25/08/2018
HOW TO STOP EMOTIONAL EATING –“DIFFERENT WAYS”
1. Allow Yourself To Feel:
Stressful situations can lead you to block your true feelings by allowing yourself to eat comfort food. If you want to stop eating emotionally, you have to start by acknowledging your feelings. Sad, heartbroken, broken, anxious – whatever it is, allow yourself to feel the emotion. This way, over a period, you will be able to deal better with your emotions and the problem at hand instead of relying on food to feel better.
2. Accept Yourself:
Accepting yourself, however you are, will eliminate most of your problems. The more you deny yourself, the more agitated you will feel. This, in turn, leads to high levels of stress and depression. And when you are feeling low or anxious, you will turn to food to feel better and block your feelings. So, the second step is, be honest with yourself, and be ok being a little different from the others. It is more stressful to pretend to be someone else than being truly yourself. Deep, but true.
3. Are You Really Hungry?
You might take some time to understand and implement the above two points. In the meanwhile, when you feel hungry or suddenly crave for food, take thebroccoli test. To do this, just imagine broccoli and ask yourself if you are hungry. If you answer in the affirmative, you are truly hungry. If not, you are just craving some extra unwanted calories.
4. Recognize Your Triggers:
Most emotional eaters have specific triggers that make them crave for salty or sugary foods. Maintain a journal to identify your triggers. For example, you crave for food when you are watching a movie, working, post-breakup, bored, or had a bad day at work. Writing down what triggers your emotional eating helps you stop yourself from indulging in it.
5. Write Down Your Meal Plan:
The next thing you need to do is plan the next day’s meal. Any plan or goal will remain a wish unless you write it down. Once you write it down, it is ingrained in your brain, and you are more likely to follow the plan. Yes, this may take a few days to get accustomed to, but you will start following the meal plan for sure. When you plan your meal, you will know when to eat what and in what amounts. This will give your brain a cue when you cheat and consume extra calories.