There’s so much more to eating than just eating when we are physically hungry. We could be feeling emotional (happy OR sad), stressed, bored, or “just because”. Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe emotions, which can disrupt your weight-loss efforts. We’ve all been there, BUT the satisfaction is only temporary and doesn’t ultimately solve the underlying issue.
Here are some tips to help curb emotional eating:
- Keep a food diary: Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you might see patterns that will reveal the connection between your mood and food.
- Tame your stress: If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique (e.g. yoga, meditation, deep breathing).
- Have a hugner reality check: Is your hunger physical or emotional? You’re probably not hungry if you just ate, so give the craving a time to pass.
- Get support: You’re more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family, friends, your dietitian, or a support group.
- Fight boredom: Instead of snacking when you’re not hungry, distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. Try taking a walk, watching a movie, listening to music, reading, or calling a friend.
- Take away temptation: Don’t keep hard-to-resist comfort foods in your home. If you have to go food shopping and you feel angry or sad, try to postpone your trip until your emotions are more under control.
- Don’t deprive yourself: You may restrict calories too much when trying to lose weight, which can lead to increase of food cravings, especilally in response to emotions. Eat satisfying amounts of healthier foods, enjoy an occasional treat, and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
- Snack healthy: If you need a snack between a meal, choose a snack that includes protein and fiber (e.g. fresh fruit with nuts, vegetables with guacamole or hummus, popcorn, yougurt with a sprinkle of granola).
- Learn from setbacks: If you ate emotionally, forgive yourself! It happens: we aren’t meant to be perfect. Avoid letting guilty feelings set in, learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that will lead to a healthier life.