Emotional eating is not related to either hunger or food but is rather a way to cope with emotional stress, tension, pressure etc. When a person is stressed or affected by daily life hassles, he/she tends to indulge in overeating which is commonly termed as emotional eating. Emotional eating is defined by episodes of binge eating and uncontrolled eating even if the person is not feeling hungry. It is mostly followed by guilt because of the excessive eating. Not all emotional eaters become overweight but most of them are and hence one must try and control emotional eating. Here are a few tips to control this occurrence:
Figure out what triggers emotional eating
Keep a check on what you eat, how much you eat and at what times you tend to take your meals. Also try and find out why you eat. This means finding out whether you eat out of hunger or just to divert your mind from other stressful things. This will help you identify what triggers you to binge eat.
Understand why you feel hungry
The difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger is that emotional hunger comes quickly and unexpected while physical hunger comes slowly. Try and find out whether your stomach feels empty or whether the feeling of hunger subsides quickly or not.
Find out ways to take care of yourself
What is important for you is to understand that your emotional feeds can be fed in other ways than food. You must find out a way to keep yourself happy and pampered. Figure out your favorite pastimes and engage yourself in them.
Stop eating junk food
Make sure that you don’t have junk food stocked at home and replace it with healthier foods like fruits; vegetables etc. do so to ensure that at the time when you feel hungry, you pick up a healthy item to eat and not something which would add up unwanted calories.
Don’t stop eating completely
Don’t stop eating if you think that you have indulged in binge eating sessions to overcome the guilt. Rather switch to a balanced and nutrient rich diet. Include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet plan and replace other snacks with nuts or fried fruits.
Be healthy
Make sure that everything you do leads to a good health. Sleep on time and wake up on time as well. Make sure you get enough sleep and proper vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Make an exercise routine and think positive thoughts.
