HOW TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL EATING
Do you find yourself eating when you are not hungry? Do you feel like you can not stop snacking when you are sad or anxious? Do you feel like the pantry is always calling your name?
Yes, yes and yes! I am here to tell you that is ok! I am not here to make you feel guilty for acting on these emotions. Life is uncertain and stressful enough right now. The last thing we all need is someone judging our behaviour.
Over the past 11 months (yes we are approaching one year of this pandemic 😩), I have had multiple conversations with people about eating and in particular emotional eating. If you struggle with emotional eating, please know you are not alone. Food is emotional and not always eaten in response to negative emotions. We eat for many other celebratory reasons like birthdays, anniversaries or dinners out with friends. Most of the time, emotional eating is not a problem. There is nothing wrong with occasionally wanting to distract yourself from your emotions. However, if you find you are using food as a way to distract yourself from negative emotions on a regular basis, this might be your cue to seek help to deal with your emotions in a more beneficial way.
Here are some ways to deal with emotional eating:
Determine the difference between true hunger and emotional hunger
True hunger is what we feel on a daily basis. It generally comes on slowly and will be satisfied by eating. Emotional hunger often appears in response to a feeling or difficult situation and is usually not solved by eating. With emotional eating, even if you are full but are upset by a negative emotion, you may still eat.
Accept that emotional eating is not all bad
As I mentioned above, emotional eating is not all bad. Food is emotional. Many of my favourite memories involve food with loved ones. It is normal to have emotions where food is involved. Food is a way of showing love.
However, if the only way you deal with your emotions is to eat, it may be time to re-evaluate how you deal with difficult emotions. It is important to have other tools in your toolbox to deal with negative emotions other than eating.
Stop Restricting
If you are stuck in the cycle of restricting and overeating, it is possible that the foods you are restricting are the ones that you are emotionally eating. The act of restricting foods (especially foods that you love) will make you crave these foods so much that you may feel like you can’t control yourself when you are around them.
Please understand that this is your bodies normal response to restricting foods. I will not go into detail here, but trust me when I tell you restriction more often than not leads to overeating or bingeing.
Sit with the Uncomfortable
Many people give the advice to try something else to avoid negative emotions such as having a cup or tea or eating fruits or vegetables. While they are trying to help, can we please think about someone who is about to eat emotionally - do you really think vegetables will cut it?
This can be very challenging, especially if you were never taught how to express your feelings or to put your feelings into words. The next time you notice yourself thinking about eating when you’re not hungry, ask yourself:
What am I feeling?
Boredom
Sadness
Anxiety
Overwhelm
Frustration
You might find it helpful to journal exactly how you’re feeling. For some people (including me), getting things down on paper can really help organize your thoughts. It can also be good to read over what you write.
Ask yourself what you need
It may be asking your partner, friend, family or therapist for help. Sometimes you may not be able to express your feelings or needs to someone else or even want to in that moment. Some other ways to express your feelings could be:
Journaling
Crying (yes, you need to release these feelings. There is nothing like a good cry)
Meditating
Call a friend/therapist
Taking a walk
Having a bath
Dancing it out!
It is very important to build your coping toolbox. You might still use food to cope from time to time and that it ok. However, the bigger your toolbox becomes, the less important food will become in helping you cope, since you will have other resources to assist you.
Once you recognize that emotional eating has nothing to do with food itself and everything to do with unmet needs, you can start to become more aware of your needs and how to start meeting them without food.
I am here to help you to cope with your emotions with compassion and in ways other than food. Food should not be the only mechanism you use to deal with negative emotions, nor should it be a source of guilt or stress. It is time to take better care of your mind, body, & spirit in sustainable and effective ways.
Emotional eating is a huge topic and I have only touched the surface here. If you struggling, please reach out and ask for help. I am always here. However, if you think it is a larger problem, please seek help from a therapist.
