Don't Let Anger Destroy Your Diet

Anger is a very strong emotion that causes stress to the body and to the mind. That stress also causes us to hold onto calories resulting in less weight loss if we are on a reduced calorie diet. Research shows that no matter how much you exercise or eat correctly, you are putting yourself at risk if you do not manage your anger. Anger causes a widespread negative effect on the body. Generally, if we react to this stress by eating, we have a double whammy, so to speak, causing poor nutrition and excess calories causing weight gain.

When we become angry, we may experience muscle tension, teeth clenching, higher blood pressure, chest pains, excessive sweating, chills, severe headaches or migraines. This is due to stress hormones being released. If people do experience chronic anger and it is not managed, more severe health issues may appear such as obesity, peptic ulcers, constipation, diarrhea, intestinal cramping, indigestion, heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems, and more frequent infections. Researchers have found the heart is affected by anger and can actually reduce the heart's ability to pump blood. Uncontrolled chronic anger can also have psychological effects resulting in depression and feelings of hopelessness, eating disorders, substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors, and can cause significant changes in relating to other people.

When we eat in response to the stress of anger we are taking the anger out on ourselves and are actually punishing ourselves. We sometimes decide we don’t care about anything anymore, our weight or our health, etc. It is important to maintain nutrition when we become angry so we can manage our anger well. Always remember that with regard to eating we can limit our damage to ourselves. If we decide to give in to a high calorie snack, we can stop at one. But many times we say to ourselves, well I ruined it anyway so more chips or ice cream won’t matter. But it does. All of those calories add up and more weight is added to the scale. Just get right back on track with your diet, start to exercise to burn off those calories and forget about what you just ate.

Here is a listing of ways to begin managing your anger before it gets out of control.
• Exercise to release the anger- run or lift weights, punch a punching bag, do kickboxing
• Practice Deep Breathing – Begin with 2-3 minutes of deep breathing exercises
• Meditation -Relax and count to 30 blocking out everything that you see and hear.
• Call a friend to take your mind off your stress and to vent. If the friend is trusted ask for his/her opinion of the situation.
• Confront the one you are angry with and talk it out.
• Find something to smile about and laugh as laughter reduces stress hormone levels. Frequent belly laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect - similar to deep breathing.

Understanding Portion Control

Most people consume far more calories than they realize. Why? They don’t rationally estimate portion size.. According to a survey conducted by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), most Americans (78 percent) still believe that the kind of food they eat is more important in managing their weight than the amount of food they eat.

People wonder why they're gaining weight. Americans are concentrating too much on cutting fat, or relying on fad diets that cut intake but lower the metabolism. Studies reveal that these strategies fail to address the issue of total calories consumed, as well as overall good nutrition.
Experts say that understanding the concept of standard serving sizes is essential to good nutrition and weight maintenance. Standardized serving sizes help consumers, health professionals, and food manufacturers find a common language.

Although serving sizes are "standardized," individual portion sizes will vary, because people have different caloric requirements. Portion size also depends on a person's specific weight management goals and health needs.


The problems of obesity and lack of nutrition awareness also seem to have a societal and cultural component. Take a look at fast food restaurants. Most of these restaurants offer "super-size" or "value" meals, which often contain an entire day's worth of calories and fat. In addition, full service restaurants offer large portions to provide value to customers in a competitive environment. Similarly, with today’ hectic pace and more women in the workforce, it is easier for many to grab ready-made or easy to prepare foods like pasta that contain more carbs.
Statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveal that Americans' total daily caloric intakes have risen by 148 calories per day since 1980. This amount adds an extra 15 pounds to weight every year.


Interestingly, the same studies show that the amount of fat in the average American diet has decreased from 40 percent of total calories to 33 percent during the same period. So although calories from fat have decreased -- at nine calories per gram of fat versus only four for a gram of carbohydrate or protein -- Americans have more than made up for their lower fat intakes with larger portion sizes of other types of foods. Larger portion sizes equal more calories. And more calories lead to weight gain, regardless of the source of the calories -- fat, protein, or carbohydrate.


Fat provides a feeling of fullness, which can help some people avoid eating to excess. By cutting fat out of their diets, people may lose this signal to stop eating. In addition, many "low-fat" and "no fat" foods can be just as high in calories compared to the regular versions as fat is replaced with sugars or high calorie sweeteners to beef up flavor.


Use These Portion Guides



What's a portion size? According to the American Dietetic Association, you can use the following "models" to approximate portion sizes:

• One deck of playing cards equals one serving (three ounces) of meat, poultry, or fish (can also use the palm of a woman's hand or a computer mouse).
  


• Half a baseball equals one serving (one-half cup) of fruit, vegetables, pasta, or rice (can also use a small fist).
  


• Your thumb equals one serving (one ounce) of cheese.
  


• A small hand holding a tennis ball equals one serving (one cup) of yogurt or chopped fresh greens.