10 Tips for Controlling Emotional Eating

We wish it weren't this way, but most people find comfort in eating.  The theory is, if you deal with negative emotions then it will be easier to control your eating habits and keep your weight-loss goals on-track.

An article entitled Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating published by the Mayo Clinic says that emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Emotional eating often leads to eating too much, especially too much of high-calorie, sweet, fatty foods. It's a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. 

If you're already in a fairly healthy lifestyle, chances are you're not going to turn all of a sudden to unhealthy food for comfort.  But you may overindulge in healthy food or push the limits.

Triggers
Both major life events and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers may include:

• Unemployment
  
• Financial pressures
  
• Health problems
  
• Relationship conflicts
  
• Work (or stay-at-home) stress
  
• Child-rearing pressures
• Fatigue
  

Tips for overcoming emotional eating

1. Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.  Check out my ealier post on ways to relax, which will calm your mood so that you can make better, healthier decisions.
   
2. Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
   
3. Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between mood and food.
   
4. Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
   
5. Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
   
6. Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.
   
7. Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
   
8. Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with low-cal dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or try healthier versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
   
9. Learn from setbacks. If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that'll lead to better health.
10. Feel the emotion you're trying to suppress.  Consider what would happen if you didn't eat when you're, say, feeling sad. You may, even on a subconscious level, believe that you'd fall apart if you let the sadness in or never stop crying. Or you may think you just can't deal with your boredom. But give it a try once and see. Allow yourself to feel the boredom, sadness, or anxiety without using food to change the channel on what's happening in your life.

 (Credits to Mayo Clinic and US News)