Two Words You Need to Know with Emotional Eating

Two words that share the same letters.  Two words I have struggled with if you really know me.  I struggle with hearing you sometimes because I am trying to create the answer you are needing.

The journey I have taken from school nurse to health coach, over the last 4 years, has shown me more about myself than the last 45 years.

Learning to actively listen and seeking to first understand, I learned from my school nursing career, when they trained us in Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Once I became a ACE certified health coach learning about behavioral change, tiny dimmer switches started coming on, but not enough to understand me.

Joining the FASTer Way To Fat Loss as a client and now a coach, the light bulbs came on and are staying on.  I struggled with emotional eating.  I’ve known this, but we don’t air out our baggage. 

I saw the emotions on all these eggs. https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/#Cherylmoffett

The all or nothing mindset is tied to emotional eating.  I started seeing the “perfectionist” type behavior of not logging food when I had blown my meal plan for the day.  The thinking of, “May as well eat whatever since I had already messed”, up was my m.o.  

Learning the mindset of progress over perfection, self-grace and listening to my body, whether the hunger is physical or emotional has started this journey of releasing the emotional eating.  It has helped me conquer my all of nothing mindset.

Understanding when you are hungry, and you feel the physical pain of your stomach growling and it is slowly getting worse is a way to listen to your body. You plan your food, enjoy your food and stop when you are full.  You understand you need food for fuel, and it is good for you.  

When you are emotionally eating you want a certain type of food now, it hits you quickly and you don’t stop eating when even though you are full.  You may start eating emotionally when you are bored, lonely, angry, happy, or out of pure habit.  Once you stop eating another set of emotions roll in of guilt, anger and that all or nothing thinking, I screwed up may as well eat whatever the rest of the day.

How can you work to break this emotional rollercoaster of eating you are on?  You must STOP, BE SILENT, LISTEN and TAKE INVENTORY of what you are needing.  Is it emotional or physical?

I am not a counselor or a registered dietician, but below are some ways I have been working to improve my mindset and break the habit of emotional eating.

Go to bed earlier.  Don’t allow yourself to sit on the couch and aimlessly snack after you have eaten your last meal of the day. Been there done that with my loving husband.

Second thing is open and find support from your loved ones. You may also need to talk with a specialist, don’t be afraid to do this.

Tell yourself STOP! Out loud if you have too.  BE silent and listen to what your body needs.  Is your stomach growling? Are you bored? Or some other emotion that is going on in your mind?

Roger Gould, MD, Shrink Yourself shared a comparison chart of physical hunger  is below the neck and emotional hunger is above the neck.  I have not read this book, but it is on my list.

Take inventory of what your body is telling you.

Learning progress over perfection, being silent and listening to your body may help you get started on getting off the roller coaster of emotional eating.

To learn more about emotional eating visit My Fitness Pal blog: How to Stop Eating Your Emotions?

FASTer Way To Fat Loss does not endorse these resources or my blog post. It is part of my journey as a client and now coach.  The FWTFL allowed for me to work on me internally and externally.  If you want to learn more about the FASTer Way visit me on my web page below.

Whatever you do don’t be afraid to ask for help, if you need it.

XO

Cheryl

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