Emotional eating is something that we have ALL done at some point in our lives. After all, food is comforting and it can tickle in our brain in a way that makes it easier to forget about the impending doom we all feel. 

Okay okay… it’s not always that existential. Sometimes, we just need a break from daily stress, a moment to ground ourselves, to distract us from boredom, or to feel a moment of happiness and pleasure.

And as it happens… food is really effective at accomplishing all of those things. But, if you’re an emotional eater, you’re all too familiar that it comes with a down side too. 

Emotional eating can make us feel worse about ourselves, question our confidence, and set us back in our health goals. Ironically, these very feelings can trigger even more emotional eating and suddenly you feel trapped in this cycle. Not only do you feel physically uncomfortable after emotional eating, but you also still have to deal with the emotions you temporarily distracted yourself from in the first place. 

UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONAL EATING

Before you keep reading, I need you to know and believe that it IS possible to overcome emotional eating. I see it happen every single day. And not just for people who have easy lives or are naturally healthy, I see it happen for everyone. 

If this has you feeling like you’re closing your eyes and chanting that you do believe in fairies, I get it. It sounds too good to be true.  And I know you’ve already tried allll the things to stop eating emotionally.

• You’ve read the tips and tricks online
• You’ve stopped buying your favorite foods
• Set time cut offs to stop eating by
• You may have even frozen leftover cookies in a block of ice before (this one stings to even write out)

THE TWO mAIN PROBLEMS WITH TRADITIONAL EMOTIONAL EATING STRATEGIES

1. They assume your emotional eating is due to a lack of self control
2. They use a food solution to fight an emotional problem 

The diet industry wants you to believe that allll of your dietary shortcomings are because you have no self control, but this is so far from true. In fact, I want you to make a list of all of the areas in your life where you do show self control- do you show up to work, commit to moving your body, make that phone call you don’t want to do. Chances are, you’ll have a longer list than you thought.  

The second shortcoming is that these strategies don’t go far enough back in the behavior cascade. They assume your eating is the problem, but really it all started with the impending doom (ok fine or the stress/boredom/anxiety if we’re being less dramatic). Y’all know I’m all about taking a root cause approach, but that isn’t just for gut health. It matters here, too. The root cause of that emotional eating was the uncomfortable emotion you had, and no matter how many layers of ice your cookies are hiding under, your stress will still be there. 

TLDR; you need a better method. 

HOW TO STOP EMOTIONAL EATING EATING: TIPS AND STRATEGIES

The KBN 2 Step Method for Fighting Emotional Eating

1. RECOGNIZE THE BEHAVIOR WITHOUT JUDGING YOURSELF

The first thing you have to do is to just make yourself aware that you’re eating emotionally. This is typically pretty easy for us. The difficulty comes with that second part:

Don’t judge yourself for it

Yikes, this may feel impossible. You’ve spent years shaming yourself over emotional eating. How can you stop now? But here’s the thing: shame itself is a VERY uncomfy emotion. And emotional eating is a way we cope with uncomfy emotions. See how that judgement puts us right back into the very cycle we’re trying to break?

This one takes practice, and it may even take some support- a therapist or a specialized dietitian (I happen to know a great one btw 😉) 

One realization that can help here is recognizing that there are a LOT of worse ways to cope than eating. If you’re someone that needs proof, I want you to listen to this story of how one client saved her life by emotionally eating. 

Remember: the eating is not the problem. The emotion is. You coping with your emotions is a good thing, even if you haven’t found the healthiest way… yet.

2. Find an emotional solution to your emotional problem

Okay so now you’ve fought half the battle: you recognized that you’re emotionally eating and resisted the urge to judge yourself for it. Give yourself a big pat on the back for that one. 

Now that you aren’t feeling the need to escape shame, you can sit in your thoughts for a second and ask yourself what emotion you’re actually feeling.  

When you’re first getting started, your journey may end there. “I’m emotionally eating because I’m stressed, or sad, or happy!” 

But as you get some momentum and feel more confident in yourself, you’re ready to complete step two: find an emotional solution to your emotional problem. 

This looks different for everyone, but here are some examples of better coping strategies:

• Stress: breathing exercises, meditating, or finding a quite place to walk
• Boredom: finish a project, watch a movie, or read a book
• Loneliness: call a friend or make plans to be social
• Anxiety: talk to a friend, spend time with your pets, spend time in nature, or consider reaching out to a counselor or therapist

If you truly want to overcome emotional eating, you can’t just avoid the food, you have to solve the emotional problem. When you do this, it makes the food element so much easier. 

THE ROLE OF A REGISTERED DIETITIAN IN MANAGING EMOTIONAL EATING

The right support is a game changer.

Keep in mind, knowing this framework is just half the battle. It may take time, practice, and support for you to feel comfortable implementing it on a regular basis. That doesn’t make you a failure! It just means that our eating behaviors are more complicated than any one blog post can sum up. This is where working with the right professional can be a game changer. In the 4 month Food Freedom program, you’ll have all of the support you need to stop emotional eating for good. We use regular weekly check ins, chat access, and behavior change expertise to provide you with compassionate accountability you need to stop emotional eating for good.

If you’re ready to stop emotionally eating and find freedom with food, click here to apply to the Food Freedom Program.

BUILDING A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

Imagine a world where you didn’t spend mental energy worrying about what to eat, whether or not you ate too much, or questioning if you have enough self control. What would you do with that leftover bandwidth? Would you pick up that hobby you’ve been wanting to? Spend more time at restaurants with friends? Be a better coworker or spouse? The beauty of healing your relationship with food is that it gives you freedom to live the life you truly want to live, support your health in new ways, and stop questioning yourself every day. Healing your relationship with food is so life giving, and it’s absolutely possible for you! But don’t take my word for it, here are a few wins from people who are exactly like you:

If you’re ready to heal your relationship with food, stop emotional eating, and live a life of food freedom, click here to apply to the Food Freedom Program! We’d be so honored to stand in your corner and help you heal!