I love to get questions from my readers. I’m always happy to help, and if I don’t already know the answer, I’ll figure it out for you. There’s one question I get asked more than any other.
How do I stop emotional eating?
I have a lot of great information about this topic, so I’m going to write a series of posts over the next couple weeks to help you come up with some solutions if emotional eating is a problem for you.
If you’re using a map to get somewhere, it’s only helpful if you know where you’re starting from. The same holds true for figuring out the path to overcome emotional eating.
People eat for many different reasons. The first step in putting a stop to emotional eating is identifying your personal triggers. What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food?
For the next couple weeks I want you to observe your emotions and write things down. Anytime you feel like eating or drinking something that is unhealthy and not planned, stop and think about what might be triggering your craving.
Is it a certain location like on the couch watching TV in the evening? Do you have a friend who always wants to hit the drive through? Do you find yourself wanting to snack during an afternoon slump between lunch and dinner? Does a phone call from your mother send you searching for the nearest bag of Doritos? Or do you turn to a pint of ice cream when you’re feeling lonely?
Keep in mind that while most emotional eating is linked to unpleasant feelings, it can also be triggered by positive emotions, such as rewarding yourself for achieving a goal or celebrating a holiday or happy event.
Here are some of my triggers:
- Communication with my ex-husband
- Feeling like I haven’t lived up to someone’s expectations
- Social anxiety
- Fear of doing things outside of my comfort zone
- Mindless snacking while watching TV
- Friday date night (always revolves around food)
- Leaving late for work
Anytime you want to eat food when you’re not physically hungry, it’s an opportunity to learn something. Click to Tweet!
Your Assignment
For now, you don’t necessarily need to make any changes. Just observe and write down the trigger and the emotion you’re feeling. In a few days we’ll talk about ways to handle those triggers. Promise me you won’t skip this discovery part of the process. It’s really helpful and important. You can either track this in a notebook, on a phone app like Color Note, or download this Emotional Eating Tracker and put it in your Fitness Journal.
Join the Conversation
Do you feel like you’re an emotional eater? Do you know what your triggers are?
Image courtesy of Ambro | freedigitalphotos.net
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I’m less of an emotional eater now than I have been in the past but it takes concerted effort. I will immediately turn to eating my feelings if I’m not careful. Great info Kim!
That’s great tracker! I know I do it, more especially out of boredom when the kids are not around. Like a totally needless activity. When I could just go for a nice quiet walk!
I never even realized I was an emotional eater until I started trying to take control of my health and lose some weight. The past two years have been VERY enlightening in this regard! AKA holy macaroni I emotionally eat a lot!!! I look forward to seeing the rest of this series for sure, because I know I don’t have the answers quite yet.
I love this post! There are so many reasons why people emotionally eat, and the first step is realizing that they actually do it and what the triggers are. So smart of you to start from the very beginning. I can’t wait to see the rest of the series.
I do a lot less emotional eating than I used to as well. It was horrible when I was a teenager. I do have a bad habit of wanting really bad, crappy food if I wait too long to eat and I’m “starving”.
Great idea! Thanks for the download and I will put it to good use.
I definitely have my moments but it seems I usually eat out of boredom. If I stay busy, my eating habits are usually pretty good but I’m being lazy…hide those potato chips!
Your blog is very helpful, I have to say I don’t have emotional eating I’m just the opposite I don’t eat when I upset.
I am such an emotional eater! It’s really not even funny. Thanks for sharing this printable with us, I love it!
Shauna @ The Best Blog Recipes
I didn’t used to think I was an emotional eater, but as I become more aware, I notice that when I’m frustrated or upset, I definitely do start to turn to comfort foods. Definitely need to watch that.
This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!!!
I am so glad I found your site. And yes I am an emotional eater. And then I get stressed out about the fact that I emotionally ate. It’s a vicious cycle. Looking forward to more posts on this topics! <3
You’re starting this series right at the same time I’m going to be writing about my road to stopping this horrible emotional eating cycle. I am struggling big time with this issue. So, I’m glad that you started this.
Great! I hope you follow along. I’ve got some really helpful tips coming in future posts.
where can i download the emotional eating tracker?
If you click on the tracker, you should be able to download it now. Sorry, I had a plugin that was interfering.