Mental Awareness, Emotional Eating & Weight Loss

5 Signs That You Have an Emotional Relationship with Food

1. You NEED to eat a very specific food

When something comes up in your life that causes uncertainty, fear, or lack of control, we often turn to food to help ground us and to feel comfortable. We turn to very specific foods that will bring us comfort, knowing we can be certain of one thing when all else seems out of control.

2. You keep eating after you’ve eaten a meal

When we emotionally eat, we are often using food as a placeholder for something else in our lives. Whether we are lonely, disconnected spiritually, or searching for our purpose in life, food can temporarily take the place of what’s missing. If you feel like you can never get full from a meal, you may be using food to fill up the areas in your life that yearn for something greater.

3. You eat fast

When we emotionally eat, we will often take our attention off the eating process and “numb out” during our meal. It’s uncomfortable for us to address certain stressors in our lives so the body turns to a very easy and comforting distraction — food. When turning to food for a distraction, the last thing the mind wants to do is pay attention to the very thing that is helping take our minds off that stress.

4. You eat immediately after an emotional event

If the first thing you want to do is eat after you’ve gone through an emotional event, be it positive or negative, chances are you’re emotionally eating. Whether you’re celebrating a promotion or grieving the loss of a loved one, your body will try to come back down to earth by turning to food. Food literally grounds us when we experience intense emotions.

5. You feel guilty about eating

After we emotionally eat, both the brain and the body are aware of what just happened, even if you don’t know what the trigger was. Feeling guilt or shame after you’ve eaten a meal is a red flag that you’re emotionally eating.

How do you get back on track?

When negative emotions threaten to trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:

• 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 might see patterns that reveal the connection between mood and food

• 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 hungry. Give the craving time to pass.

• 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 hungry, distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. 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 hard-to-resist comfort foods in your home. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you have your emotions in check.

• Don’t deprive yourself. When trying to lose weight, you might limit calories too much, eat the same foods repeatedly and banish treats. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Eat satisfying amounts of healthier foods, enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.

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