5 strategies to stop emotionally eating
The number one reason for emotional eating is to SEEK COMFORT. This is often in response to stress, sadness, boredom or other emotions. The comfort is sought from calories — after all, calories are our life source that gives us energy. Unfortunately, eating led by emotions often leads to overconsumption, especially with processed, highly palatable foods that are high in sugar and butter with desirable textures. Emotional eating isn’t about the food being addictive, but rather about the psychological attachment to it.
Food itself is not addictive! Despite what you may have heard on the internet, sugar is not addictive in the sense like caffeine can be. People who drink caffeine everyday, and stop cold turkey go through real physical symptoms of withdrawals and cravings. Caffeine dependence is real. There is no such physical symptom of withdrawal when cutting out sugar, butter or any processed snacks. What is likely happening is the emotional and psychological attachment to that food has a stronghold on your mind.
How to break your mental/emotional attachment to food
The first step is awareness. Admit to yourself out loud that you have an emotional attachment to whatever your favorite comfort food is. Maybe it’s certain snacks or maybe it’s food in general. Be honest here. The previous blog gives you specific steps on how to make a plan. Check it out here, before we continue on to the 5 different strategies you can implement.
5 strategies to STOP emotionally eating:
Don’t Keep Trigger Foods at Home: Avoid buying the snacks you typically crave when your emotional. If they’re not in your house, you won’t be tempted to indulge in them during moments of stress or sadness. Also, avoid grocery shopping when hungry to prevent impulse purchases of unhealthy foods.
Use Visual Cues to Pause the Emotional Eating Process: Place signs or sticky notes in your kitchen, fridge, cabinets, or car. The more signs your encounter before choosing to binge eat the better. The signs can ask yourself “why am I going to eat?” “do I need these calories?” “am I gonna feel guilty after?” “How is eating this going help my goals?” These visual reminders will prompt you to reflect on your emotional triggers before mindlessly snacking.
Meal Prep Healthful Options: Sometimes even deciding what to eat can be stressful and can backfire into ordering unhealthy options. Meal prepping will save you the stress of making a decision and will already have your portions decided as well.
Keep a Food Journal: It can be as simple as on the notes app in your phone. Simply log what exactly you eat throughout the day and how it affects your energy levels, mood and if it supported your goals. The key is to be honest in what you eat and be consistent. The power is in seeing accurately what your habits and outcomes are. You may be surprised with how much you THINK you eat in a week versus how much you ACTUALLY eat. Here’s an example you can copy and paste:
Mon. MO/DA/YR
Meal 1:
Energy: 1-10/10, note how productive you were able to be after, did you get the itis?
Mood: 1-10/10, note how it made you feel
How did this support my goals? It didn’t or how it did
**Continue for how many meals you have in the day, including snacks! At the minimum, stay consistent for one whole week, logging it everyday. If you are serious, this will reveal the reality of “you are what you eat” and provide insight on specific areas where to make changes!
Support your goals with other activities! Having another activity that support your goals will motivate you to keep progressing! This can be choosing other coping mechanisms instead of food, such as journaling, meditation or therapy, that way you’re able to release your emotional stress and triggers without binging. Exercising or playing sports also releases stress from your body. Find whatever works for you!
Conclusion
Consistency is key when breaking the habit of emotional eating. Pick one strategy that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle and commit to it. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once — choose the method that resonates most with you and stick to it. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach Coach Dee, a certified health and personal trainer, by clicking here.
