Emotions don't have power over you!

Emotional Eating Part 4

Feelings and emotions – how they ramp up binge eating and some practical tips to overcome them.

You know it well you’re having an okay day and then something comes up that totally throws you off course you’re stressed, annoyed and possibly bewildered… you head to the shop for snacks as some sort of act of rebellion and all of a sudden that diet that you started just falls at the wayside.

The way we feel can often dictate how we’re going to behave and react to life situations but that doesn’t have to be the case - so keep reading on to find out how.

Emotions! Ah, those uncomfortable feelings that often get in the way and ruin experiences OR they provide extreme joy and excitement to whatever we’re doing at the time.

Sometimes our feelings manifest because certain events can cause us to react. Or it could be completely out of the blue and totally arbitrary

No rhyme or reason as to why they came up in the first place.

This means that the way we feel is out of our control entirely (sometimes) but that doesn’t mean that these emotions and feelings need to control how we act or even how we think.

You can behave differently!

I’m here to tell you that you can take complete control over your mental and emotional state no matter how you’re actually feeling at the time and there is a way out there is a way forward.

Just to highlight, I don’t mean you can change how you feel entirely. I simply mean control the outcome with practices that will benefit you long term.

In the earlier part of the emotional eating series we talked about how feelings can drive us to want to eat more as a way to satisfy or most likely avoid uncomfortable feelings like anxiety, sadness, boredom or even anger.

I also talked about how we are naturally hardwired to search for hyperpalatable, sugary foods and that it’s not an issue with willpower or a character feeling when we tend to overeat -  it is just biology.

But with this in mind I want to talk now about specific emotions as stated above and how we can counteract our binge eating habits and learn to find healthier practices and rituals that will help us alleviate some of those negative emotions.

Without feeling guilty after!

So here are new strategies that you can use when you feel the following emotions:

1)    LONELINESS - one of the biggest issues that we face in this social climate. Loads of us feel extremely lonely from time to time. Instead of picking up food to distract yourself why don’t you take a proactive approach to quenching this need.

Join social groups, call a friend, ask people to meet for a coffee or a restaurant or shopping. Whatever. Spend time with people and don’t just expect others to be the ones to arrange everything.

2)    BOREDOM - another big one at the moment. You aren’t fulfilled in your life. It's lost its lustre. This could be because you aren’t seeking purpose, energy and excitement.

The thing is … binge eating can naturally sneak in when life gets dull… maybe you need a new challenge at work, a hobby. Something. I guarantee when you find of purpose you will feel much better!

3)    STRESS - we all get flustered from time to time but are you somebody that is continually up against it, and not resolving how are you feel in a healthy way?

If you use wine or chocolate as a way to settle down the nerves - my suggestion is to make a serious attempt to change this immediately!

It’s not great for your health and certainly isn’t teaching your nervous system to regulate on its own - go for a walk, the gym, meditate… just find other ways to alleviate the stress as much as possible.

4)    ANXIETY - touching on what I just said about stress… is there something you can change in your environment that will help you feel calmer?

In other words is there anything about where you live, the people you hang around with or could you even change your attitude? Perspective (how we think and feel about a situation) can cause anxiety to flare up.

5)    SADNESS - everybody feels sad at times. Things come up in our lives that weren’t expected and we are left disappointed…process the emotion. Spend a day listening to sad songs, but we can’t linger in it forever. Sadness can skew our ability to pick ourselves up from a funk. Work through it but don’t stay in it.

Now that you’re armed with these tips to help alleviate uncomfortable emotions… I want you to do me a favour.

I need you to take a food & mood diary throughout the week. Coincide them together so you can discover how your feelings and eating habits are getting in the way of your weight loss journey.

Do this for a week and then I want you to assess the information. Contact me to let me know what you discovered or keep it to yourself. Up to you.

Now you'll have more insight into what is going on. How emotions and problem eating are inextricably linked.  

If you found this email helpful - consider working with me on a one-to-one basis where I can provide accountability, knowledge as well as my coaching/counselling skills to help you succeed.

I promise I will do everything in my power to get you where you need to be.

Best,


Paul