"I eat because I'm sad; I'm sad because I eat": 5 tips to help manage emotional eating
Jul 07, 2024
From guest blogger Jodi Katzin, eating psychology coach.
You just came home from a long day at work completely spent. Your boss reamed you out for something that wasn’t even your fault, you barely got up from your desk because you were working to meet a deadline...you are done. Without even thinking, you find yourself in the pantry elbow-deep in a bag of Doritos. From there, you move on to the Oreos to balance the salty with something sweet. And then you finish it off with the rest of the Haagen Dazs that was in the freezer. Of course, when this is all said and done, you actually feel worse than you did when you walked through the door. You feel bloated and heavy, and the shame of turning to food once again comes flooding in.
Can you relate? Is food your placeholder for managing your emotions, and not just the tough ones? You eat when you are sad, mad, stressed, anxious, happy, or celebrating—really for all the feels?
I totally get it and have been there one too many times. And while it can seem like a daunting habit to break, here are five tips to help you the next time temptation strikes and your emotions take over:
Figure out your hunger
The first question would be to ask yourself whether you are physically or emotionally hungry. Physical hunger tends to come on gradually: you may feel rumbling in your stomach, you are likely open to many different food options and a normal portion size will easily satisfy you.
Emotional hunger, on the other hand, tends to come on fast and furious and likely in the form of thoughts rather than physical hunger pangs. An apple is unlikely to satisfy you, and you are more likely to crave a specific food, taste or texture and to eat large volumes of that food until you are uncomfortably full.
Take pause
My next suggestion would be to pause before grabbing for the food and ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?” and “What do I need right now?”
I find that even by taking a few seconds to tune inward, you can get a lot of information. You might even want to pull out a journal and jot down some thoughts. You could turn to food to avoid difficult emotions or because you're out of sync with what you are actually feeling at a given moment. This is why wanting to raid your pantry is a good alarm for you to get curious and take pause.
Fun fact: It actually only takes 90 seconds for a feeling to pass through your body, so practice sitting with it.
Keep a food diary
It might be helpful to keep a food diary. It can be a powerful exercise to get a sense of what time of day your cravings tend to come on. It is not only helpful to track what you are eating, but also how you are feeling when you reach for certain foods.
Keep an eye on your plate
Be sure you balance your plate at every meal. While stress can often make you crave carb-heavy foods, try to include protein and healthy fats to balance your blood sugar levels and keep you more satiated. And if you do want a snack, portion it out rather than eating directly from the package. Put some chips in a bowl or a few cookies on a plate, and enjoy them.
Have a positive mindset
Watch your self-talk and try to make it more positive. When you feel guilt and shame, you are likely to reach for more food, causing more guilt and shame and keeping yourself stuck in a perpetual cycle. If you are someone who is often turning to food to soothe emotions, get curious instead of judgmental.
The next time your tough day leads you right into the kitchen, try one of these ideas. As with all habits, emotional eating can be challenging to work through—baby steps and being gentle with yourself are the best places to start. You got this! :)
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Jodi Katzin is a certified eating psychology coach through the Institute for the Psychology of Eating and also has an occupational therapy degree. She realized that this program was the missing piece she had been looking for to truly unpack and address her deeply ingrained disordered eating patterns. Today she works with women who are in the throes of emotional eating, binge eating, chronic dieting or other disordered eating patterns and struggling with body image. She helps them peel back the layers behind their ongoing struggle with food and provides them with tools to feel nourished from the inside out while ending calorie counting and obsessively focusing on the scale. With her guidance and unwavering support, women can learn to JUST BE. You can find her here. And on Instagram at @justbecoachingwithjodi
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