Overcoming Emotional Eating: Getting to the Bottom of Your Feelings So You Don't Eat Them

The topic of emotional eating hits home for so many people. It's very common, so don't feel ashamed if this is a problem for you. It is important to not beat yourself up over anything while you are working on making improvements.
Emotional hunger is different from physical hunger, but it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two. Emotional hunger can cause these symptoms:
• Feelings of pain in the heart
• Feeling that something in your life is missing
• Feeling of needing comfort
• Needing to fill a void in your life
This is different from physical hunger, which commonly feels like:
• Emptiness in the stomach
• Weakness
• Lack of energy
• Grumbling noises
It is important to ask yourself before you eat whether you feel physically hungry. If you realize you aren't, you need to figure out what it is you are actually feeling that is causing you to want food. Here are some feelings that can cause people to want food: sadness, anger, confusion, fear, depression, boredom, disappointment, upset, moodiness, irritation, feeling unsure, bothered, perplexed, procrastination, stress.
The process of eating is supposed to be enjoyable, but eating in order to cope with an emotion or fix something in your life is not going to work. Food may comfort you for the short-term, distract you from the pain, or even numb you with a food hangover, but when you are done eating not only is the root problem still there, but now you probably feel guilty for eating all the food. Each emotion or problem has a solution.
If you have used food to cope with emotions, it is important to recognize this and to be gentle with yourself. Let go of any guilt or shame you feel or have felt about turning to food for happiness. Dieting is another thing that leads to emotional eating-dieting messes with your emotions, so not only do you binge from the overpowering biological drive to eat, but you eat to comfort yourself from the pain of dieting!
Here are 3 ways to work towards overcoming emotional eating:
1) Ask yourself: Am I physically hungry? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself what you want to eat, and allow yourself to eat! Honor your hunger and fullness. Eat until you are full and know that you nourished your body. If the answer is no, then go to step 2:
2) Ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? When you realize you are not biologically hungry, take a time-out instead of reaching for food and look deep to see what you are really feeling. This may not be an easy question to answer, especially if you are out of touch with your emotions. However, if you know that you aren't physically hungry and that you are turning to food for another reason, this is a great place to start! Pat yourself on the back for being aware that there is another reason you want food.
3) Ask yourself: What do I need? Many people eat to fulfill some unmet need. If you figure out the emotions you are experiencing, try to figure out what you can do other than eat that actually addresses the problem at hand.
Emotional eating can be a dangerous thing if it gets out of hand. Not only does it lead to weight gain, but it can cause you to become sick and avoid the emotions that are causing you to turn to food.

Andria Kleis
If you realize that you turn to food when you are not physically hungry or to fix a problem that is occurring in your life, you can overcome this.

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Vulnerability Can Be Scary, But It Can Also Bring Your Greatest Joy

This is a very interesting topic which funnily enough keeps coming up for me. I spent 20 years of my life ensuring I didn't show my vulnerability. I was extremely uncomfortable sharing my emotions or letting anyone get too close to me. In my eyes I actually had good reason to be as I had experienced a great deal of loss as a child. I now know that I thought, "Well if I don't get close to people then there is no chance of the people I love leaving me or dying". Unfortunately that meant I was very closed, very introverted and unhappy and used food and excessive exercise to control my emotions instead.
Although it can hurt to be vulnerable, ultimately it can lead to love, joy and belonging as well. So if we don't allow ourselves to show our vulnerability unfortunately we are closing ourselves off to the possibility of the actual joy of life.
It takes courage to open ourselves up and trust our feelings and beliefs with someone else. We fear we will be ridiculed or put down or rejected, however often this is only our perception. We are all worthy of love and joy however for some of us, experiences we have had in the past often lead to us believing that we aren't. Why would you wear your heart on your sleeve when every time you do it ends in tears?
Funnily enough it is those tears that free us. Giving into the emotion, asking for help and giving to others ensures we feel fulfilled and have a purpose which ultimately brings happiness and joy.
Through my work I know that many people over eat instead of showing their vulnerability. Food is an easy escape, we don't have to risk anything to eat. However it always ends in guilt, blame and shame which leads to more bingeing and on the cycle goes.
The wonderful thing about eating "naturally" is that it enables you be mindful. So as you're about to inhale the bag of chips or family block of chocolate if you stop and ask yourself, "What is going on,?" you might find it relates to some sort of emotion that no amount of chocolate will fix.
When I was recovering from depression I was encouraged to sing. This enabled me to get the emotion out of my body instead of keeping it in with food. Trust me I will not be auditioning for X Factor anytime soon but it was so freeing. Since then I now cry if I need to or yell or even try to talk about what is going on for me. We don't have to face these things on our own. We all have our own insecurities but it's not weak to show them or express them. It enables you to be authentic and real and live in the now and not the past, creating a positive joyful future.

