Written by Jenn Hand, Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC, Emotional Eating Coach
How to Not “Give In” to Emotional Eating
The best approach to breaking free from emotional eating is a holistic one, so here are a few tips to not “give in” from a mind body soul perspective.
4 Ways to Not Give In To Emotional Eating
1 – Physical: Keep yourself as balanced as possible when you eat. Be sure to eat every 3-4 hours and have protein each time you eat. This helps your body to stay regulated and “even” throughout the day so that when you DO have a craving or want to eat emotionally, physiologically, you’re better able to consciously respond.
2 – Mental: Remind yourself that you are allowed to be emotional and you are allowed to feel. Many times when we’re feeling something and want to eat, we get stuck in thinking we “shouldn’t” feel what it is we are feeling. You are allowed to have emotions and feel 27 different things at once.
3 – Emotional: Do a brain dump in your journal to get in touch with what you’re feeling, what’s worrying or upsetting you, and what’s triggering you to go to the food.
4 – Spiritual: Experiment with any practice that helps you tap into your breathing. Whether it’s tapping (EFT), meditation, or yoga poses linking breath and movement, breathing and moving helps to process and release stuck feelings.
Common Questions About Not Giving In to Emotional Eating:
How can I feel full without eating?
I used to ask this when my brain would try to trick me into falling back into old diet tapes. 🙂
We want to aim for a gentle fullness–not a “so stuffed I have to unbutton my pants” full. A part of this journey is relearning how to hear and honor hunger and fullness. Fullness used to mean post-binge for me. Now it’s a gentle “my body has had enough.” Feeling comfortably full is a wonderful way of fueling and taking care of your body.
Is meal time sabotaging my holistic weight loss?
One of the beliefs we learn in the diet world is “less is more.”
We think the less we eat, the faster we’ll lose weight. In reality, we must eat enough to fuel our bodies throughout the day and keep our blood sugar balanced so we can rationally approach any cravings that arise. Meal times are a great way to make sure we’re eating in a balanced, sustainable way and not trying to “be really good” for the day. This backfires later and causes us to overeat. Aiming for balance at each meal is an approach to keep “balance” vs “restrict” as the goal.
Why do people overeat?
As much as we want food to be simple, it’s not.
We’re not robots, measuring calories in, calories out, and following an exact formula. Food can be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. The diet world has convinced us that food is “easy” but in reality, our relationship to food is complex. We may eat after a long day of endless to-dos, for comfort after a heartbreak, relief from pain or suffering, a balm for loneliness and everything in between.
How can I feel better with food?
When I was in the throes of all-over-the-place eating, I would remind myself to take it “one day at a time.”
Feeling better around food is a day to day, moment to moment improvement. It doesn’t happen all at once–it happens with small tiny steps over time. Remind yourself that you ARE on the path to healing and progress–one day at a time.
Read More:
🌷How Diets Play a Role in Emotional Eating
🌷How To Use Yoga To Overcome Emotional Eating
Work with a Emotional Eating & Holistic Nutrition Coach
Overcome Bingeing and Emotional Eating, and Break Up with Yo-yo Dieting
Working with an emotional eating coach and holistic nutritionist can help you get free from the frustrating binge and restrict cycle and stop yo-yo dieting.
You don’t have to be obsessed with food or have a million rules around eating to find your natural weight and learn to love your body. Ready to actually see a lasting change and experience true freedom?
Schedule a 20-min CallAbout the Author:
Jenn Hand has been helping women like you become normal eaters since 2015.
She’s worked with thousands of women, helping them to balance their bodies, end bingeing, stop obsessing over food, and start feeling amazing again. As a board-certified health coach and holistic nutritionist, Jenn knows how to support you in making real positive changes that last.
Her articles have been published on Mind Body Green, Tiny Buddha, Thrive Global and other local and global media platforms. She’s the author of How to Be a Normal Eater and the creator of The Normal Eater’s Club program. Listen to Jenn’s advice and tips on the Cake Doesn’t Count Podcast, or read more of her articles for free on the Food Freedom Blog.
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