Are You An Emotional Eater Needing To Lose Weight?

Many of us eat when we become emotional because food comforts us. We go through a relationship breakup and we start to eat everything in the house. There are many reasons for emotional eating and many people do it. Men and women can suffer from emotional eating habits. In fact, experts claim that most of weight gain can be attributed to emotional eating. Statistics say that as much as 75% of our overeating habits are due connected to our emotions. Anxiety, depression and being bored are just some of the emotions that can trigger overeating.

Anxiety can trigger overeating it is an emotion that many of us experience on a daily basis. Anxiety can occur over a test at school, over a big project at work, or over something happening at home between parents. Lots of things in life are anxiety producing even happy things like weddings and impending births. Most people can see the dangers of turning to drugs or alcohol in response to anxiety but few think about the fact that turning to food when you are anxious can be dangerous too.

People who are depressed often overeat. They feel tired, hopeless or have lost interest in other activities so they fill the time with eating. Depression can lead to weight gain. It is a vicious cycle…we are depressed so we eat, eating makes us gain weight and the weight gain makes us further depressed so we eat some more.

People who are bored also overeat because they have nothing better to do. Many people eat while watching TV or while sitting in front of the computer surfing the net. Most of these “grazers” who eat while doing other activities are eating foods that are high in fat or sugar instead of eating nutritious foods.

So how do you recognize if you are an emotional eater?

Can you say yes to any of these questions?

Do you eat when you are not hungry?

Do you eat when you are worried?

Do you eat when you are scared?

Do you eat when you are sad?

Does eating make you feel better?

Are you spending more of your time eating than doing other activities?

Does your day revolve around what you will be eating next?

Do you usually eat after feeling disappointed about something?

In a crisis do you turn to food?

Is food becoming your best friend?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be an emotional eater.

The next step after identifying the fact that you are an emotional eater is to learn how to correct your eating behavior that is connected to your emotions. Diversion is a good method for correcting this type of eating behavior. When you recognize emotional eating stops yourself and find another physical activity such as going for a walk, bike ride, and swim or go dancing. You can also do a hobby such as sewing every time the bag of potato chips calls your name. After doing this diversion type activity for two weeks you should find urges to eat after becoming emotional subsiding.

Another method to stop emotional eating is to identify the “triggers” for your emotional eating or the time of day that you usually do this type of eating and devise plans to debunk this type of eating. If you eat in front of the TV place a deck of cards to play in front of the TV, or use sugarless gum instead.

Develop a support network of family and friends who can help you to stay busy during times of stress or anxiety.

If you anxiety or depression continues seek immediate help from a psychotherapist where you can learn coping mechanisms. When your anxiety or depression is manageable your eating patterns will go back to healthy eating if you take the steps to do so.