Emotional eating is when someone eats to manage their emotions or as a way to deal with stressful situations. Like gambling or substance abuse, emotional eating is a difficult habit to break. Because emotions fluctuate daily and emotional eating is affected by that fluctuation, it becomes a part of a daily routine just like brushing your teeth or making your bed. If you are an emotional eater, there are steps you can take to reduce or eliminate this behavior.
Step 1
Purchase a small notebook, and start a food diary immediately. Keep track of when you eat, what you eat and how you feel before you eat it.
Step 2
Reflect on the day's entry. Identify trends in your eating. What types of foods are you eating normally, and when are you eating? For instance, if you notice that you often start the day feeling anxious or stressed and then eat donuts or pastries for breakfast, make a conscious effort to eat fruit or whole grains. Try to pay closer attention to your mood and eating habits in the morning.
Step 3
Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with healthier options; having access to unhealthy food options fuels emotional eating.
Step 4
Plan your meals and make grocery lists in advance of going to the grocery store. This will help to keep you from making unhealthy choices.
Step 5
Consider a food replacement technique. When assessing your food intake, try to replace an unhealthy food or eating time with a healthy food or activity. For instance, if you are prone to eating ice cream or desserts after 9 p.m., try snacking on fruit instead. If you find that you are eating as soon as you get home from a long day at work and still eating dinner, try exercising as soon as you get home before having dinner.
Tips and Warnings
- Find support where you can from friends, family or even a support group (see References).
- This is not an easy process. Finding people that can support you and relate to your challenges is a great resource for getting over emotional eating.
Things You'll Need
- Notebook
