HALT!

Whilst researching about food addiction and obsessive eating, I found a mantra adopted from Alcoholics Anonymous.

H.A.L.T. Are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? Whilst emotional eaters will use food to help answer any of these questions, eating really only cures the first one.

Next time you reach for that biscuit tin ask yourself these questions?

'Am I actually hungry?' Hunger builds over time and comes in waves. Feelings of hunger build over time and go away when you eat. Your body also tricks you into eating if you are dehydrated. If your blood contains too much salt, your body needs water to balance it. It does this by making you thirsty. It also knows that food contains water so it triggers the hungry feelings as well. If a drink doesn't solve the problem, eat a healthy snack. I know cookies are so much nicer, but you can consume a large amount of calories in a couple of mouth fulls. Ask yourself, if I'm hungry enough to eat would I eat a piece of fruit? If the answer is no, then you ain't hungry enough to open up the biscuit tin. If you really want the nice stuff, make a healthy snack, eat that first then have one treat. Fill up on the healthy stuff, then enjoy the treat.

Question two, 'Am I angry?' Eating a whole sharing bag of M&Ms because someone pissed you off, won't make the situation any better. If anything you will just end up feeling guilty about binging, which might fuel your anger. The solution, find a way to redirect the anger. Exercise is one of the best stress busters, sex works too (don't forget you can 'exercise' alone). If you don't have the opportunity to work out the stress physically, writing it down in a journal or letter might work for you. Just remember that anything written that was fueled by anger should never be for public consumption. Don't rant on Facebook or Twitter, rather write it all down, then shred it. Watching the words get chewed up by the mechanical teeth can be quite cathartic.

Question three, 'Am I lonely?' It can be easy to confuse the lonely, empty feeling with hunger. But no matter how good that burger tastes, it won't fill you up. Phone a friend, go visit your folks. The secret here is to just go talk to someone. If you are in a situation where you are apart from friends or family, join a club. If you are trying to get fit, sign up for a fitness class and see if you can make a couple of new friends.Join a slimming group, a lot of the other members will have similar food issues. Groups like these are great for talking to understanding people.

Question four, Am I tired?' If you are feeling tired, you tend to make poor food choices. Brush your teeth and go to bed. You can't eat when you are asleep. The benefit of brushing your teeth, is that not much junk food tastes good with that fresh minty toothpaste hit.

One additional  question to ask yourself is, 'Am I bored?' But adding a B to the mantra doesn't really work. The question is still valid. Once you start feeling bored, food obsession can kick in. The brain's pleasure / reward system kicks in. Your brain rewards you for eating with a kick of the pleasure chemicals. Once you develop an unhealthy relationship with food, the craving for more of the reward chemicals becomes a real addiction. Distraction is the key here. Change your location, change the task you are doing. Make your brain think about something different. It can be as simple as going for a pee, or if you are at work, find a task that will take you away from your desk for a few minutes.


 So next time you reach for food, HALT(B) and think why you are about to eat.