Emotions, Feelings, and Losing Weight

Very often, you'll find that you've had a crummy day. Your boss yelled at you, your dog left you a surprise when you got home, and you just stubbed your toe. Before you know it, you've just downed a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Phood and are looking sorely at the bag of Hershey's Kisses.

STOP! And let's back up a little.

There are all sorts of complex emotions wrapped up with eating. Often, how we feel affects how we eat. A lot of people tend to eat when they're miserable or when they're bored.

When starting off your new lifestyle change, grab a piece of paper and start writing down how you feel when you eat certain foods. Are you cheerful? Angry? Bored? Achy? Bleh? See if there are any connections. If you find that you tend to overeat when you're achy and bleh, than you're probably an emotional eater. Being aware of a problem can often lead to a solution.

The next time you feel the emotions that lead to bad eating habits, try to be aware of them a little. Recognize "I feel crummy and I want something sweet to eat." Then try to deal with the emotion without overeating. Call up a friend, put on your favorite music, go out for a walk, anything but sitting in the kitchen with a box of Oreos feeling bad about your day and feeling worse about how you're eating.

If you feel like you have a bigger issue such as full blown depression, please contact a counselor to help you deal with that. Often, creating one positive change in your life can lead to other positive changes and even more positive changes, a veritable Domino Effect of positivity.