How Can I Stop Emotional Eating?

“I had a hard day, I deserve this ice cream.” “I’ll just eat anything I want this weekend and then start on Monday.” “I’ll throw away the fast food bags before I get home so one says anything to me.” “I ate all that pizza a lunch today, screw it, I”ll just eat what I want today and start again tomorrow.” 

Any of these sound familiar? These are just a few examples of the thoughts of emotional eaters. If any of these sound like you, you are not alone. Seventy percent of people report emotional eating as their #1 nutrition related challenge based on a survey of participants in Precision Nutrition Coaching. 

No doubt, emotional eating can totally derail your nutrition related goals. Mostly likely, most people know what they should be eating but those darn feelings get in the way.

What to do?

Did you know there are at least 7 forms of Emotional Eating Behavior? For some, just recognizing the emotional eating is about three quarters of the battle. Then finding some new coping skills for strong feelings can help turn the corner from emotional eating. For others, finding a professional counselor to help find other coping skills can help. Group programs or individual coaching or Nutritional Therapy can help, too. By focusing on the emotional eating first, then the nutritional changes can be permanent. 

Pain, Stress & Fatigue

The Top 3 Triggers for Emotional Eating

When the top 3 triggers to emotional eating (pain, stress, and fatigue) happen often, it can be super hard to stick to a diet plan. But chipping away of some of the physiological  causes can help. Some of these causes are: sleep issues, food cravings, hormone imbalances, blood sugar imbalances, headaches/migraines, mental health issues, digestive problems,and an inactive lifestyle. 

Personally, I have struggled with emotional eating my whole life. Food is such an easy coping mechanism. Over the years by working patiently on finding new ways of dealing with strong feelings and changing my physiological issues (blood sugar imbalance, hormone imbalance, digestive issues, and getting more active) has helped greatly.  I no longer berate myself for over eating. It is food freedom!

Tune into my Wellness Wednesday Webinar this week to learn more about the different types of emotional eating behavior and how to find a plan to stop them.

Here is the webinar. Enjoy!