Emotional eating and weight loss

Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food - usually "comfort" or junk foods - in response to feelings instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.

Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, at least in the short-term. As a result, we often turn to food to heal emotional problems. Eating becomes a habit, preventing us from learning skills that can effectively resolve our emotional distress.

Depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with personal relationships and poor self-esteem can result in overeating and unwanted weight gain.

By identifying what triggers our emotional eating we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and take food and weight gain out of the equation.

How to identify eating triggers

Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories.

• Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat, eating to fit in, arguing or feelings of inadequacy around other people.
• Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void".
• Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the cinema or a sporting event, etc.
• Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
• Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to missing meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain

To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors, thoughts or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.

How to stop emotional eating

Identifying emotional eating triggers and bad eating habits is the first step - however, this alone is not sufficient to alter eating behaviour. Usually by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a habit. Now you have to break that habit.

Developing alternatives to eating is the second step. When you start to reach for food in response to an eating trigger, try one of the following activities instead.

• Read a good book or magazine or listen to music.
• Go for a walk or jog.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Do deep breathing exercises.
• Play cards or a board game.
• Talk to a friend.
• Do housework, the washing or gardening.
• Wash the car.
• Write a letter.
• Do any other pleasurable or necessary activity until the urge to eat passes.