How to stop emotional eating

Emotional Overeating

We, humans, are delicate beings,especially when it comes to our psyche. Basically, many things we dowe are not even aware of, yet we perform them, usually regardless ofthe fact that they cause us harm. The same is with overeating. It isclosely connected to one's state of mind since there are people whoare aware of their excessive body weight as well as those who are notand continue eating without realizing the devastating effect thishabit can have on their organism and overall health.

Many different reasons and causes maybe behind this emotional eating, since these people eat more thanthey should not because they are hungry, but because food compensatesfor the lack of something else in their lives.

Reasons behind Emotional Eating

Our unhealthy habit of eatingexcessively can be connected to many things which have nothing to dowith hunger. Namely, sometimes, food brings us comfort and makes usfeel good, making us eat more and more since we fear that we willstop feeling positive once we stop. The result of this kind ofaction, in the long run, can hardly be positive.

On the other hand, this emotionalconnection between food and mood can be rooted deep inside ourmemory. For instance, we, while we were still children, might havehurt ourselves or have been sad about something. Then, someone mighthave given us something sweet to eat. After feeling the comfort andwarmth of this gesture, we might have developed a connection betweenfood and happiness, expressing it through emotional eating later.

How Can Emotional Eating be Stopped?

If you cannot manage to restrainyourself from food when you lack happiness and comfort in your life,the best thing you can do is eat healthy. Many emotional eaterschoose fast or junk food whenever they express the manifestations oftheir disorder. However, by swapping hamburgers for healthysandwiches or fruit salads, chips for cooked potatoes and chocolatefor dark chocolate in smaller amounts, you are already making asignificant progress without removing your means of security andsatisfaction. Of course, this can be applied to many other types offood. Choose a healthy alternative.

Also, writing down the reason behindyour current emotional eating can help you target the problem anddeal with it. Additionally, there is a good technique which mightdivert you from eating. For example, if you happen to have sweetcravings, imagine the object of your craving. Then, make it black andwhite, add bad smell to it, possibly hairs and other things whichwill divert you from your desire.

Finally, seeking professional help canprove to be the best option in some cases and you should not beashamed of trying to help yourself.