The biggest obstacle: Emotional eating
First of all: Congratulations! You've lost almost 60 kilos in recent years and never let the ups and downs stop you from pursuing your goal. But before we dive right in: How did your SHEKO story begin?
"It all started with a photo at Christmas. I'd always been aware that I was overweight. But then I saw this picture and was really shocked. The scales confirmed it: I'd gained a few more kilos. That's when I knew I had to change something. A few days later, I drank my first SHEKO shake, thought it was delicious, and was happy that a new chapter was beginning for me."
Do you know why you gained so much weight before SHEKO?
"I was under a lot of emotional stress at the time – and that quickly turns into comfort eating for me. I'm an emotional eater. That has always been my biggest challenge. As soon as I feel bad, I swallow down the negative emotions – preferably in combination with lots of sweets."
Janina isn't alone in facing this "challenge." In Germany, roughly one in three people is an "emotional eater." This means that these individuals regulate negative feelings by consuming food—usually high-calorie, fatty, and sugary foods. In food science, this is also known as the "bliss point"—that moment when our food triggers the strongest feeling of happiness. Like the second a piece of chocolate slowly melts on our tongue, or when we bite into a warm French fry and lick the slightly salty film of fat from our lips.
This bliss point is usually not a bad thing. On the contrary, it's often accompanied by great pleasure and happiness. However, it becomes problematic when this "comfort food" is the only way we cope with grief, stress, and anger, and it leads to weight gain. When we resort to uncontrolled binge eating instead of intuitively listening to our true hunger, it's time to question our pattern and, ideally, break it.
When it comes to emotional eating, you're supposed to ask yourself what the trigger is. In other words: "Where is this intense urge to eat coming from right now?" Were you able to identify the cause?
“Yes, and that was crucial. I didn’t just change my diet, I fundamentally changed my life. I ended a relationship and started a new life as a single mother with my son. It might take courage to face your emotions, but it’s absolutely worth it.”
