If you find yourself reaching for sweets when feeling stressed, anxious, or struggling with past trauma, you may be caught in the cycle of emotional eating. Creating that habit can lead to weight gain, resulting in low self-esteem and a negative self-image. Struggling with overeating or emotional eating can also lead to eating disorders, not only affecting your mental health but also your physical health. While you may blame yourself for emotional eating, it’s not your fault and does not change your value as a person. But what causes emotional eating and what can you do?
Reasons for Emotional Eating
Lack of healthy coping mechanisms
When you’re experiencing stress or anxiety and don’t have healthy coping mechanisms, you may lean on what brings you instant comfort, such as food. The effect of certain types of food has a dampening impact on stress and anxiety but is a temporary fix that leads to more problems.
Daily stressors
You may feel your daily stressors are overwhelming, and to wind down and suppress those feelings, you may find yourself falling into emotional eating.
Lack of dopamine
Underlying mental issues can affect your dopamine production leading you to seek a quick dopamine boost. If you connect food with happiness then it may be the first thing you reach for.
How to stop emotional eating
Start a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary documenting what you ate, how you felt when you ate it, and how you felt afterward can help you identify any recurring patterns. These patterns help you recognize what situations you may need to avoid and what might trigger you.
Consider therapy
Attending therapy routinely can help you manage any underlying issues that might be leading to your emotional eating. Especially if you feel you might be at risk of developing an eating disorder, talking to a professional can help teach you coping mechanisms and how to stop relying on eating as a means of emotional regulation.
Don’t deprive yourself
You might feel the best way to curb emotional eating is to stop allowing yourself to indulge in any of your cravings, but this is counterproductive. Completely restricting certain foods can lead to hyperfixation and may increase the risk of binge eating. A better choice, once you’ve identified your emotional eating triggers, is to moderate how often you indulge in certain meals or treats rather than going cold turkey.
Healthy Alternatives
You may enjoy sweet treats such as brownies, but there are healthy alternatives you can make instead that can be tasty and satisfying. If you prefer to indulge in pasta, replacing normal pasta with lentil pasta or adding blended vegetables to your sauce can add fiber to your diet. There are different ways to make your favorite meals healthier.
Weight Loss Plans
If you feel yourself struggling to stick to implementing healthier choices, going to a weight loss clinic, like Bear Creek Weight Loss Center, and getting a tailored weight loss plan can be great for sustainable weight loss and helping with your emotional eating.
If you find yourself struggling with emotional eating and getting frustrated with yourself consulting with a mental health professional can help. Lifecare Wellness Counseling has multiple therapists who are experienced in identifying underlying reasons for emotional eating and treating eating disorders. If you or someone you know is struggling with emotional eating, book an appointment at Lifecare Wellness Counseling today!
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