As an emotional eater myself, researching and practising tips on how to limit this behaviour is not at all foreign to me.  We all know the pattern; something happens that makes you feel like shit, you come home and finish an entire bag of chips (a large bag), which makes you feel better for just a few minutes, but then afterwards you feel bloated, miserable and more than a little mad at yourself.

And let’s be honest, it’s not only the occurrence of a negative emotion that prompts this behaviour; a lot of the time, we do it out of sheer boredom, which typically results in the same negative emotions once we’re done.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, it really is impossible to avoid negative feelings, as life typically has other plans for us.  However, there are certain strategies we can adopt to help us better deal with them.  And please bear in mind that not all the points I am listing here are derived from any particular research, but more from my own personal experiences and practices over the years.

It is also mentioned in the previous blog post that one must first acknowledge the fact that they have a problem, and also be aware of their triggers.  Now, how one gets to this point will vary from person to person – in my case it was pretty cut throat, I was eating things that were bad for me, and feeling awful afterwards. At a certain point, whether it was maturity kicking in or the fact that I’d put on a few kgs, I eventually realised that enough is enough, and unless I was willing to go up a few dress sizes, I knew that I had to reel it in and find a balance.

Once you have this down, you can start working on your strategies.

So, let’s begin…

1. Take a deep breath… Yes, you may read this, roll your eyes and think ‘whatever’, I know I did, but then I tried it a few times and honestly it works. There is something about taking a deep breath before making a bad decision that has you thinking twice. Give it a try, and if it doesn’t work for you, then move on.
2. Am I hungry? Ask yourself this question before eating anything. Much like taking a breath, this question will stop you in your tracks and get you thinking twice.
3. Plan ahead… I eat out a lot, in which case I’m likely to overeat and regret it afterwards. To avoid this now, I typically check the menu before heading out and decide what I’m going to eat before I even get there.  If you’re a planner like I am, then this is a very effective strategy to have.
4. Get busy… instead of using food as a distraction in this case, occupy yourself with something else, perhaps a good book or a workout?
5. Just a little something… For me, this has proven extremely effective. Though a typical advice would be to remove all temptations, I generally tend to keep a little emergency stash in my cupboard, which I will help myself to if a day has proven particularly taxing. The one difference however is that I still exercise points 1 & 3; I still take that deep breath and still ask myself if I am hungry, at which point I am quite satisfied with just the one chocolate biscuit, as opposed to the entire box.

In short, don’t be hasty.  Like most things in life, doing things without thinking about them is what leads to excessive behaviour, which is ultimately never good for us.  So, take a minute, think twice, and remember, don’t be too hard on yourself.  If you slip up every once in a while, it’s okay; just pick yourself up and start over.

Any tips and tricks you’d like to share? I’m all ears 😊

To learn more click here and read our blog on “emotional eating and why we do it.”