Previously we talked about the first step to take to overcome emotional eating. We discussed how to start to observe yourself when it comes to your eating and feelings. Identifying your food and emotional patterns as well as the triggers that start the eating cycle is an important first step.
The second step is to really give some thought to other options you can take besides eating. It sounds simple but it is often why we don’t give it a sincere effort. Remember just because it is simple doesn’t make it easy to follow through on. So the challenge here is to make a list of 5-7 things you can do when you observe your emotional triggers going off and you get the push to go for the junk food or what ever food you use to distract yourself from what stresses have just appeared in your day.
Once you have these items you can then start to put them in place. Start slow. Your first inclination is to head for the chocolate, junk food or fast food, just acknowledge it and take a deep breathe. Make a decision what activity you want to try and do it. Make sure you give yourself 5-15 minutes and do some deep breathing. Congratulate yourself on getting through this “choice point”.
Practice is what makes this step successful. As you attempt to get through each trigger and as you observe your efforts you are challenging the brain to come up with new ways to not eat. There will be times you give in to the food and that is part of the learning process. Take a step back and see what you could have done differently and try that the next time. Each time you try and add a few minutes more and distract yourself in other ways you will be rewiring your brain to respond differently to the trigger.
As your brain starts to stop the association of food and your trigger you are weakening that particular ‘wiring’ in the brain. This is your previously learned response. Now your brain is rewiring with the new response. Until your new response wiring is stronger than the old emotional eating wiring it will still be challenging not to eat when triggered, but each success will make it easier.
Practice is the key for this step. If we don’t realize that this is a learned behavior that takes practice unlearn it we won’t give it enough time to work. We will quit and be tricked into thinking we have no control over emotional eating and the reality is we do. In the Body Shifts Weight Loss Success Membership Program I spend a great deal of time helping clients understand how this process works and how to step by step over come it so emotional eating is a thing of the past. When clients understand how the brain works with our behavior it is much easier for them to be patient with themselves and ride out the wave of feeling the uncomfortable emotion that the food was distracting your from. It becomes a game of sorts. Once that you get better at as you practice and emotional eating gets worse at. Eventually your the all out winner.
Action Step: Choose 5-7 substitutions for eating when an emotional trigger strikes. Record each time you use your new healthier behavior and keep a score card. Be patient and consistent with yourself. Above all keep practicing.
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