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5 Ways to Curb Emotional Eating

If we have a weight problem, chances are we are not using food as simply a way to nourish and fuel our bodies. Many of us turn to food in times of sadness, stress, boredom, or even in times of celebration. Becoming more mindful of when and how we use food to cope will help us to take a step towards better health physically and emotionally. Winning the battle against emotional eating cannot be done overnight. It usually takes months of hard work and practice and may even require the help of a trained professional to guide you through the process. Here are some tips to get you started:

  1. Recognize triggers. Become aware of what emotional eating looks like for you. If it is happening all the time, try starting with the most damaging scenarios. Pay attention to how you are feeling, what you tend to eat, what is going on in the environment, and when it tends to occur. You will be much better prepared to intervene if you can start to predict when emotional eating is worst for you.
  2. Dial down your stress! Start some strategies for reducing your overall stress level. Begin taking better care of yourself emotionally. Find something that will help you to relax aside from food. It may be reading a good book, talking to a friend, taking a walk, or a bubble bath. Choose a strategy and make it a priority to do it for 10 minutes each day. If your overall stress level is lower, you may be better able to deal when life throws something your way.
  3. Tune up. For most of us, one of the reasons that we tend to use food to cope is that we are not really in tune with our feelings. If we can start to pay more attention to our emotions, we will be better prepared to choose another coping skill in times of stress. Start by picking three times a day to "check-in" with yourself. For example, at 8am, 2pm, and 10pm I am going to stop and take a few minutes to ask myself, "How am I feeling in this moment." This type of exercise takes practice, but can really pay off in the long-run.
  4. Develop a plan. When we use food as a coping skill, it is usually temporary. Once the initial distraction is gone, we often end up feeling even worse. The original problem usually still exists only now it is coupled with feelings of remorse or guilt because of the food that we have eaten. Once you know your triggers, develop a plan for what you will do the next time it comes up. For example, you may be triggered by the stressful management meetings on Thursdays and find yourself in the drive-thru after work each week. This Thursday plan ahead. Find a way to de-stress before your drive home or do so in the car. Listen to your favorite music, find a relaxation CD, and most importantly process your stress. Literally tell yourself that you are feeling stress from work and eating will not help to solve the problems.
  5. Damage control. Another problem with emotional eating is that sometimes we truly are hungry AND experiencing stress at the same time. This is a bad combination! Make a plan for what you will eat if you are feeling the need to use food to cope. Try to work on this gradually by making your choice a little healthier each time. I doubt anyone will be able to go from eating potato chips to celery sticks, but having a plan for lessening the damage is a start.

Emotional eating is a part of almost everyone's life, but especially those who have a serious weight problem. It is often the hardest part about losing weight, but can be improved over time with hard work. Hopefully these tips will help you to get started, but if you find you are really struggling with this, there are counselors that can help you to learn to process your emotions and work on coping skills.