My Body Tutor : No More Excuses

I could easily make an argument that emotional eating is the #1 reason people are overweight.

Right? If we only ate when we were physically hungry, we wouldn’t overeat!

Of course, recognizing that you’re an emotional eater is the first step, however, that only makes it slightly easier to overcome.

Getting into your desired shape is about 3 things: Eating right. Exercising. And doing those two things consistently.

It sounds so easy on paper. Just like anything, really.

But our emotions get the best of us. After all, we’re humans. Not robots.

Emotional eating boils down to this:

Eating to change the way you feel.

So, if you’re eating when you aren’t physically hungry, or are eating to suppress a feeling (maybe you’re anxious or upset or angry or even happy), you’re eating because your emotions are talking. And you’re using food to cope with these emotions.

How do you tell if you’re emotionally eating?

Well, real hunger doesn’t come on suddenly. It’s gradual.

Emotional hunger is sudden. “Oh I feel like a piece of this…”

Remember: Feeling like eating is very different from being hungry.

Here’s the game plan:

From now on, instead of eating – email me. Tell me exactly what you’re feeling. Why do you want to eat? Why do you want to suppress those feelings?

And even better, what action can you take (besides eating or drinking) to get rid of those feelings?

For example, if you’re boss is on top of you like brown on brown rice, instead of feeling deeply frustrated, what if you spoke to him/her?

Even just writing out how you feel will help so much!

Identifying why you want to eat is a critical step. Only then can we begin to take the necessary actions to prevent those feelings from coming up again and again.

In the mean time, trying going for a walk (even if it’s around the office), read a book or a magazine or a funny article online, exercise, call a friend, email me, etc.

Distracting yourself – like eating – is a short term solution but it certainly works if you’re not willing to deal with the actual emotion you’re feeling.