We need to stop using food as our way to relax, then we will start to lose weight quickly. Let’s face it, that’s what we all want. It is very easy to grab food, especially “junk food”, to help us calm down and relax. Many people not only eat food, but also use alcohol or cigarettes as a way to relax. Neither of these are good for us. Alcohol, cigarettes, and food, yes, food, can be addictive.

We need to eat food for nutrition and energy, not as the main way to relax. We can easily change our daily habits to new habits that will help us easily relax without eating, feel good, and achieve the weight loss we strive for. It usually takes about 21 days for a new habit to develop. It may seem like a long time, but it is not. Think about it: three weeks to a new me. Someone who can now quickly lose weight and relax without eating.

Don’t confuse “eating to relax” with “eating emotionally.” They are two completely different issues. Many people suffer from emotional eating. They eat out of different emotions like fear, nervousness, being upset, having an argument, or just plain anxious about something. What I mean is that people eat for no reason other than relaxation. Many people use excuses like, “I’ve been working all day, I just want to relax,” or “I’m done for the day, I’m going to sit down and read or watch TV and relax.” Sounds familiar? It sure is for me!

So now that we recognize our problem with eating to relax, we must learn to change “eating to relax” to “relaxing without eating.” We can do this easily. And this is how:

1. We just make dinner our last time to eat. Now I know this can be difficult. Especially if dinner time is in the late afternoon or early evening. Late at night is when we need to sit down for the day and have low calorie snacks like raw veggies, no seasoning, or popcorn without butter.

2. We need to make it a rule not to eat in front of the television. All meals and snacks must be eaten in a designated eating area, such as the dining room, nook, or kitchen counter. Also sit back when you eat and appreciate what you have and how good it tastes when you eat it slowly. You’ll feel full faster when you eat slower. No more unnecessary eating in front of the TV or computer for long periods; we can tend to eat a lot more this way. Instead, drink a large glass of water or even decaf coffee.

3. Walk for at least half an hour. Take a large bottle of water with you and drink slowly. You don’t need to walk fast. Just walk slowly and enjoy the scenery around you. Walking is very relaxing.

4. Chew gum: This can help trick your brain into thinking you are chewing food.

5. Find an interesting activity to keep your mind busy. Many times we feel that “we have to do something” to help us relax. This may seem silly to adults, but think about the things you used to do as a child. Paint by numbers, crosswords, word search books, put together puzzles, color, write stories, etc. If you really “like” it, your mind will be busy thinking about what you are doing, without getting bored or tempted to eat.

6. Browse the Internet. You will be amazed at the amount of information available to you on any topic that interests you. But this is not the time to eat. Make it a rule not to eat at your computer.

7. Spend time with your family or friends and show them that you don’t need to keep eating all the time.

Take it step by step and you will see your progress every day. Be satisfied with your progress and don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. It’s okay. Just go back to the course and always focus on relaxing without eating. Remember that if you feel full after eating a lot of carbohydrate-rich foods, you will go into fat storage mode. You don’t want to overeat and feel full, you want to focus on being full, satisfied, and feeling good; versus feeling tired and full.

Natural relaxation is extremely important to our health. We need to relax and give our body a rest so that it can repair itself naturally. But remember, you are not helping your body if you are not eating for any reason other than to relax. When we eat, it is important that we eat the foods that are good for us, as you can find in our original PowerFood reports.

Try some of the things mentioned and you are on your way to relaxing, feeling great, and losing weight easily. It will get easier for you as you begin to lose weight, look and feel better, and have new habits to relax.