Emotional Eating. Is this your Diet Killer?

It’s late evening, all the kids are in bed sleeping, hubby is downstairs working on his projects, and here I sit, in front of my computer, with the television on… and I am bored.  That’s my cue.  “Let’s find a little snack”, my inner voice tells me in that soft comfortable tone…. “c’mon, you know you wanna”.

I know that I have already had a great dinner, I am not hungry, but yet why am I thinking about food?  It’s an all too common occasion.  I know it is my boredom that triggers it. 

Another trigger is having a bad day.  It happens, we all have them.  Whether I feel angry or sad, that can trigger a want or need for food.  Does this sound familiar to you?  Does this kill your diet?

So how do I cope with these triggers?  First I recognize them for what they are.  Using food for comfort, or simply for something to do… that means that I am an emotional eater.  If I don’t try to avoid these situations they can impair my weight management.  So I have come up with a few ways to try and not eat when I am not hungry. 

1. I keep a picture of what I consider a woman with the kind of body I aspire to on my fridge.  This helps to keep me inspired and on track.
   
2. I never skip a meal.  I always have at least 3 meals a day regardless, and sometimes I have 4 or 5 smaller meals and I make sure that I include some form of protein every time I eat.
   
3. I hold off as long as possible.  If I am bored, then I will try and go to bed early and get some extra sleep, have a nice bubble bath, or pick up a book and read.
   
4. I replaced all of the foods that I normally binge on with healthy alternatives, like raw veggies, fruit, IsaDelights®,  Slimcakes®,  and those little bran snack bites. 
   
5. If I absolutely have a craving.. (which really isn’t that often since I started a cleansing lifestyle), then I will indulge in one of my healthy snacks.

Emotional eating can be a vicious cycle, because if you binge, then you feel guilty and ashamed, and then what happens?  You eat to comfort yourself.   It happens, I know that all to well.  Just remember, every day is a new day, a new beginning… and those times of emotional eating will get fewer and far between. 

I hope this helps. 
Have an Amazing Day!