
When you are physically hungry (hunger from your stomach) you usually don’t crave a particular food, rather a wide range of products could satisfy you.
While physical hunger can be satisfied by having a small amount of food and moving on.
Emotional eating doesn’t quiet ‘hit the spot’ and cause satisfaction.
As opposed to feeling hunger from your stomach, emotional hunger triggers your brain to open the cookie jar, and munch away- often with a lack of awareness.
This leads to over eating, not knowing why we ate it, and sometimes we don’t even remember what we ate in the first place.
My experience is when I am bored, situations receive low attention due to lack of interest or stimulation coming from my immediate environment.
The excitement or stimulation of certain foods may help to distract my attention from the bored self.
So to put it in simple terms, food basically distracts us from whatever boring (meaningless) situation we are in.
Eating food influences levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter in the brain that makes us feel reward).
It has been found that specific foods may contribute to an increase in dopamine levels.
These foods are often high in sugar, fat and salt.
What happens when you consume your favorite chocolate?
You release endorphins – this is your feel good hormone which keeps us coming back for more.
Eating when we are bored often serves as a coping mechanism, to escape the emotions you are feeling.
When we snack, it breaks up our boredom by releasing dopamine… very much the same reason we grab our phones and scroll through social media.
Temporary hits of satisfaction with no real long term reward.
Difficulty stopping at ‘comfortable fullness’
If you are chronically unable to stop eating at comfortable fullness, even though you recognize when you are full, then you are most likely overeating for emotional reasons.
Just because something tastes good doesn’t mean you have to finish it!
Challenge yourself to always stop halfway through your meal and take it slowly.
It’s okay to not polish your bowl.
What can be done to break the boredom eating cycle?
- Recognize when you are physically hungry or emotionally hungry. Taking ten seconds out of your day to ask yourself if you are physically hungry is a good starting point. If you think about a range of foods and are happy to eat any of them (like vegetables) then most likely you are experiencing true hunger. However, if you’re craving something specific and only eating that specific food will treat the hunger pains you’re feeling, then you’re most likely wanting to eat for reasons other than true hunger.
- Make sure your main meals contain enough protein and fiber. Protein promotes satiety whilst fiber controls blood sugar levels. This will ensure you have no sugar crashes and remain as full as possible for the longest possible time.
- Become more aware of your relationship with food. Pay attention and start to self-monitor: Look for patterns (triggers, situations, responses). Notice what, how, and why you are eating. Use the information gathered to increase awareness. Bring the setting and your habitual response into conscious thought (there’s a choice to be made). I stopped eating and reading (my favorite) or watching a show with a snack.
- Insert a pause before eating: check in with yourself: Is my hunger physiological or psychological/head hunger?
- Distinguish emotions, feelings, and cravings from hunger. Manage emotions and situations (boredom, stress, reward, feeling down, etc.) using non-food coping techniques and limit eating to planned meals and snacks (and when physiologically hungry).
- Find a different distraction. Engage in a pleasurable activity (other than eating and TV) for at least 15-20 minutes. The likelihood is that your cravings will become more tolerable or you will forget about them. I go outside sometimes to walk and other times I step outside to breath just relax.
- Eat regular meals and snacks (planned eating) and limit eating in between (unplanned eating). Also, don’t let yourself get too hungry. Pay attention to hunger signals and eat before you get to the starving stage.
- Learn to tolerate cravings. This will get easier over time. “Surf the crave wave.”
It is so important to have a dietary assessment done by a plant based registered dietitian to ensure that you are meeting all your nutrient and energy requirements as you transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Also, having emotional support plus accountability helps in making that shift necessary to be successful at not repeating the same old behaviors.
I am here to make a difference in your life.
Schedule a call or email me. I am happy to chat.
With love,
Sheri ❤️
