Emotional Eating...

Sometimes the strongest longings for food happen when you're at your weakest point emotionally.

Many people turn to food for comfort — consciously or subconsciously — when they're facing a difficult problem or looking to keep themselves occupied. But emotional eating — eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and loneliness — can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Often, emotional eating leads to eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet, salty and fatty foods.

I was that emotional eater! I would go to food when I was happy, bored, anxious, sad, well you name the emotion, I was eating. I realized I was an emotional eater when my Dad was sick with cancer (he is a survivor:)). I ate and ate and ate some more! It felt good to eat and it took my mind off my Dad. I put on like 20lbs and then I lost it with some quick fad diet. A few years later one of my best friends died in a car accident and again I went to the fridge for comfort! Or should I say I went to Godiva Chocolate Truffle ice cream with raspberries and chocolate chunks!!! It felt good to get my mind of of the situation even if it was just for a minutes while I finished the tub of yummyness! But again I added another 20+ lbs to my body! That is when I knew I needed to find another way to deal with my emotions. Food was and is not my friend and I needed to stop going to it for comfort!

Well, yesterday, it was snowy and icy and I lost control of my car and wrecked it! Besides my eyes being swollen from crying all day,and my car being undrivable, I am fine. Normally in a situation like this I would have gone straight home to the fridge! Instead, I went to my 9:15 am class and worked out. Tears and all I worked out with so much adrenaline and it felt great! It was a great stress reliever, It took my mind off of the situation, and being around others made me feel so much better! I am so excited-- I now know that I can control my emotional eating and the exercise made me feel so much better than that tub of ice cream because their was not any guilt behind it!

So if you're prone to emotional eating, you can help yourself and take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.

To help stop emotional eating, try these suggestions:

* Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just an hour ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to pass.

* Know your triggers. For the next several days, 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 may see patterns emerge that reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.

* Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, come work out with me, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.

* Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.

* Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.

* Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast. Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.

* Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.

If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to 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 ensure better health trigger emotions that lead to overeating.