Do you ever find yourself craving a specific food, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you also know you shouldn’t eat it? For me it often happened when I was feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or bad about myself. I needed a “treat” to feel better or a drink to calm down even though I prided myself on a healthy lifestyle. That didn’t matter- in the moment of angst I needed a quick fix to feel good again. Today we will discuss cannabis and emotional eating.
Unfortunately, this creates a frustrating cycle of succumbing to the emotion, and then feeling guilty for stalling progress, causing weight gain or possibly preventing you from achieving your goals.
This is emotional, or stress eating. Good news – we have tools to overcome this – including cannabis!
THE BASICS
The first steps are:
- recognizing the problem when it happens,
- building awareness of the feelings that are driving these impulsive habits and
- looking for patterns
The next step is using mindfulness techniques to differentiate the emotions from our physical hunger. Cannabis is an incredible tool in this process as it heightens our senses, making us more aware of our sensations of fullness, hunger, energy, stress and anxiety.
Additionally, cannabis, particularly CBD, calms our mind without inebriation, so we can pause and make mindful decisions. CBD helps us be more adaptable to change and achieve the relaxation we truly crave which will end emotional and stress eating.
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONAL EATING
Emotional eating takes on many forms. Essentially it’s the same as “stress eating”. You have a bad day, or an argument with someone close to you, and you immediately seek out specific types of foods that are usually high in sugar, fat, or salt, known as “comfort foods”.
Maybe you’re lonely or bored at night so you always have a big snack late at night to fill that void. Emotional eating can even be a response to happiness!
Maybe it’s chips, or ice cream, it could be any food (comfort food is a personal preference but generally it tends to be unhealthy foods). These foods are often associated with positive emotions and can provide temporary relief or distraction from negative feelings. Often, our comfort food is a food we equate with times of happiness or as a child.
Whatever the reason, emotional eating is defined as a behavior where we use food as a way to cope with or regulate our emotions, rather than eating in response to physical hunger and stopping when we feel physically full. Unfortunately, if we eat every time we have an emotion, stress or craving, our weight can quickly become out of control.
But we can’t fix the problem until we are aware of it. You see, when we go through the day, we tend to operate on autopilot. Our brain loves routine and emotional eating can become a habit that’s difficult to overcome, creating resistance to change.
Furthermore, when we succumb to emotional eating, we often experience guilt and shame that we were unable to control our emotions without food.
IS THIS YOU?
You may not have realized it – you may think that you lack willpower to resist food urges. I’m here to tell you, it’s not that you don’t have willpower or motivation, you’re just stressed out or looking for a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings.
You’re probably burned out, haven’t taken time for yourself at all lately, and you’re torn between wanting to feel good in a bathing suit and keeping the one thing you enjoy everyday (the glass of wine/bowl of ice cream/bag of chips).
Often, rather than admit you’re struggling, you continue to expect yourself to be able to “get it together” (i.e. be perfect with eating), and then shame yourself for not meeting these unrealistic expectations.
Instead of acknowledging these emotions, feeling them, or using another technique to manage stress, your brain tells you that eating the food (we call it “comfort food” for a reason) will make it all better. And then you regret it because the feelings linger after the food has been eaten and now you feel stressed about disrupting your healthy routine or gaining weight from unhealthy choices.
THE ROLE OF MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is simply paying attention to what we are doing. When we describe mindfulness in relation to emotional eating, we are tuning into the thoughts and feelings happening in our minds as we crave or reach for food or drinks.
Mindful eating encourages a deeper appreciation of flavors, textures, and aromas, allowing individuals to savor each bite and develop a greater awareness of their dietary choices.
Additionally, mindful eating enables us to pay attention to our fullness levels. Often we continue to eat past fullness because the pleasure of the food makes us feel good. We eat until we cannot – either it’s gone or we are stuffed. By paying attention to our portions and our stomach sensations, we can practice stopping eating before we are full or sticking to one portion.
