Although some people actually eat less in the face of strong emotions, if you're in emotional distress you may turn to impulsive or binge eating — you may rapidly eat whatever's convenient, without even enjoying it. In fact, your emotions may become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a sweet treat whenever you're angry or stressed without stopping to think about what you're doing.
Food also serves as a distraction. If you're worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.
Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you may also now bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel badly, and you overeat again.
I know this cycle all too well. In the last year and a half, I lost 60 lbs and then yo yo'ed gaining back those 60 and adding another 20 to them. There, I said it. It's out in the open. I'm embarrassed, ashamed and disgusted by that. I vowed to never be unhealthy and I went beyond that.
I wound up at my heaviest and laziest I've ever been.
Starting over is so hard. Personally, stepping onto that scale, and struggling to zip up fat clothes was my rock bottom. Being winded climbing the stairs was a wake up call. I don't have energy to play with my kid.
I'm at the point where I know I need to do something to just end this cycle once and for all. I can either accept the fact that this is my life, and deal with being big and get on with it. Or I do what's necessary to change.
Change is hard. It stinks. It's painful. Staying the same on the surface is easy, but it eventually will wear you down. I don't want to be in the same position, on the couch, living like this 5 years from now. Or a year from now. Or 6 months from now. Or next week. Not even tomorrow.
So first things first. I need to get the mindless, emotional eating under control.
1. Find a better way to deal with my emotions. Eating them away isn't going to make it better.
2. Surround myself with healthy opportunities and take them
3. Stop being a martyr.
4. Pamper myself
It's not just about eating healthy or exercising. That's actually the least of it. It's taking care of me across the board. When I hit the wall and my stress level gets to the max, I freeze. I tend to have this horrific back pain. I'm just constantly exhausted (is it because I'm not exercising, eating healthy? Or is this why I'm not making better choices?) and there's nothing in the tank.
So, starting today since there's no time like the present, I'm going to take Mayo Clinic's advice and work on this roller coaster ride and turn it from Great Adventure's El Toro to a kiddie coaster:
Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.
Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
Keep a food diary. 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 the connection between mood and food.
Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.
Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
Get enough sleep. If you're constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.
Seek therapy. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.
Here's to not being so emotional.
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