6 ways to manage emotional eating habits

While you are on the 28-Day Summer Body Meal Plan you are making the choice to consume healthier foods and drinks. You are choosing to replace the sugar and processed carbs with more nutrient dense foods that not only fill you up but feed your body with good nutrition. All of this is great and it will help you reach your body goals in the short term.

However, building and maintaining a good relationship around food is important if you want to stay healthy, fit and fabulous in the long run. If you feel like your eating habits are mostly driven by your emotions, or become poor during times of high stress, then it might be time to address this.

Especially when you realise that you rarely get satisfaction from emotional eating and often feel guilty afterwards. It’s because you’re not actually hungry for food, you’re hungry for a distraction, possibly stress release, comfort, or to feel more in control.

Here are some of my tips and tricks to help you manage your emotions more effectively so that you can not only reach your body goals, but maintain your summer body way into the future.

1. Take a moment to check in to see if you’re truly hungry.

Often when we reach for that chip bag, we’re tired, thirsty, or have another need that’s not being met. I like to take a deep breath, slow down and ask myself this question: am I actually hungry, what do I truly desire/need/want? Sometimes I write down my answers in a food journal as it provides insights for next time. Often I don’t need to do this as I already know the answer. If for instance the answer is I’m tired, and I am seeking energy, it might be appropriate to eat something. But if the answer is, I’m sad/angry/disappointed/overwhelmed, I know that food isn’t the answer. The next question might be: what could I do/have to fulfil this need? If you ask yourself that question you will often find that it’s not food you’re after. Choosing to eat, instead of facing the emotion, is just a habitual pattern of behaviour. With that new awareness you can make another choice that will spare you from creating a cycle of crappy feelings.

2. Keep hydrated

The next time the urge to indulge catches you off guard, simply have a large glass of water instead. Science has shown that this alone can prevent you from bingeing on foods to bring you comfort, as this will leave you feeling satisfied.

3. Replace the inner critic (who encourages you to eat rather than face your feelings)

Our inner critic (yes we all have one) can spur you on to get things done, but at the same time it will drag your self-esteem down and encourage you to eat or drink instead of facing your feelings. This inner voice whispers or shouts destructive thoughts, for example; “You are fat anyway, what’s a bag of crisps going to hurt, you deserve it.” You don’t have to accept this though. One way to deal with this is simply to say “stop” whenever the critic pipes up in your mind. As the critic says something – in your mind – shout: “STOP!” Or come up with a phrase or word that you like that stops the train of the thought driven by the inner critic. Then refocus your thoughts to something more constructive like planning a social event with friends, or running a nice aromatherapy bath.

4. Remind yourself of the benefits of healthy eating.

Remind yourself that your body is engineered to work with food as fuel . When you eat foods that feed your muscles, those muscles rev up the efficiency of the metabolism, and you will burn more calories. Use this fact to think about what nourishment your body might need and how you can fulfil this rather than giving into temptation. A simple yet powerful way to reduce emotional eating patterns is to remind yourself of the benefits you will get from following a new path, or reaching a body goal. If you’re a visual person, vision boards can be effective reminder tools. Include pictures and words that will inspire you to choose healthy foods and drinks.

5. Wean yourself off sugar.

In the early 1970s food manufacturers started adding a cheap substance to foods... high-fructose corn syrup. It’s now in practically everything, and Australian’s desire for sweets has increased tenfold! What’s important to know, is that eating fat does not make you fat. It's your body's response to excess refined carbohydrates that makes you gain weight. Your body has a limited capacity to store excess carbohydrates, but it can easily convert those excess carbohydrates into excess body fat. By replacing sugar with sweet healthier alternatives you will over time become less addicted. Without this addiction you are likely to feel less food cravings and emotional triggers when it comes to eating.

6. Reduce the “busyness”and try to stress less.

Life is busy, busy, busy. You are rushing from one thing to the next, and then the next. It’s no wonder we experience stress – it only takes one thing to go wrong and the whole thing can come tumbling down. Living this way can create an emotional eating pattern of behaviour. A good tip to reduce this is to regularly take deep, big breaths throughout the day, and especially when you are craving food to suppress the overwhelm. A consistent practice will boost your ability to cope with stress and not reach out for food or drink as comfort, or to suppress feelings.