When I have an urge to raid the ice cream or the pantry for a crunchy salty snack, I have taught myself to stop and ask myself what’s really going on. Am I having an uncomfortable feeling that’s triggering me to eat or am I hungry for something substantial. I determine whether this craving is emotional or true hunger by asking myself, “would an apple or a salad suffice?” If my brain still wants comfort food then it’s usually an emotional or stress based craving. If a piece of fruit, a salad, or something healthy will satisfy my craving then I know my body needs food for fuel.
HOW CANNABIS HELPS
Cannabis helps manage emotions and reduce emotional eating by regulating mood. It enhances our ability to focus on and clearly see our emotions as well as separate them from ourselves. It helps us take a moment to be present, to pause and ask ourselves “what’s going on?”, and differentiate between the emotions and our cravings. It helps our mind be open to the idea of choosing a different action than our usual comfort food.
CBD does not produce a “high” like THC. It has anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. and can help manage emotions by reducing anxiety symptoms, promoting a sense of relaxation, and improving overall mood.
THC is known for its intoxicating effects and is commonly associated with feelings of relaxation, euphoria, and an uplifted mood. It can potentially help manage emotions such as anxiety, stress, and depression by promoting a sense of calmness and reducing negative thoughts and feelings.
Different strains of cannabis have varying ratios of THC to CBD, which can influence their effects on emotions. Sativa strains are generally associated with uplifting and energizing effects, potentially helpful for managing low mood or fatigue. Indica strains, on the other hand, are known for their relaxing and sedating effects, potentially useful for managing stress or promoting sleep.
HOW TO USE CANNABIS TO STOP EMOTIONAL & STRESS EATING
If you’re new to cannabis, I recommend starting with CBD only or a high CBD strain to avoid any appetite stimulating effects.
- Start with a low dose early in the day to regulate mood.
- Notice triggers that make you want to eat.
- Practice combining a dose of CBD/THC with a mindfulness tool like acknowledging the emotion, breathing, meditation, journaling or walking and let the emotion come and go without eating.
- Beware of high THC that might cloud judgment, lower doses can provide euphoria without being overly intoxicating.
If you’re experienced with cannabis and prefer high THC strains, avoid strains with high levels of the terpene myrcene, as it tends to stimulate appetite, especially if you’re prone to the munchies. Look for strains high in humulene, terpinolene, and pinene, which act as an appetite suppressant.
Strains that people love for mindfulness, tuning into the body, meditation and focus include
- Sativas: Ghost Train Haze, Super Lemon Haze, Jack Herer, Candyland
- Indicas: Death Star
- Hybrid: Girl Scout Cookies, Dutch Treat, Golden Goat, Headband, Big Smooth, Cannatonic (high-CBD)
One of my clients who used cannabis and mindfulness to successfully stop stress eating at night followed this advice.
- She recognized that her night time binging was a result of stressful family interactions
- She consumed a combination of CBD and low dose THC to regulate her mood and handle the stressful family interactions.
- She changed her habit of reaching for food by acknowledging it was an emotional reaction, not out of hunger, and changed where she sat during these situations which helped her brain create a new pattern. (Sitting in a different chair can change your perspective!)
- She practiced allowing the feelings of frustration and anger without feeding them.
In a world of diets, fads and quick fixes, it’s easy to want a simple and painless solution to a frustrating cycle of stress, emotional eating and guilt. Fortunately, cannabis paired with mindfulness will help anyone lose weight over time as you cut back on impulsive food decisions, stick with the plan, and recognize that even though it feels like those foods make us feel better in the moment, they don’t.
If you’re interested in more personalized information or want to explore this topic further, feel free to reach out to me directly at Beth@Cannafitnessnutrition.com.
You can discover more about my comprehensive 12 week program, CannaFit, which helps you integrate cannabis as a tool into your fitness and nutrition to overcome obstacles such as stress or emotional eating at www.cannafitnessnutrition.com.