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| Home | January 07, 2009 |
Quiet the Voice of Emotional EatingWhat exactly does it mean to eat emotionally? Emotional eating is when we eat in response to situations and feelings other than true physical hunger. It is a way to alleviate or calm emotions such as worry, boredom, sadness, or stress. It is also the urge to change the way you're currently feeling to another more comfortable feeling. For example, you feel anxious and you don't know what to do with this emotion of anxiety. You turn to food to calm you and bring your anxiety down. Sometimes even positive emotions can cause the urge to emotional eating. It is important in not answering the voice to eat over your emotions is in your awareness of it. Be aware that emotional eating is triggered when you eat to feed a feeling, whether consciously or unconsciously, rather than feed a physical hunger. Imagine a signal light of Stop-Look-Listen! STOP means that you need to take a pause. Even if you're on your way into the kitchen or drive-thru you need to Stop. Think it through. Fast forward to how you'll feel after you eat. You'll feel regret, shame, and self-depreciation. Awareness is in asking yourself if it is really worth it? Taking the pause to Stop is very important to silencing the voice of emotional overeating. LOOK means that after you've completed Stop, Look inside yourself. What are you feeling? What do you need? Food isn't the answer. Look to use your drive to eat over your emotions as a barometer into what's going on with you.
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