Stop Emotional Eating - 7 Tips to Stop Eating Junk Food by Alan Lord

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• Are you really hungry? Before you reach for that slice of pizza ask yourself when you last ate, if it was only an hour or two ago then it’s likely that you are having an emotional hunger attack. Did the feeling of hunger come on suddenly? Will only a certain type of food satisfy it? If your answer is yes, then it’s probably emotional. Do not give in to it and it will soon pass.
• Keep a journal and write down the times and content of your meals and also episodes similar to the point above. What emotion were you feeling during this hunger attack? Did you overcome it and if so, how did that make you feel? Record all of your emotions.
• Boredom is a big problem for emotional eaters. Try to keep busy. Take up a hobby. What were you good at in school? Is there something you used to enjoy but have not done for years? Why not take it up again now? Your enjoyment and positivity levels will soar. What about all those jobs around the house you have been meaning to do? Those friends you have been promising yourself to look up. Those emails you need to write? Turn off the TV and get busy!
• De-stress. Stress is a big one for sending us to the bottom of the cookie jar. Yoga is a marvellous discipline for reducing stress. It is not competitive so it will not matter what your capabilities are or how much weight you are carrying. You work within the limitations of your own body. You will feel the calming benefits of yoga from the very first lesson and from there they only increase. It is great for weight loss too. There will be a local class that you can join and this will also help to reduce your boredom levels.
• The devil is in the cookie jar. Stop filling up your larder and your cookie jar with comfort foods. You are turning your battle into an impossible struggle. If your kitchen is full of tempting sugary snacks and chocolates, pizzas and soda’s then clear them out and do not buy them anymore. The temptation is simply too great.
• Healthy snacks. It is okay to snack on healthy foods: fresh fruit, vegetables such as carrots and celery make a great crunchy snack. Pumpkin seeds, sesame and sunflower too. A small helping of unroasted nuts, perhaps a sugar-free low fat yoghurt. Remember that it is often not hunger that you are trying to satisfy it is many times simply for something to do!
• Talk to someone. Help and support is going to be a big plus. Enlist the support of your family or maybe a sympathetic friend. If you feel this is not possible then there are support groups out there and forums where you can let your feelings and emotions out. It will help to release these emotions.

 

          posted by zuma2