How To Recognize And Face Emotional Eating

245.3 pounds, - 0.4 pounds today, - 87.7 pounds overall, 12.3 pounds from my goal of losing 100 pounds.

I know that I am an emotional eater. Food has been part of my celebrations, it comforts me when I feel anxious or sad, and it fills the gaps when I’m bored. Emotional eating has been a struggle for me, and it’s something I’m working to resolve.

So what can be done to stop emotional eating?

While I don’t do this as often as I should, I’ve learned to pause before I eat and ask myself, “Am I physically hungry or emotionally uncomfortable?” That simple question helps me slow down and get honest with myself.

When I realize that I’m wanting to eat because of emotions rather than hunger, I try to focus on the feeling instead of the food. Acknowledging what I’m feeling is very important, and then I focus on the reality that I'm not physically hungry, I"m just emotionally hungry, and I don't need to eat. I try to occupy my mind with something else, like a task or physical activity, and before long I'm no longer going down the road to eating my feelings.

This doesn’t always happen easily because old habits die hard, but recognizing the problem while it’s happening is half the battle. Every time I pause instead of react, I take a small step toward freedom from emotional eating, and that’s real progress.

P. S. Have you found any strategies that help you deal with emotional eating? Hit reply and let me know. Your story might help someone else who’s working through the same struggle.