Emotional eating can get the best of us. We’ve all been there- it starts with the grapes, then the chips, and moments later, you’re immersed in your pantry scavenging for something greasy and emotionally fulfilling.

The problem is, these foods aren’t really fulfilling to our health. Binge-eating can be our temporary get-away, and multiple occurrences of emotional eating can lead to unnecessary and rapid weight gain. I’m here to share my top 3 tools to eliminate emotional eating!

1. It’s ok to feel many emotions, including sadness, happiness, stress, anger, and exhaustion. Learning to accept your emotions is the first step to combating emotional eating. Binge-eating is only a temporary fix to your emotions. By listening to your emotions and finding new strategies to satisfy your feelings, you can eliminate the desire to run to food during a rough patch in your life. When you’re feeling emotional head to the park with your dogs, sign up for a yoga/meditation class, or take up a new hobby. Satisfying your emotions on a deeper level will result in eliminating emotional eating altogether.

2. Only eat when you are hungry! This will take some level of self-control, but with a little dedication, this important step will completely eliminate emotional eating altogether! When you’re hungry, make sure to stop eating when you are satisfied, rather than stopping when you are over-satisfied. Make a post-it reminder on your pantry door and refrigerator if you struggle with remembering your goals. A reminder such as “Only eat when you are truly hungry” can really help to ensure you maintain positive eating habits! Rather than looking for food when you’re bored, call a friend or read a good book. This brings us to our next tool to eliminate emotional eating!

3. Keep your calendar full and ensure you schedule at least an hour a day after work to decompress and enjoy time to yourself for relaxation and your hobbies. Maintaining your relationship with friends will also keep you busy, and provide you with an outlet to seek advice or a simple listening ear. Staying busy and taking care of yourself will ensure that instead of spending your time being bored, you are stimulating your mind and soul with things that are emotionally appealing! Join a new gym, sign up for classes at your local yoga studio, learn a new hobby, paint abstract works of art on canvas, or go for a run! Journaling is another great tool to get your emotions out on paper rather than in the pantry! Find your deep rooted fix to combat the emotions you are feeling, eliminate binge eating and unhealthy weight gain, and feel better all-around!

In health and happiness