How to conquer Emotional Eating, for good
Let’s be real. In a time where the only thing you can expect to be certain is uncertainty, emotions are running at an all-time high around the country. Mix that with being home, aka just a few steps away from your kitchen all day every day, and you’ve got yourself a yummy (pun intended) recipe for emotional eating.
So today I’m here to teach you my favorite way to tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger by playing the “Hunger Game.”
A lot of us may be aware that we are an “emotional eater” - but what does that really mean? And how the heck are you supposed to be able to tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger in that exact moment when it strikes? Let’s dive in.
Emotional hunger vs. physical hunger… what’s the difference?
Emotional hunger means you turn to food either to avoid uncomfortable emotions or to heighten pleasurable ones. It means you eat based on how you feel instead of what your body needs.
Here are some examples of emotional hunger (aka FEELINGS):
Eating for comfort or out of loneliness or sadness
Eating from boredom
Eating to try to soothe anxious or depressed feelings
Eating to fill an aching heart
Whereas physical hunger means you eat when your body signals to you that you are in fact, hungry. And it means that you stop eating when you are satisfied and before you are uncomfortably full.
Examples of physical hunger (aka SENSATIONS):
Stomach growls and gets that hollow hungry sensation
Body feels weak and energy goes down
Blood sugar gets low and you feel shaky
Your eyes start to glaze over and you lose focus
You feel lightheaded or faint
If you think you may be emotionally eating, and you don’t know how to change it, keep reading, I got you.
The key? LEARNING HOW TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
So what will learning to listen to my body do for me?
It will give you food freedom.
What that means for you is that you’ll feel more in control of your eating and less dependent on food to “help” your moods and emotions.
By listening to your physical hunger signals, you can determine how hungry or full you really are. With practice, you’ll be able to pinpoint where your body is at any given moment and easily distinguish between actual physical hunger sensations vs. emotional hunger triggered by feelings.
By doing so, you will train yourself to stop eating BEFORE you are too full and to not turn to food when you are not actually hungry but are in fact bored, upset, lonely, anxious, or depressed.
Because everyone knows that this can be a vicious cycle…. let me show you how to end that cycle and have some fun (yes, fun) while doing it! Enter… the Hunger Game!
How do I play the Hunger Game?
Let me first clarify that I’m not talking about undergoing top-secret weapons training to learn to “kill” off your family, friends, or colleagues… I’m talking about a simple, helpful game that you can play all by yourself (see: Learn to eat mindfully), at the dinner table with others, or even in a busy restaurant!
Here’s how you play the Hunger Game:
See if you can be the slowest eater at the table — no one has to know you’re playing or that you’re trying to win the game
Periodically check in with yourself throughout your meal and honor when you’re energized and satiated by completing the meal
Use an end-of-meal ritual, like putting your napkin over your plate or ordering hot tea and fresh fruit to symbolize the completion of the meal
What do I do now?
In my health coaching practice, I help my clients learn to tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Together, we come up with a plan to help you keep identifying the difference so you can lose weight naturally and double your energy.
If you think you may be emotionally eating and you don’t know how to change it, then click the link below now to schedule a time to talk with me today:
Sending so much love to you all during these difficult times.
xo,
Em