Overcoming Emotional Eating
Have you ever had an emotional upheaval in your life and suddenly found yourself, spoon in hand, consuming an entire half gallon of Rocky Road ice cream and muttering obscenities you didn’t even know you knew under your breath?
Ah, that has happened to all of us at one time or another…we get fired…our boy friend dumps us for a skinny blond chick…and out comes the spoon and the Rocky Road….right?
That is emotional eating.
If it only happens on rare occasions, it isn’t a problem. If it happens too often, it is a problem. Emotional eating can be a dangerous, perhaps a life-threatening, habit.
In addition to the medical consequences, the emotional and mental effects of emotional eating such as low self-esteem, obsession with weight, and depression are real possibilities.
So, is there anything that can be done to overcome emotional eating?
First you need to recognize that you are engaging in emotional eating. You have to see the problem before you can fix it.
Here are the questions you need to ask yourself:
·Do you have trouble maintaining your weight?
·Do you often find that you gain weight without knowing why?
·Do you feel that you cant control your eating?
·Do you often eat when you’re not hungry?
·Do you think about food a lot or are you obsessed with food?
·Are you ashamed of your eating habits?
·Do you avoid dealing with your feelings by eating?
·Do you reward yourself with food?
·To you binge eat or graze continuously throughout the day?
Once you recognize emotional eating for what it is, you can deal with it in a number of ways.
Before putting anything in your mouth, ask yourself:
·What do I need?
·What am I feeling right now?
·How do I feel physically (are your muscles knotted from stress? Does your stomach feel like its tied in knots? Do you have an empty feeling?)?
Before eating, drink a glass of water and ask yourself these questions again. Now ask yourself what you could do instead of eating – go for a walk, read a chapter in a book, do 15 minutes of yoga or other form of exercise, etc.