It's time to take back control.
Take advantage of the tricks
When you’re trying to understand, “How do I stop emotional eating?” you have to consider the tricks.
Keep a food journal
If you keep tabs on what you’re eating, it might help you to understand what you’re putting in your mouth and when. It’s also important to pinpoint what emotion you’re feeling at the time. Did you eat a bag of chips after a fight? Did you grab that piece of cake out when your friend ditched your dinner plans? Were you super stressed from a work meeting and find yourself at the drive-thru?
Learn all the Benefits of Keeping a Food Journal.
Allow yourself a bite, then back off
You can’t quit emotional eating cold turkey, so indulge your sudden snack attack but only with a bite. Then sit back for 15 minutes and see where you’re at. You may find your desire for food has likely subsided.
Learn the healthy alternatives to eating
So what do you do if you’re bored? Stressed? Depressed? You may still find your need to comfort yourself, but thankfully there are other options besides food. Other great comforting tactics include taking a bath. Try this DIY Sea Salt Bath Detox.
If you’re stressed at work, try taking a break with these 11 Stretches Every Desk Worker Must Know.
If you feel hungry but know you shouldn’t be, try drinking water.
When you’re feeling bored, go for a run or read a book. Distract yourself! It will help take your mind off of emotional eating.
Avoid processed foods
It goes without saying that you should avoid processed foods that are loaded with sodium, sugar, and artificial ingredients that do nothing but tell the body to eat more. Try this 7-Day Whole30 Meal Plan to kickstart healthier eating, and when you’re craving a snack, try these 50 Clean Eating Snacks and 9 Weight Watchers Snacks with 3 Points or Less.
Get enough exercise
If you’re feeling emotionally drained, try going for a run. It’s a great way to raise your levels of endorphins, which are the body’s natural mood booster. If running isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other endorphin-boosting workouts that we have for you. Just visit our SkinnyMs. Fitness page.
Get enough sleep
When you get enough sleep (between 7 and 9 hours), you allow your hunger hormones to be properly regulated, which keeps emotionally eating at bay while reducing feelings of stress throughout the day. Try this 6-Minute Workout for Better Sleep.
Understanding emotional eating requires being in touch with your emotions. Asking yourself “how do I stop emotional eating?” requires breaking it down. This is a great step-by-step guide that can help you easily overcome it.
Afraid you’ll miss our latest and greatest in clean eating recipes and workout challenges? Join us on Facebook and Pinterest, and subscribe to our newsletter.
Give us your thoughts on this post, and on the content you’d like to see in the future, in our comments section!
