How to Get Control on Emotional Eating for Weight Loss

Tips to Get Control on Emotional Eating for Weight Loss

Research done by the Mayo Clinic suggests that the strongest cravings for food can sometimes happen when you are at your weakest point emotionally. You can turn to food as a comfort food when you have a problem or you are stressed.

But if you are trying to lose weight emotional eating will take a toll on your diet as it usually leads to too much fatty and sweet foods and usually at night. If you are prone to emotional eating then you can take control again of your diet and get back on track using good eating habits.

Emotional eating is a way in which you suppress or soothe those negative emotions. This means you may overeat because you are lonely or depressed. You may eat because you are in financial crises. Your weight loss efforts can be interrupted during the hassles of everyday life can send a trigger for negative emotions.

Some of these triggers are as follows:

• Fatigue

• Unemployment

• Financial Pressures

• Relationship conflicts

• Health Problems

Some people may actually eat less during an emotional binge or you may eat very fast but the wrong thing. Whether you enjoy it or not you will rat because it is convenient. You can fine tune your emotions to where your emotions show up when you are stressed or angry and you not even realize they are there till it’s too late.

Food can also be a distraction. If you are worried about something it is normal for you to turn to comfort food to help you relax.

Whether you eat or don’t eat usually the end result is the same and you end up emotionally eating and not dealing with your problems. Now the guilt returns and you eat more and feel guiltier. And so the vicious cycle goes. You overeat from your emotions, you criticize yourself for getting off track, you feel bad and you overeat again.

Tips to keep your weight loss records on track:

• Get a food diary and keep a list of the things you eat. Not something but everything that goes in your mouth should be written down

• Get your stress under control

• Have a reality check with your hunger

• Fight Boredom instead of eating it

• Get support – talk to a friend or family member

• Take away temptation – don’t buy it-don’t bring it home—don’t eat it

• Have healthy diet plan and snacks ready at home

• Learn from setbacks – If you go off the wagon forgive yourself and get back on the next day

• Don’t deprive yourself you will just eat more Emotional eating can also become habit forming. You can eat without warning thinking about what you are doing. You need to take control of your eating habits and when you are most likely to overeat make sure you have the right fruits and vegetables in the house and not a bunch of candy and ice cream.

If you want to snack between meals get a low fat low calorie snack such as a yogurt, a piece of fresh fruit or unbuttered popcorn. Also pat yourself on the back when you make positive changes in your diet.

If you have followed all these tips and still can’t get control over your eating habits then you may need professional help. Going to therapy can help you learn new coping skills and understand the emotions behind your emotional eating. You can also take a closer look at yourself and see if you have an eating disorder which can be connected to an eating disorder.

There is not a diet made that is easy to follow. Some of them are easier than others but all of them take will power and patience. If you are fortunate to have will power then you are one of the lucky ones. This is when you need to dig deep inside and find out what you are made out of.