Emotions, Stress, Appetite: Balancing Your Health in Uneasy Times

Stress. Emotions. Appetite. The three of these are more related than we probably give them credit for. Emotional eating is a coping mechanism we often rely on in difficult and uncertain times. Unfortunately, when uneasy periods perk their head up, our health usually bears the brunt of it.

What Is an Emotional Eater?

Emotional eating can be characterized as the act of consuming food, usually unhealthy junk food in large quantities, triggered by emotions and feelings as opposed to being triggered by actual feelings of hunger. Emotional eating is almost never triggered by hunger.

When facing a difficult situation or an obstacle that causes feelings of stress, we find comfort and solace in food. How many times have you heard the term “comfort food”? Temporarily, emotional eating fulfills that discomfort. But what follows, later on, are feelings of guilt and shame. Subsequently, those newly-added feelings and emotions of guilt and shame are now the new triggers that will have you going right back to emotional eating. This is the emotional eating cycle.

It doesn’t take much to put you into this cycle of emotional eating. Stressful events from work, relationships, school, parenting, illnesses, media, pandemics, financial pressure, and health issues all can trigger those emotions and create that cyclical loop of emotional eating. Just remember that emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional issues, but in actuality, it usually makes them worse.

Wondering if you may be an emotional eater? Pay attention to your eating patterns. Emotional eaters tend to change their eating habits when they have more stress in their life. They also eat when they are not hungry or even when they are full. Some emotional eaters may be eating to soothe their feelings and some use eating to avoid dealing with stressful situations. Emotional eaters often tend to use food as a reward.

Does Stress Affect Your Appetite?

Emotions can affect the way in which we eat. And we know emotions and stress are interconnected. How much does stress affect our appetite? Depending on who you are, the results can be different. For some individuals, stress can cause people to become emotional eaters.

But for others, stress can cause individuals to completely ignore those hunger cues, which can cause them to withhold from eating for long periods. When one individual overeats due to stress, other people may be so in tune and fixated on the stressful state that they tune out those cues. Both of these scenarios can be dangerous for your health.

What happens when you are unable to eat due to stress? Some people experience stress and anxiety in a way that takes away their appetite and leaves them not wanting to eat. This can cause unexpected weight loss, fatigue, and an overall change in how your body processes food. When trying to regain your appetite, look at key components of your lifestyle such as sleep, stress, how to manage stress, and incorporating exercise.

5 Simple Steps to Overcome Stress Eating

With an understanding of the effects of stress and emotions on our health and appetite, let’s shift focus a little more on hope and solutions. Knowing about problems and issues affecting our health is one thing. Knowing how to combat these issues is the piece of the puzzle we need to act on.

Below are five simple steps on how to overcome stress eating that you can implement right now.

Exercise

One of the most effective steps in managing stress is to exercise. It doesn’t take much either. A simple 20-30 minute walk a few times a week will significantly help. Exercise does a few things. It helps to increase endorphins which can regulate your mood. It puts you in the present moment because you have to focus on it.

Start a Food Journal

Writing in a food journal is simple. Getting into the habit of doing it might be a little more difficult. But the health dividends of writing down and keeping a log of what you eat will help you discover habits, behaviors, and thoughts that you were unaware of. When you begin, don’t worry about how much you are writing. It can be in a dedicated notebook, a journal you keep in the cloud, or a journal app on your phone. When focusing on your food journal, be sure to write down what you are eating as well as the time of day and why you are eating it. Don’t forget to mark down what emotions you feel prior to eating.

There is plenty of research that suggests keeping a food journal can double an individual’s weight loss. The biggest added benefit a journal provides is making you aware of your habits. Becoming more aware and knowing what we’re putting into our bodies often leads to the question of “Why am I putting this into my body?” and it makes eating something unhealthy a conscious choice instead of a bad habit of fulfilling an emotional need.

Eliminate the Temptations and Snack Appropriately

Get rid of junk food. Ditch it. Say goodbye. Don’t just throw it in the kitchen garbage. Walk it all out to the big dumpster and make it final. Eliminating junk food won’t entirely eliminate the underlying impulse to emotionally eat. More often than not, it’s still going to be there, which is why the second part of this step is crucial. Opt-in for healthy snacks when you feel that impulse. Not just for health reasons either. Compare the follow-up emotions after eating each type of food. Have you ever felt guilt or shame because you ate half a bag of chips? The answer is most likely yes. Have you ever felt a tinge of regret for eating roasted broccoli? We didn't think so.

Sleep

Your sleep is very important to your health, especially when it comes to stress and dealing with emotions. We have brain chemicals connected with healthy sleep, which are the same chemicals that communicate with the body to stop the production of stress hormones. According to experts, adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Interestingly enough, over 60% of adults report sleep problems multiple times during the week. Make sleep one of your highest priorities. Lack of sleep is one of the major factors in stress. But sleep isn't always easy, so you have to work at it. Realistically, proper sleep is a skill we need to work on. Xyngular’s Xr2 is the perfect product to help us create proper sleep habits.*

READ: Get to Know the Xr2 Ingredients

Get Your Stress in Check

Make managing your stress one of the top priorities in your life. One of the most important parts of this is to just be aware of the stresses in your life. We mentioned some stress triggers above. The simple act of just recognizing these stress triggers can help. But go a little deeper. Practice effective stress management practices like meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and yoga. Many people often opt-in for foods and supplements to help manage their stress as well. Xyngular’s Xr2 was designed to target problem areas that often sabotage our healthy eating habits. Stress, emotions, and appetite are at the core of Xr2’s purpose.*

Xr2: A Balanced Solution for Emotional Eating, Stress, and Appetite Control

Xr2 combats stress in three unique ways. It promotes deeper sleep, suppresses nighttime cravings, and helps manage stress eating.

The premium ingredients that make up Xr2 were carefully created in a proprietary blend to help you rest and relax. Sleep is vital to health. Sleep is unequivocally important with weight loss. Xyngular understands the nature of sleep and how it impacts stress and weight management. Xr2 delivers on deep sleep for better days.

Xr2 Features:

● Naturally-sourced ingredients

● 5-HTP to aid in appetite suppression*

● Valerian root for deeper sleep*

● GABA aids in rest and relaxation*

● Contains no lactose, nuts, or dairy

● Contains no fish or shellfish.

● Manufactured in the U.S..

Xr2 Benefits:

● Helps facilitate healthy sleep*

● Manages nighttime cravings*

● Attacks stress with balancing your body’s natural cortisol release*

● Fights stress eating*

● Improves and maintains metabolism*

● Can be taken with other Xyngular products*

Today, more than ever the impact and importance of our emotions and stress on our health are vital. Isn’t it about time you discovered more about all the benefits Xyngular’s Xr2 can offer? This unique product can help you manage stress and keep those emotions in check to give you that extra support your health needs.*

Get Xr2 NOW and get the stress-fighting support you need! Contact your Xyngular Distributor, log into your account or give us a call at 801.756.8808.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

*Lose up to 15 pounds in 8 days. Lose an additional 1-2 pounds or more each week following the 8-day jump start. Results are not guaranteed and can vary.