Emotional eating, also called stress or comfort eating, is a powerful urge that people often times use as a crutch to deal with their emotions and stress. If you have used this method to ease your stress for the majority of your life then chances are that it will take more then just sheer willpower for you to stop that habit now. It is going to take the conscious effort of you knowing when you are doing it, why you are doing it, and the ways that you plan on changing that pattern of behavior.
Signs that you are eating emotionally
There are many instances in which people tend to eat with their emotions in mind instead of their actual stomachs. They may start to feel things such as anger, sadness, loneliness, disgust, bored, or more often stressed. The following are a few ways to determine if you are one of those people.
- You crave a specific food and have to have it right away and will even go out of your way to get it.
- You find yourself eating after an emotional or stressful event and are not necessarily hungry.
- You start to eat unconsciously where you may intend to only eat a little of something and suddenly you find you’ve eaten the whole thing.
- You find yourself constantly thinking about food even when you are not hungry to compensate for the emotions you are feeling.
- You don’t stop eating even when you are full and eat to the point of being stuffed.
- After you have eaten past your hunger point you then regret it and feel guilty for eating that much.
What you can do to change your emotional eating habits
There are many things that you can use as an alternative outlet when you feel like eating to soothe your emotions or ease your stress.
- Find a hobby- Channel your need to eat for the wrong reasons into a hobby or goal that you want to accomplish. The more time you spend focusing on your hobby or goal, the less time you have to think about that snack you want to reach for.
- Start a food journal- This is especially good for those who are trying to lose weight because it helps to hold yourself accountable for what you are eating. If you have to stare at the foods that you know you only ate to make yourself feel better, you may be less inclined to pick them up in the first place.
- Go to the gym- Every time you are feeling stressed or depressed, go straight to the gym and use exercise as your comforting crutch. This not only helps you make a detour around the bad snack foods but it goes towards the efforts of staying healthy and perhaps losing any unwanted pounds.
- The Three-Food Interference Method- If you decide to indulge in the snack that you want then make a commitment to yourself that before you reach for the snack item, you will eat three healthy snack choices first. These could be any healthy snack like an apple, a handful of baby carrots, some mixed nuts, a banana, or yogurt. If you still feel hungry for the snack item you originally wanted then you can allow yourself to indulge but chances are you will no longer be hungry for that snack after you’ve had the other three healthier ones.
- Go to Sleep- If you get the urge to eat for no logical reason and you're telling yourself that you are hungry, instead of reaching for that snack, go to sleep instead. If you are sleeping then you can't think about the food that you want.
Emotional and stress eating is not the way to deal with your problems. Food should not be used as a coping mechanism. It can only lead to more serious health issues such as obesity and all of the problems that come along with it. Be smart with your eating choices and replace that habit with more productive and conducive ones.
References
Owen-Thursfield, Susan “ Emotional eating Help for Habitual Stress Eaters ” (accessed on March 15, 2011)
Bauer, Joy “Are You an Emotional Eater?” (accessed on March 16, 2011)
Healthkicker.com “4 Ways to Avoid Your Next Emotional Eating Binge” (accessed on March 16, 2011)
Goherbalremedies.com “How to Cure Emotional Eating Syndrome” (accessed on March 15, 2011)
Jimmetta Carpenter - My name is Jimmetta Carpenter and I am a writer. I was born and raised in the Washington DC metropolitan area and have had a very big ...
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