So most people love to eat. And there’s a lot of tasty food to choose from!

But when you’re choosing food that poisons (instead of food that nourishes) on a regular basis, and eating too much volume for your body’s needs, you gain weight (and even get sick).

On the Code Red Lifestyle™, we see food as fuel. We eat meats, vegetables, nuts, eggs, seeds, seafood, and dietary fat, and we enjoy it.

But we eat when we’re hungry, to fuel our bodies…because eating when you’re NOT hungry is a great way to get (and stay) fat.

Here are three common reasons people eat when they’re not hungry. If you’re doing any of these on a regular basis, you’re probably carrying more fat tissue than is healthy for you.

Reason #1: To pass the time.

Eating because you need something to do is SO common. People eat for this reason while traveling, while sitting at home, while visiting people – pretty much in any situation, you’ll see someone eating just for something to do.

There’s a LOT more you can do in this world that just eat. Write down some other things you enjoy, and turn to those instead of eating when you want to pass the time.

Reason #2: To cope with stress.

Eating blunts your emotions and, depending on what you eat, triggers “happy chemicals.” It’s not your imagination when you eat and feel better.

The biggest problem here is that when you’re stressed, you often crave sugar and crap carbs. Combine that with a habit of stress eating, and you’re on your way to obesity and disease.

There are other, healthier ways to cope with stress. You can drink water, talk to someone, take a walk, journal, or listen to music or a podcast, to name a few.

Reason #3: To punish yourself.

This is a rough one, but I see it a lot. One of my early clients, Natasha, used to do self-punish with eating. I also remember a Rebel who came out of a coma and overheard nurses talking about what a shame it was she was so fat. After that she felt like she didn’t deserve to live, so tried to eat her way to an early grave (before Code Red).

Eating food is the second-most intimate thing you do with your body. It should NEVER be for negative reasons.

I’m not judging you if you’re in that pattern. A lot of people are.

What I’m saying is, you and your body deserve kindness. Show yourself kindness by eating to fuel your body, when you’re hungry…not eating as self-punishment.

Your body’s an amazing thing, and when you give it the right fuel, along with water and sleep, you’ll be amazed at what it’s capable of.

Just like a car needs the right fuel to operate properly, your body needs the right fuel to function as its meant to.

Give it real food, water, and sleep, so it can work for you in the way you want it to!

Have you downloaded the Code Red Lifestyle app yet? If not, here’s how to get it!

To download the app and create your free account:

1) On your computer, create your account at www.CodeRedLifestyle.com/App.

2) If you want the app on a mobile device, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for Code Red Lifestyle.