Will my performance in revising for a set of exams suffer if I stop comfort eating which I rely on ..?

Question

As a comfort eater I feel I can only get through an intense revision period if I stuff myself with bad foods. If I stop this habit which gives me great comfort (my doctor has given me a health warning) will I be unable to concentrate to work or is this just psychological ? I feel I need the chocolate to help me concentrate ..

Answer 1

There is no way anybody else can answer that! You have to try, and find out for yourself. I can tell you that it IS psychological. There is no physiological reason why eating bad foods would make you concentrate better.

I would recommend finding healthier substitutes for those comfort foods you crave. For example, if you feel you need chocolate, consider buying some low calorie, low fat hot cocoa mix. Or you can buy pure unsweetened baking cocoa and mix it with hot, nonfat milk. Then sweeten it with low calorie sugar substitute. You'll get a bit of that chocolate flavor, with hardly any fat and a lot less calories than if you ate a chocolate bar.

Answer 2

What a terrible dilemma to be faced with. While I would normally say that nothing is more important than your health, I understand that the results of these exams could have an equally long-term effect on your life. The easy answer would be to say that you should get the exams out of the way and *then* deal with your comfort eating. Dealing with one problem at a time might be the most sensible way to reduce the pressure you're currently under.
However, the problem with comfort eating is that the sugar rush you get from eating your chocolate is soon followed by a plummet in your blood sugar levels which will leave you tired and lethargic and *needing* another sugar intake to get your concentration levels back up again. It's a little like a rollercoaster of highs and lows.
My honest suggestion, despite the fact that I personally avoid carbs like the plague LOL, is that in the short term you should think about changing your whole eating patterns to include a lot of slow-release carbohydrades. Cereals, bananas, jacket potatoes etc... will give you a constant steady stream of energy. If you avoid the sugar 'lows' you'll feel far less tempted to need your sugar 'highs'. So that you don't feel miserable psychologically, try substituting something like high-life hot chocolate drinks for your chocolate bars. They will give you the taste and satisfaction of chocolate without sending your blood sugar levels for a loop. Whatever you decide to do, I hope your exams go well.

Answer 3

Obviously this is a little more complicated than a total stranger can help with. I'd be willing to bet that there are underlying psychological conditions that only a trained therapist could help you with, and that's who I recommend you talk to.

As far as the chocolate is concerned, there are now some really great sugar-free chocolates (everything from Dove, Hershey, York peppermints, Whitman's samplers, etc.) They're not calorie-free, but they are a little healthier than their regular counterparts. Maybe you could substitute the sugar-free chocolates and see if that helps.