KIIS 106.5 FM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show radio co-host, Jackie O, has celebrated an impressive 10kg weight loss over a period of six months.
Speaking to 9Honey, Jackie said after finding out she’d reached her heaviest ever weight, she made a resolution to address her diet, giving up sweets and carbs but also making sure not to deprive herself of things she loved.
“I thought that [6 months] was quite slow considering how strict I have been,” says the 43-year-old explained. “I’m sure it would have come off faster if I gave up alcohol, but at least I stuck it out this time.”
She also revealed a very key piece of information about an all to familiar issue for men and women everywhere – emotional eating.
Below: Jackie after her 10kg weight loss
“I hated that I had let it [weight gain] get to that point, but I think I was struggling with a few things at the time, so eating was a way for me to escape my problems,” she explained.
Most women are guilty of eating for reasons other than hunger, which is known as emotional eating. Psychologist and author Dr Elizabeth Celi says: “Food is so accessible and easily re-directs our attention from emotional distress onto the food to give us a form of comfort.”
We are most likely to turn to food when we are feeling stressed, hormonal, angry, bored, lonely, anxious, nervous, depressed, tired or frustrated.
How to stop emotionally eating
If you think you’re an emotional eater, there are plenty of ways to get back in control of your diet. Here are a few ideas:
Identi-vibe: Try and understand if you eat because you’re stressed or angry, or if you turn to food when you’re sad or bored. If it’s the former, do intense activities such as listening to loud music or going for a run. If it’s the latter, ask your loved one for a cuddle or take a walk along the beach.
Resist and desist: “Ask yourself, am I really hungry or am I ‘craving’ satisfaction in another situation? Then act accordingly,” Dr Celi says.
Find eating buddies: Talk to your friends and ask if they are emotional eaters too. If they are, use each other as a support network and reach for the phone instead of the chocolate.
Write it down: Keeping a food diary will help you realise when you are most likely to turn to snacking. When you feel those times coming on, distract yourself.
Work it out: Regular exercise helps keep your attitude positive and will cut down emotional eating moments.
Have a snooze: “Fatigue brings out the worst in us, our discipline wall goes down and we’re more vulnerable to emotional reactions and junk food,” Dr Celi says. So try to get enough sleep.
Get a hobby: If you have alternative activities to eating, you won’t go for the junk food so fast. Start an exercise class, paint your nails or clean out your linen cupboard.
Alterna-nibble: If you must snack, go for something healthy. Replace chips with carrot batons and ice cream with yoghurt.
After addressing her issues with emotional eating, Jackie says she has never felt better.
“I no longer crave bad foods and my portion sizes are very small compared to what they used to be. I have finally re-programmed my brain when it comes to food and I feel a whole lot better about myself too, not only can I fit into my old clothes, but I have a lot more energy,” The radio host confirmed to 9Honey.
Separating food and mood for good is hard for anyone – but there as Jackie proves, there really isn’t a downside.
