Does emotional eating make you pig out?

If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for the refrigerator door without feeling hungry, you are likely experiencing a concept known as “emotional eating”. With this, you eat to overcome some human emotion or fill an empty hole … you could be angry, sad, bored, lonely or depressed. Ironically, these are emotions we often fail to acknowledge although the results of emotional eating show on our waistlines. This is fast becoming a worsening societal problem; experts tell us that 75% of overeating is caused by emotional eating.

The next time you feel the urge to munch, take a moment to carefully and thoroughly assess the situation. Ask yourself, “am I really feeling hungry?” and answer it honestly. Without falling to temptation, you may find that you likely won’t need those leftovers you were saving for tonight’s dinner, that bowl of ice cream or that oversized bag of potato chips.

Breaking the subconscious routine of emotional eating can be difficult, yet it is not impossible. In addition to recognizing, acknowledging and validating your true feelings at the time, there are other approaches to take:

Nurture yourself – When resisting the urge to emotionally eat, do something that makes you feel good. This could be a small reward … read a few pages of a favorite book, soak in a bubble bath or take the kids to play in the park.

Understand yourself – Take a few moments to note your thoughts and feelings shortly after your urge to eat (while the memories are still fresh). Analyze the situation. How were you feeling then? What or who made you want to eat?

In the interim, keep a bowl of fresh fruit handy. The next time you find yourself reaching for the refrigerator door, reach for an apple instead.