3 Tips to Overcome Emotional Eating

By John Davenport, Weight loss researcher and Author

www.EmotionalEatingSolution.com

When you think of biting into lusciously cool cream covered strawberries, do you not feel water running in your mouth? Or, maybe you are a chips and crisps person, who cannot resist a packet of fries, try as you might? Whatever your fetish, you would not be the first or last person to feel powerless before a plateful of goodies. And there is nothing wrong in enjoying a juicy bite, now and again. However, when your life begins to revolve around these ‘bites’, and you undergo a behavioral change to accommodate your weakness for food, then you have a problem.  

Scientists have known for many years that food releases the feel good hormones in the body. So, it is only natural that your favorite food puts you in a happy mood. But, for some people food becomes a prop. For emotional eaters, food becomes a crutch that they use to escape from feelings of pain, bitterness, loneliness, boredom or guilt. It holds them up when everything else in their life is falling apart.  

That is the bad news.  

Now, for the good news. If you already know that you are an emotional eater and have some idea of what is happening within you to trigger your overwhelming desire for food, you can consider yourself among the blessed lot. Awareness is the first step to overcoming emotional eating. So, if you are ready to start your journey towards a healthy equation with food, here are three tips to help you overcome emotional eating: 

Break the obsession: Food obsession happens because you allow yourself to think about food too much. Take your focus away from your food. Stop dreaming about food. If you catch yourself dreaming about food, stop immediately. Look for a diversion.  

Cope differently: Learn different coping skills. Many people overeat because they are stressed out. Keeping yourself engaged in other ways is a surefire method of overcoming emotional eating. When there are other activities to distract you, thoughts of food will not disturb you as much. So, join a new hobby class. Do things that you love. Meet up with friends at a place where the temptation of food is absent, like an art gallery or the opera. Engage in charity work. Do something that will distract you from your problems. You will be surprised at how easily thoughts of food will leave you. 

Live a healthy life: Focus your energy on living a balanced and healthy life. Eat small portions of what you love, but also eat generous portions of foodstuff that are good for your body. Salads, lean soups, fruits – these should play an important role in your diet.  

In overcoming emotional eating, your goal is NOT to lose weight. Your aim should be to relegate food to its proper place in the scheme of things. When you work with that aim in mind, the odds will seem less formidable and goals will become easier to achieve.  

About the Author

John Davenport struggled with weight loss problems and emotional eating since early childhood. Through rigorous research, trial and error, and a firm belief in himself, he managed to find the solution to emotional eating, lost over 30 pounds of fat, and became a long distance runner. He now devotes much of his time to help other people follow in his footsteps: lose weight, get lean, and become free from emotional eating. His articles have been features in many websites and publications.

To read more about John's unique method, the Emotional Eating Solution program, visit: www.EmotionalEatingSolution.com