How to Avoid Emotional Eating

Emotional eating can be on many levels, from eating out of boredom to eating during periods of severe stress, but all situations involve going for food when you're not physically hungry. The following are some tips in helping you address this issue:

With eating out of boredom, you can try replacing food with another habit.

A good hobby can not only keep you busy but could eventually generate you a second income. Do some research of things you might enjoy that have low starting costs that you can build upon if your interest in it grows.

Step2

Keep a pitcher of ice water in your refrigerator.

When you feel the urge to eat but don't feel hungry, try a glass of water instead. Studies have shown many Americans are dehydrated on a regular basis, and sometimes drinking water will satisfy what initially feels like a kind of hunger but is actually thirst.

Step3

If your job is highly stressful, it can be very easy to internally justify bad eating behaviors such as depending on vending machines and fast food.

This often results in a cycle, and can be very hard on your body if you're sitting a lot as well. Two ways to address this issue are gradually introducing healthy foods into your daily routine (substituting a little at a time until you've completely replaced the habit) and making time for exercise (most likely during short breaks during the day). This will at least help you maintain your current weight, though you'll probably have to do more intense workouts outside of work to lose weight.

Step4

Realize that changing this issue is going to be a process and won't happen overnight.

What can be discouraging is taking steps in the right direction only to have a setback. The important thing is to keep moving forward on a daily basis and small choices-over time they do add up to a big impact. Being aware of the issue instead of acting on it on a subconscious level will help a lot.

There are going to be genuinely hard situations you're going to come up against in life. That's inevitable, but if you make the effort to change during a relatively normal point in your life, it will make choices during those times easier.

Step5

If possible, find a friend or mentor that will help you stay accountable.

Sharing this issue with someone you trust can give you an alternative to food for stress and emotional issues. This is very important during times you feel like you're not making progress on your own. Prayer about the issue can definitely help as well.

Good luck and best wishes to you!