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How to Stop Eating by Experiencing Enough

Do you ever have the sense that you just can't quit eating? That there is never enough? That you are a bottomless pit? These experiences are an opportunity to look deeper, to find out what may be going on behind it.
Don't blame your food or weight. Allow yourself to look deeper. You may discover that this sense of not getting enough permeates your life.
You may find you live life from an inner sense of poverty, a deep down sense of lack that virtually guarantees no amount of food will satisfy you. That no amount of friends, sex, clothes, or money will satisfy you.
When you look closer, you may find that feeling deprived of food today can be based on a very real experience of having been deprived in the past.
Consider a child who couldn't get enough of her mother's love. There is nothing the child can do about this. But as an adult, she is in control of how much food she could eat. So she eats more to make up for not having had enough of something vital in her past, in this case, love.
Feeling deprived of love can also have the opposite effect when the desire to feel loved is so overwhelming that a person shuts down, and ends up restricting food intake. They are, in effect, clamping down on food in order to keep the overwhelming desire for love and connection under control.
To heal this emotional overeating (or under-eating) begin to look for proof in your life that there is enough. We all have places in our lives where we experience enough-ness.
We all have signals in our lives that there is enough. How does your body signal that it has had enough of a good time at a party, and that it is time to go? How does your body signal that I it has had enough of shopping, and needs a break? How does your body tell you, "Enough of the computer already, let's do something else!"?
As you are able to notice your body's "enough" signals, begin to tune into those signals around food and eating. For instance, the body signals that you have eaten enough food by feelings of satisfaction or fullness. Slow down while you are eating and look for those signals.
Remember, if you are distracted, for instance, watching TV or playing on the computer while eating, it will be difficult to notice the signal. Also, if you are limiting your food intake, or judging yourself, it will be very difficult to notice the signal.
When you allow yourself free access to food without judgment and tune into yourself, you can begin to move past deprivation. And while that can feel terrifying, as you learn to re-connect with your signals of hunger and satiety, you will learn that you are not insatiable. That there is enough.
Amazingly, paying attention to self-care around food and far-reaching benefits. As you re-connect with hunger and satiety, you will separate out eating from the emptiness of not feeling loved. You will then have an opportunity to heal from not feeling loved. As you quit blaming your food and your body, you discover you are enough.

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How You Can Increase Metabolism After Bulimia

Bulimia is a possibly critical eating disorder notable for periods of uncontrolled consuming of food. Binges are accompanied by unhealthily cleansing oneself of what is eaten. Purging techniques can include too much activity, improper use of diuretics or laxatives, going on a fast or self-induced regurgitation. One of the numerous negative effects of bulimia is a reduced resting metabolic rate. Therefore, you burn off a smaller amount of calories when in a resting state. This works against weight reduction initiatives. A portion of recuperation from bulimia is dietary treatment, where you speak to a dietitian to find out about diet and start improving your metabolism to fulfill your fat burning objectives in a wholesome manner.
• Consume smaller, regular portions during the day. The majority of people commit the error of limiting calories and missing daily meals, especially the morning meal. Missing daily meals and limiting calories really decreases the metabolism and stops weight reduction. Begin every day with a wholesome morning meal containing food items that offer energy and help you stay feeling satisfied for a longer time. A few examples of healthful breakfast time food items are wheat toast, lower fat yogurt and egg whites. Always consume smaller portions which contain the appropriate number of calories for your preferred body weight, your height, age bracket, level of activity and physique. Add healthful munchies like an apple, pear, or low-fat string cheese.
• Involve high-intensity aerobic fitness exercise in your workout routine. The higher level of intense activity framework raises your metabolism for many hours. When your system functions to provide your blood with oxygen and reduce your temperature, it expends energy.
• Body building is another workout option that can help increase metabolism. It even works when you are sleeping during the night. Concentrate on body building workouts that affect your biggest muscles. Improved muscle tissue additionally increases metabolism by increasing the amount of enzymes that get rid of fat.
• Consume icy chilled drinks, especially water. Along with lubrication and hydration, water facilitates the absorption of foods. If you drink anything ice-cold, your system must also exert more effort to boost your body temperature.
• Perform relaxation exercise routines to reduce your anxiety intensity. Sensations of anxiety and nervousness result in an inflammatory reaction in your body. An inflammatory reaction decreases digestion of food and metabolism. Try out deep breath exercise routines, writing in a journal, or activity to reduce amounts of anxiety and stress to increase your metabolism.

