Beat Emotional Eating to Lose Weight

Posted: Dec 24 in Post-Bariatric Diet by Staff

Though weight loss surgery will reduce feelings of hunger as you lose weight in Albany or Macon, physical hunger isn’t the only thing that can prompt us to eat. Sometimes, when our feelings get overwhelming, they can lead us unwittingly to the kitchen to wreck our progress with overeating. It’s a problem called emotional eating that plagues many people as they try to lose weight.

Emotional eating can make you feel powerless and frustrated, but you don’t have to let it slow you down. As you adopt the healthy habits that help you lose weight, you’ll also be letting go of old habits that helped you gain it, and emotional eating is just one more thing to put behind you.

The best way to prevent emotional eating from affecting your progress is to plan out how to deal with it now. There are many strategies that can help you avoid the pitfalls of emotional eating, but first you’ll need to learn how to recognize the signs of emotional hunger:

• It makes you crave certain foods. If you’re actually hungry, you’re likely to be open to different options—emotional hunger will make you seek out specific, unhealthy comfort foods.
• It demands instant gratification. When we’re truly hunger, we can wait. Emotional hunger can make you feel like you need to indulge right now.
• It hits you suddenly. Though we gradually feel physical hunger setting in, emotional hunger can hit us like a ton of bricks.
• It makes you feel guilty. You shouldn’t have any qualms about making a choice that meets the needs of your Lap Band diet, but emotional eating can make you feel ashamed of your actions.

Once you see emotional hunger for what it is, you can find a way to stop it in its tracks. Start by:

• Finding your triggers. What led to your emotional hunger? We each have certain situations or emotions that make us especially vulnerable, so learning which ones put you at the biggest risk will help you stay wary in times of trouble. Many emotions can cause emotional eating: stress, anger, loneliness, boredom, fear, lack of control—think about which one may have set you off.
• Disarming your triggers. When you know what caused your emotional hunger, it’s time to turn that emotion around. If you feel bored, try devoting your attention to something that’s sure to keep it, like a great book, an exciting movie or a conversation with a close friend. If you feel angry, think about how to resolve the issue that upset you, or release some aggression with a vigorous workout. If you feel stressed, try relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing or yoga.

Frequent bouts of emotional eating can make it tough to lose weight in Albany or Macon, but can be overcome. What else has helped you put an end to emotional eating? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!