How To Tell If You’re An Emotional Eater

So you’ve had a bad day and all you want to do is go home and drown your sorrows in a big tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, devour endless amounts of chocolate and feast on pizza….sound familiar?

….. then you may be wondering whether you’re an emotional eater. But how can you stop being an emotional eater if you’re not even sure if you are one?! Here’s how to tell…

Reward / Comfort

If you find that you more than often tend to indulge after a rough day, you’re probably using food as a distraction and comfort. You may also find that after a really great day, you often indulge too, meaning you’re using food as a reward.

Pressure

Do you find that the stress of a holiday or a big presentation at work or an upcoming assignment etc, can have you over indulging? This can be because high levels of stress increase the production of cortisol in our bodies which then leads to us craving foods rich in all the things we try to usually avoid or limit!

Quick Hunger Feelings

Emotional hunger usually feels different. If it appears out of nowhere and you suddenly feel ravenous, it’s probably not physical hunger and more than likely emotional hunger.

 

Sound like you? Well here’s how you can overcome emotional eating!

 

Take A Moment

Firstly, before instinctively running to the kitchen after recognizing your growling tummy, take a moment. Reflect on whether you are actually hungry or if you’re simply craving something specific. Chug down a glass of cold water and wait 30 minutes to see if the feeling subsides.

Substitute

If you are physically hungry then substitute what you crave with a healthier alternative such as popcorn, some sweet fruit or a light hot chocolate.

Alternatively, substitute your emotional hunger with a physical activity that will keep you busy and your mind occupied, whether that be a brisk walk to clear your mind, painting your nails or reading a book.

Keep A Diary

Now I’m not just on about a food diary, I mean a diary on how you feel and what triggers your emotional eating. Once you recognize this, you can start to deal with the bigger issue.

I hope this helps, any other tips you find helpful please comment below!