In the last 18 years that I have been working with clients on addressing issues with weight loss, the common thread for most people who yo-yo diet is the same…how to conquer emotional eating.
Emotional eating isn’t always in the form of sitting down nightly with a pint of ice cream and a bag of Oreos. For some people, emotional eating is such an ingrained behavior pattern they don’t even realize they are doing it.
For example, you are having a very stressful day at work and you pass by your co-workers desk and scoop up a handful of M & M’s. A little later it’s a cookie or just a few jellybeans.
Maybe you are a mom who had a stressful day at work or at home with the kids. When everyone is in bed you sit down on the couch to relax and watch TV with a big bowl of chips, pretzels, goldfish or whatever your feel good food is.
You don’t even notice whether or not you are hungry. You eat to make the stress go away or because “you deserve it” as your reward for your stressful day.
Perhaps you had a low stress day but you were just bored or anxious at work or bored or anxious between dinner and bedtime. If the feeling is anything but hunger you are most likely using food to self-soothe an emotion.
If the root cause of your weight gain is emotional eating there is a not a diet plan out there that will help you lose weight and keep it off for good.
If you do not address the cause of your emotional eating and its tie to your behaviors, habits and your relationship with food it will be difficult to achieve sustainable weight loss.
For most, this is the hardest part because you have to address some issues and hardships in your life that caused you to use food or comfort in the first place.
Emotional connections to food, both good and bad, can start way back in childhood. I believe that once you have an awareness of your behaviors it is easier to take the steps needed to begin the process of behavior change. So how do you begin to make changes?
4 Steps to Conquer Emotional Eating
1) Keeping a food journal. A journal will help you realize what and how much you eat, how often (or not) you eat and how certain foods make you feel. It will also help you notice all the extra bites you take during the day. Over the course of a week these extra little bites that seem insignificant can turn into excess pounds.
2) Pay attention to your hunger. Eat satisfying, healthy meals and don’t let yourself get too hungry during the day. Notice how often you eat when you are NOT hungry. Stay hydrated. Thirst is often confused with hunger. Become mindful of hunger in your head (I want to eat) VS. hunger in your stomach (I need to eat). If you know you are dealing with an emotion (head hunger) find something else to do besides eat. Call a friend. Take a walk. Just know you are in the moment and the moment WILL pass.
3) Be kind to yourself if you slip up. Speak to yourself as you would a friend. Negative self-talk is often a culprit for emotional eating. Practice some daily self-care like getting in some exercise, get a manicure, light some candles around your tub. Remember to love you everyday.
4) Start each day reminding yourself to stay mindful about your hunger and making the best choices that will make you feel good both physically and emotionally. Eating something that ultimately makes you feel guilty and bad about yourself is NOT a good food choice. But on the flip side, when you decide you want that cookie or that brownie because you just wanted it and not because of how you were feeling, it tastes THAT much better.
Implement just one of these tips at a time, and if you’re looking for more support to overcome emotional eating for good, schedule your free call with me here.
