What is it?
Emotional eating is when we eat food in response to emotion rather than because we are just hungry. That could be because we feel happy, sad, angry, depressed, bored or upset. Maybe we are experiencing stress at work, conflict with other family members, sleep deprivation, problems with our finances or we just have low self-esteem.
Experts say that 75% of overeating stems from emotion problems!
Is food your friend?
Hence, food becomes a friend rather than just fuel. It’s a temporary escape, a short term relief – we reach for that chocolate bar or tub of ice cream to improve or control our situation. These comfort foods are associated with pleasurable feelings that ease the negative emotions. Many people, of course, learn this in childhood: you had a bad day at school so your mum gave you a chocolate bar to compensate!
Identify what emotion triggers the habit?
Long-term, a particular emotion eventually becomes a trigger for the emotional eating habit and the excess calories we consume – leads to excess weight – often compounding emotional problems and low self-esteem. In addition, the kind of foods people often eat as a response to the emotion, are invariably unhealthy and addictive ones that contain high levels of fat, sugar and salt.
One of the main aspects of emotional eating is that we are often responding to situations that we can’t control such as: people, places, circumstances and cravings.
Homework
Start by writing a list of all the things you are trying to control and which of them you can and can’t control. For example: you can’t control other people but you can control your response. You can control your’e thoughts and actions. You have the power to be positive or negative and to control the words you speak. Maybe you could simply respond by doing something positive: go for a walk, call a friend or make a healthy food choice? These are the things we can control!
Tips to breaking the cycle
Tip 1: Identify the emotion that triggers the emotional eating. Write it down.
Keep a food diary with the daily intake of food you eat and how you feel.
Tip 2: Before you eat identify the emotion you are feeling? Are you in control or are your emotions in control?
Tip 3: Get support from others. Talk to friends and family and be honest about your feelings and cravings and get them to help.
Tip4: Battle boredom: go and do something positive that will enhance your mood.
Tip 5: Exercise regularly as this will boost your endorphins and hence your mood.
Tip 6: Get rid of tempting comfort foods. Have a fresh start and replace them with healthy foods like carrots, hummus, celery and cottage cheese.
Tip 7: Satisfy cravings healthily. Try figuring out a lower calorie version of your favourite foods.
Tip 8: Delay gratification – instead of giving in, do something else instead. Say, drink a glass of water and then wait 20 minutes to see if you still want the food.
Tip 9: Change what you say to yourself: say “I don’t eat that” rather than I “can’t eat that” which suggests you are being deprived. Say “I may eat that later” rather than “never. “
Tip 10: Have a positive and healthy reward: buy a new dress or top, invite a friend to a spa or buy a bike. Reward your weight loss with something other than food. Behaviours that are positively reinforced are more likely to succeed.
Tip 12: If you are sleep deprived its much more difficult to tame the emotions and resist those cravings. Most people need 7-9 hours sleep a night.
Tip 13: If you have failed and given in to the craving often we give up completely and over indulge and then feel guilty which may also be a trigger! However, remember if you have made 2 steps forward and only one back then that is still progress! Try and look at things rationally rather than emotionally.
Summary
Try and identify the negative emotion that triggers the response. A food diary is a good way to do this.
If it has become a habit, then think of a way you can change the response – go for a walk instead or eat something healthy. Think of the things you can rather than can’t control!
Don’t give up! Any progress – even if slow- is progress!
