HALT before the first bite

All of us are guilty of eating too much from time to time. We consider eating as a treat or a reward for ourselves. However, when we are clouded with negative emotions, it's easy to overdo it, resulting to a binge-eating. 

We can learn to break the cycle, develop a healthier relationship with food, and feel good again by checking our emotions first! As the saying goes, 'it's all in your mind!' So before you give in to overeating, HALT! 😉

When we're busy working, studying, or doing something that requires a lot of energy, our blood sugar levels easily get low so your body sends signals to hurry up and find food.

What to do?

Reassess your hunger and respond appropriately. If you feel that you just need to relax, go and do it! Spend at least twenty minutes drinking herbal tea or grab your favorite fruit to munch on. It helps if you have an apple, banana, bunch of grapes/berries within your reach!

If your stomach is empty, refrain from depriving yourself! Portion out a balanced meal and eat slowly. Enjoy!

Anger, stress, and frustration are all often associated with hunger. But it also works the other way around. If you were in a big fight or just frustrated about a certain situation, our brain seeks to conquer big portions of food or drinks.

What to do?

Gear up and get out! We know that walking out depends on the situation, but allowing yourself to breathe and think is always a good idea!

And you know what else is a better way to release your emotions? Overeat! 😝 Kidding! 

What we mean is, go out on a quick run, work out, rest, or take a hot shower if you want. Just don't take the anger out on food!

As cliche as it sounds, munching on comfort food is one way to ease loneliness. Some chocolate ice cream, nacho with a lot of cheese on top, pizza, cheeseburger, or just some plain old vanilla milkshake -- these can make us really happy. Or at least it'll make you forget the loneliness for a little while.

But let's be real - it's never a good substitute for companionship. And to make it worse, binge-eating by our lonesome will make us feel even more isolated.

What to do?

Think of happy thoughts! Sure, it's too easy to say but too difficult to do. (OVERTHINKERS UNITE! 🤯🤪)

Remind yourself of the people who care. Call or text a friend or a family member. Share and eat a good portion of your comfort food while watching your favourite TV show with your bestie, bae, or bro!

If you don't feel like talking to anyone, curl up with your favourite book, watching your favourite movie or TV show. Do something that you really like or focus on the activities that you're good at!

Dance, sing, draw, or just clean your room -- stay proactive! This can help you ease your mind.

Do you know what's the worst feeling ever? The feeling of being sick and tired, but we have to move and continue! And if we're lacking rest, our mind and body try to compensate by asking for lots of sugar. Chemicals inside us also react and increase our appetite.

Get some sleep! There's really no hour that's too early to go to bed if you're body needs rest. 

If you can't, simply rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes and go back to number 1, 2 and 3!

What's presented above doesn't mean you should starve yourself! And we won't lie and say overeating sucks. Well, sure, it does when it's becoming an unhealthy obsession but too much is never good!

There's a time and place for everything. When you're lonely today and you feel like nothing but food will comfort you, do it! If you're tired and you just want to eat, do it! But make sure you're doing it at right portions. Overeating causes you to spend too much and it can also make you unhealthy, especially if what you're eating is mostly junk. 

We're not dietitians so we're not claiming to be experts on the matter. These are just some tips that can hopefully help you along the way!