Do you know how to identify and overcome emotional eating? Do you ever find yourself eating for no reason? Do you have a tendency to eat even when you are not hungry? We don’t always eat just to satisfy hunger; we also turn to food for comfort, stress relief or even to reward ourselves.
While some people may take these negative things and channel them into some type of physical outlet like a hard work out or jogging, and others make find relief through meditation and family/friend support and encouragement, for many of us, it means turning to that bowl of ice cream or dessert after dinner – something that we feel will give us comfort to combat those stressors and/or situations.
Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. I am sure we all wish it were that simple. What is even worse is that after we have had that comfort food, we may even find ourselves still facing our stress, but with guilt added on for overeating or overindulging!
When you learn to recognize the triggers that cause you to turn to food for comfort and relief, this will be the first step to breaking free from the food cravings and compulsive overeating that in the past, has resulted in you sabotaging your diet. Identifying emotional eating can be a revelation for those who are overweight and have yet to pinpoint the root cause. However, comfort eating is relevant to everyone; even those who are otherwise healthy and diligent with their exercise, eating habits, and daily routines.
Are you an emotional eater?
- Do you eat more when you are feeling stressed?
- Do you eat when you are not hungry or when you are full?
- Do you regularly eat until you have stuffed yourself?
- Does food make you feel safe?
- Do you eat to make yourself feel better; to calm or soothe yourself if you are feeling bored, sad, mad, anxious, etc.?
- Do you feel like food is a good friend?
- Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?
Before you can break free from the cycle of emotional eating, you first need to learn how to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. Sounds easy doesn’t it, but it can be trickier than it sounds, especially if you are a person who uses food on a regular basis to deal with your feelings. Emotional hunger can be very powerful, so it is easy to mistake it for physical hunger. If you are prone to emotional eating, here are some tips to help you differentiate between physical and emotional eating.
Emotional hunger has sudden onset.
This type of hunger hits you in a split second and feels overwhelming; even urgent. On the other hand, physical hunger comes on more gradually. The urge to eat doesn’t demand instant satisfaction (unless you have not eaten for a very long time).
Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods.
When you are physically hungry, you feel like you can eat just about anything to satisfy that hunger, whereas emotional hunger craves fatty foods or sugary foods that provide an instant “rush.” You can actually feel as if you need that chocolaty dessert, or pizza, or bag of chips, and nothing else will satisfy you.
Emotional hunger causes you to eat mindlessly.
This is the type of eating where, before you know it, you have eaten the whole bag of potato chips or the entire carton of ice cream without even paying attention to what you are eating, or enjoying what you are eating. When this happens you are eating in response to emotions. When you are eating to satisfy physical hunger, you are usually more aware of what you are eating, and tend to enjoy it more.
Emotional hunger is not located in the stomach.
Do you experience those growling sounds in your stomach or a pang in your stomach? That’s physical hunger. If you feel your hunger is a craving you just cannot get out of your head, and you are focused on specific tastes, textures and smells, that is emotional hunger.
Emotional hunger can lead to regret or guilt.
If you are eating to satisfy physical hunger, it is unlikely that you will feel guilty afterwards — unless you have broken your diet for some other, non-emotional reason. Obviously, when you are satisfying physical hunger, you are eating to satisfy your physical needs and have no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. However, if you do feel guilty after you eat, check yourself. You probably were not eating for physical reasons but emotional ones.
If you think you are eating to distract yourself from your emotions, it is important to find an alternative outlet which is healthy for you. If, for example, you are bored, instead of reaching for that bag of candy, go for a walk or call your friends/family for a chat, or go for a visit. Why not go for a manicure or go to a move with your significant other? Steer yourself away from those emotions. Of course, physical exercise is a great outlet – not only will it help stay physically fit, but it does tend to get rid of the tension and stress. If you are eating due to stress, you should also consider outlets such as yoga, a regular massage, reading or mediation. With stress, it is most helpful to do something relaxing to relieve you of the stress.
Trying to live a healthier lifestyle and being more aware of things like emotional eating can be hard to do on your own. A health coach is a great resource if you want to transform your life for the better. I would love to help. Just reach out; hop on a free call with me by going to my Home Page at www.holistic-healthandwellness.com and when the “Schedule” button pops up, just type in your information. Remember this is a free, no obligation call to help you determine how best to handle your health needs.
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There is an intimate connection between our psychology and our lifestyle/food choices. You illuminated some important aspects of this connection. Awareness is key. Great post!