EMOTIONAL OVEREATING

There are many articles written about emotional eating, food addiction and binge eating. I only come to add my personal experience. This topic is part of my past, present and future.  When the going gets tough, I get food.  I’m wired to eat food, a lot of food. If you have no idea what that means or feels like; don’t waste your time reading this article. If you know what I’m talking about read on. Your experience may vary but it is the same result.  After a binge you may feel a temporary calm; only later to feel depressed, bloated, abdominal pain and lost self-respect. The end result is excess weight.
I don’t pretend to bring you a cure, just my personal story. In 2003 my weight was around 20 kilo more than it is today.  In the last years I’ve tried many strategies to manage my emotional overeating behaviours. None was more successful that the other, it was just the right thing for the moment. Sometimes I think I’ve mastered overeating, I turn around and it is still there. I’ve learnt to except that overeating is my personal challenge and here to stay. Blessed with the tools to overcome my challenge, I set out on the most amazing weight loss journey. Later in 2006, I decided it wasn’t good enough to overcome my overeating; I wanted to motivate others to do the same. I discovered my passion.

I’m a qualified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise instructor.  Being a woman, my specialty is in Women’s Health and Fitness. I strongly believe that a society is only as strong as its women. As a general rule, the energy and strength a woman gets from looking after herself, is used to give back to the world. Take care of our women because they hold the future in their hands. If we have strong women, we will have strong families, strong children and a strong future. 

My dear women, I present you with a list of strategies to battle your overeating. Use whatever tool speaks to you and rings true to you at the moment.

If you eat it enjoy it.

This article is called emotional overeating because I want to set the record straight. All eating is emotional. Overeating is the problem. Food is for our pleasure and should be enjoyed. If you choose to eat it also choose to enjoy it. Only eat food sitting down. Make sure you are tasting the food, chewing before swallowing and relaxing.

Stay Hydrated.

Everyone has heard of eating due to thirst. I think there is truth in it. Depending on your lifestyle, you have your own hydration needs. Learn how much water you need and drink it.

Be true to yourself.

Keep a diary of all the foods you eat. Be real with yourself of the amount of food you eat. Write notes to yourself, try to identify your emotion when you begin overeating. Ask yourself, “What emotion do I feel?”  Acknowledge your emotion.  You may not always win the battle to not overeat but the honesty brings you self-awareness. I use this tool a lot. For me the urge to eat is my body saying – ‘Please take care of me’ - I then try to tune in to my emotional world rather than eat. I ask myself, ‘what do I really need right now?’ Most of the time the answer is nothing related to food.

Honesty.

Talk about your emotional eating with someone you trust. Get it into words. It will make the issue more real but also smaller. Hearing yourself saying it out loud is a great experience.  You may want to seek professional help.

Damage Control.

This tool is not ideal but it is helpful to minimise the excess weight involved in overeating. When you know you are not hungry but want to just eat for other reasons, choose your food wisely. Eat vegetables rather than high fatty processed foods. Keep cut up vegetables or natural vegetable soup in fridge for these occasions.
Please note:  Any food can be over eaten. All overeating puts a stress on the digestive system.

Buy Time.

Buy time with yourself. Tell yourself, I will save this food for later. If I still want to eat it. I will eat it later. (Give yourself a time.) I often tell myself the food will still be there in the morning. I can leave it. Remember it is just food.

Nurture yourself.

If your schedule lets you, when you feel the urge to overeat - stop and do something to nurture yourself. Exercise is a great emotional release. Go for a walk, play an instrument, get involved in a hobby do something for yourself.

With these tools I wish you much success in your journey to a healthier you. If you find this article helpful then my journey was worth it. Feel free to contact me with any questions. rivka@motivationfitness.com.au