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5 Tips to End Emotional Eating

If you are struggling with emotional eating, you're not alone.
I still catch myself doing it - just the other day I sat down in front of my computer and opened up a bag of Terra chips and started shoveling them in. I stopped myself before I ate the entire bag because I became aware of what I was doing. Typically, when we eat due to emotions, it's common to "check-out" and just not be present.
I stopped and asked myself "Am I really hungry?" And the answer was no- I realized that I was bored. So I put the chips away and went for a walk.
I have been practicing being mindful about my food choices for quite some time, so I was able to quickly use the tools in my tool box to get back on track.
If you want some tools in your toolbox, here are some helpful hints that you can practice to end emotional eating.
#1 - Don't keep junk in the house.
I am sure you have heard this one before, and that is because it works. If it's not in the house, you won't be tempted. I know- your kids, your partner, your dog- won't be happy with you for depriving them. But seriously, it won't kill them to eat healthier.
When there is tempting junk food in the house, emotional eating becomes too easy. Case in point, you come home after an awful day at work and the whole ride home all you can think about is drowning your sorrows in the pint of Ben & Jerry's that you know is in the freezer. The food ends up serving as a trigger- so just get rid of it.
#2 - Find a healthier alternative.
Instead of focusing on grabbing ice cream when you get home, you need to find a substitute. Instead of reaching for food when you're stressed, take the dog out for a walk or talk about how stressful your day was with your loving partner or best friend.
When you create new behaviors, you actually create new neural pathways- which means that you create new habits. So long Ben & Jerry, hello workout gear!!
#3 - Restock your kitchen.
It's much easier to grab for healthy food when you are hungry if it's on hand and in sight. Research shows that people who leave healthy foods in plain sight make better food choices. Some ways that you can implement this for yourself: A bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter. Cut up veggies and keep them handy with some hummus at eye level in the fridge. If coffee is a trigger for an unhealthy muffin or donut, see if you can substitute your coffee for a green smoothie.
#4 - Take a seat.
If you are going to eat, you must sit your arse down at the kitchen table. When you plate your food, whether it is a meal or a snack, you are able to eat more mindfully. Think about the last time you sat in front of the TV or computer with food. Do you actually remember eating the food? How about feeling satisfied?
When you sit down and actually pay attention to what you are eating and how much you are eating, the tendency is to eat less because you are able to notice those signals that get sent from your stomach to your brain telling you that you are "full" -- and when you are in touch with your body's signals, you naturally stop yourself from overeating.
#5 - Be kind to yourself.
Find other things to nourish yourself. I love to light scented candles at dinner, it helps set a nice relaxing mood! Maybe you like scented soaps or fresh flowers. A soft blanket to curl up while you sip your tea after your meal. I know you might feel a sense of control when you eat what you want and be damned with everyone else, but afterwards, the guilt and emotions surrounding the incident make you beat yourself up incessantly. Take the opportunity that you have to be kind to yourself and surround yourself with things that make you feel good.

Stop depriving yourself!
Learn how to lose weight and improve your health without restrictive diets! Sign up for my eBook The Diet Alternative. After reading it, you'll immediately be able to start losing weight by using my simple approach! Oh, and it's FREE!
Coaching for Healthy Living- helping to transform lives by focusing on the whole person.

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