If I had only eaten for hunger, I’d have never had a weight problem.  There are so many other reasons that we eat and overeat, the most obvious being emotions.  If you are an emotional eater, you probably eat in response to all strong emotions and boredom.  The truth is, eating can become the band-aid for everything if we allow it.  There are strategies that are known to curtail emotional eating and they work.  At one time, I was a classic chronic, compulsive, volume binger, and strong emotions would get me started every time.   These are strategies that have helped me.

The common triggers for emotional eating are: 1- Relationship conflicts 2-Work or other stressors 3-Fatigue 4-Financial pressures 5-Health problems  You can probably identify exactly which one is triggering you at any point in time.  Don’t let the stressor have that kind of control over your life.

Quite often specific emotions are linked to specific foods.  Food can also serve as a distraction from problems in that while you are eating, you may not think about what’s bothering you. The cause is irrelevant, the outcome is always the same… you feel bad and do it again to feel better, crazy, huh? Below are tips to help you get this under control.  Again, they work.  They worked for me.  People see me now and think that I never had a weight problem.  I was a size 22.  Now, I am a size 8, 5’6″, 140#. My waist measures 24 inches.  At one time, my waist was 43 inches.  Believe me, I had a problem.  David’s Way keeps me at a good weight and also makes me strong.  The fact that we don’t eat sugar keeps me from craving, so I don’t have that to deal with.  These tips are tools to use while you are getting emotional eating under control. [1]

1-Keep a food diary including your mood and why.

2-Have a hunger reality check. Is your stomach rumbling? If not, you are most likely not hungry.Give the craving time to pass.

3-Get support. Hey! We’re here!

4-Fight boredom. Find something that you like to do and get submersed in it.  Call a friend, blog, work out.  As Nike says, “Just Do It!”

5-REMOVE TEMPTATION! Get it out of the house and do not shop under the influence of strong emotions.

6-Don’t deprive yourself. Make sure to eat ENOUGH good healthy food.  If you don’t know how much you should eat, ask your doctor before all else, and research.  Soon we’ll be offering counseling to assist with some of these things, after you have gotten clearance from your doctor.

7-Snack healthy.  If you get hungry between meals, choose healthy foods like individual packages of nuts, plain fat free Greek yogurt flavored with Crystal Light, cheese sticks or apples.

8-Learn from setbacks.  If you have an episode of emotional eating, move on.  Figure out what caused it and correct your course the next time that comes up.  Focus on the positive changes that you have already made.

If you find your self unable to control compulsive eating over a long period of time, and it is affecting your health, it may be time to get professional help.  There are many people in American society right now who are dying from obesity.  Stop it now.  Take control and create the life that you want.  It’s a decision.  Make the right one today. ;-*

[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342