A major component of weight gain is comfort eating; that is, eating for emotional fulfillment of some sort. That emotional fulfillment may be to “erase” a bad day at home or at the office, to “celebrate” something good that has happened, to “ease” loneliness, to inadvertently “get back” at someone who has called you names, etc. Emotional eating is not always the reason people are overweight, but it is certainly true for a high percentage of individuals.
Are you an emotional eater?
1.Do you frequently “celebrate” with food?
2.Do you find yourself raiding the refrigerator after a stressful day?
3.Do you eat alone?
4.Does a large “comfort food” meal make you feel better? Do you seek these meals when you’re feeling “down?”
5.Do you eat even when you’re not hungry?
If you answered, “yes” to these questions, you’re likely an emotional eater. It’s difficult to train our minds and our bodies to eat for nourishment rather than for emotional purposes.
Breaking the emotional eating cycle is not easy. As a parent of little ones, I often grab a bowl of crackers when my kids are having their snack, simply because they are there. If I’ve had a rough day, I’ll likely cook a comfort meal full of starchy goodness, and I’ll likely eat way too much of it. To break the cycle takes more than willpower—it takes a new set of rules.
Set up some eating boundaries for yourself. For instance, start eating fruit or veggies as your snack instead of crackers. Or, any time you feel like snacking, drink a glass of water. Make small changes that work for you. Soon, you’ll find yourself starting to shed pounds.
Emotional eating is part of American culture. By changing a few small habits and recognizing your “trigger” eating times, you can start to lose weight.