We can all say we get a little too emotional sometimes. We cry for no reason, laugh for reason and ultimately search for comfort in food. In my opinion this is the first obstacle one must overcome in order to be able to begin their weight loss journey. The main reason I refer to weight loss as a “journey” is because for some people it is a long road of lows, highs and many twists and turns. The Web defines emotional eating as “eating for reasons other than hunger”. “Instead of the physical symptom of hunger initiating the eating, an emotion triggers the eating. Through my experience with losing weight I put up a hard tough fight with emotional eating in the beginning of my journey. I mean come on, who doesn’t love to eat? Without being able to put the emotions aside, you will be in a forever battle with your weight.
There are several differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger, according to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center web site:
1. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually.
2. When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options.
3. Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait.
4. Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full.
5. Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not.
I have in my personal experiences dealt with emotional eating and I hope this information can help you break the cycle. Training myself to eat only when I was hungry and not just eating to “taste” food took me awhile. I had to teach myself to eat to fuel my body and not because I enjoyed the way chocolate melted in my mouth. I am a firm believer that everything is allowed within moderation. Growing up in an Italian family I always believed that I had to clean my plate dry. As I lost weight I realized how to recognize when I was truly hungry, when my body has had enough food and how to separate my emotions from food.
Managing Emotional Eating
Here are a few tips to help you deal with emotional eating from the Tufts Nutrition website:
- Recognize emotional eating and learn what triggers this behavior in you.
- Make a list of things to do when you get the urge to eat and you're not hungry, and carry it with you, according to the Tufts Nutrition web site. When you feel overwhelmed, you can put off that desire by doing another enjoyable activity.
- Try taking a walk, calling a friend, playing cards, cleaning your room, doing laundry, or something productive to take your mind off the craving -- even taking a nap, according to the Tufts Nutrition web site.
- When you do get the urge to eat when you're not hungry, find a comfort food that's healthy instead of junk food. "Comfort foods don't need to be unhealthy,”
- For some, leaving comfort foods behind when they're dieting can be emotionally difficult. "The key is moderation, not elimination." One suggestion is to divide comfort foods into smaller portions. For instance, if you have a large bag of chips, divide it into smaller containers or baggies and the temptation to eat more than one serving can be avoided.
- When it comes to comfort foods that aren't always healthy, like fattening desserts, "Your memory of a food peaks after about four bites, so if you only have those bites, a week later you'll recall it as just a good experience than if you polished off the whole thing." So have a few bites of cheesecake, then call it quits, and you'll get equal the pleasure with lower cost.
In addition, I hope that this article gives you some practical options to help combat destructive emotional eating habits, not least of which is seeking professional from a registered psychologist if necessary to become a happier, healthier you.
Disclaimer: I am neither a Registered Dietician nor a Doctor. I am only providing insight and advice from my own personal experiences.
