EMOTIONAL EATING

Emotional Eating: We all do it.....

We all do this many a times….. Just don’t realize it. We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. We also turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. It usually makes you feel worse. Afterward, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for overeating. Learning to recognize your emotional eating triggers is the first step to breaking free from food cravings and compulsive overeating, and changing the habits that have sabotaged your diets in the past.

What is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is a fairly common phenomenon in which food is used as a tool for dealing with strong emotions. The emotional eater is generally unaware of how his/her emotions are impacting food intake.

Are you an emotional eater?

• Do you eat more when you’re feeling stressed?
• Do you eat when you’re not hungry or when you’re full?
• Do you eat to feel better (to calm and soothe yourself when you’re sad, mad, bored, anxious, etc.)?
• Do you reward yourself with food?
• Do you regularly eat until you’ve stuffed yourself?
• Does food make you feel safe? Do you feel like food is a friend?
• Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?

What can I do to Stop Emotional Eating?

The first step is to try to figure out what specific emotions spur you on to eat more. Keeping a detailed food record, including what you were feeling every time that you eat, is a good first step. Once you know what’s causing you to overeat, it’s easier to figure out what you need to take the place of food.

How Can I Identify Eating Triggers? Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories:

• Social: Eating when around other people. (For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people).
• Emotional: Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."
• Situational: Eating because the opportunity is there. (For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery). Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies, a sporting event, etc.
• Thoughts: Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. (For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of willpower).
• Physiological: Eating in response to physical cues. (For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain).
• Childhood habits: Think back to your childhood memories of food. Did your parents reward good behavior with ice cream, take you out for pizza when you got a good report card, or serve you sweets when you were feeling sad? These emotionally-based childhood eating habits often carry over into adulthood. Or perhaps some of your eating is driven by nostalgia—for cherishes memories of grilling burgers in the backyard with your dad, baking and eating cookies with your mom, or gathering around the table with your extended family for a home-cooked pasta dinner.

How Do I Break Myself of the Habit?

Identifying eating triggers is the first step; however, this alone is not sufficient to alter eating behavior. Usually, by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a habit. Now you have to break that habit!

Developing alternatives to eating is the second step. When you start to reach for food in response to a trigger, try one of the following activities instead:

• Talk to a friend
• Go for a walk or jog
• Go shopping
• Read a good book or magazine or listen to music
• Drink a glass of water
• Do deep breathing exercises
• Play cards or a board game
• Do housework, laundry or yard work
• Wash the car
• Write a letter
• Take a bubble bath