The Dangers of Emotional Eating

We all go through rough times in our lives. Whether it's stress from work or sadness over an unwanted major life change, we can find ourselves feeling downtrodden or even depressed with little recourse to make ourselves feel better. When that's the case, many of us may end up turning to food to help us to feel better. Learn more about emotional eating, how it can derail your weight loss goals, and what you can do to stop the cycle.

Signs You May Be Emotionally Eating

There are many different ways in which we emotionally eat. There's the obvious cliché of sitting down with a pint of ice cream after a breakup and polishing it off, but there are other, more subtle ways we eat more due to our emotions. Basically, if you ever eat when you are not hungry, there's a strong likelihood that you are eating because you are subconsciously trying to deal with some kind of emotion. Boredom is a prime example of this: how often do you get snacky when you spend the afternoon zoned out in front of the TV? Our brains crave stimulation, and television is actually a pretty poor stimulator because our bodies are not involved in any way. We bring our bodies in to the mix by grabbing some chips or popcorn to snack on-but this packs on the pounds too.

Anxiety and stress are notable causes of emotional eating as well. We often give ourselves excuses to cheat on our healthy eating style when we're in a time of duress. If you find yourself turning more often to mac and cheese when the boss yelled at you that day or to a cookie or brownie as a "treat" for surviving a rough meeting, you're probably letting your emotions dictate your palate.

It All Adds Up

If you're eating emotionally, you're subversively derailing your weight loss goals and overall health. We tend to go for foods that are higher in sugars, salts, and fats when we are eating to ease our emotions, and these are the exact types of food we want to avoid when we are trying to get to a healthier body state. It's time to snap out of it! You don't need all of those extra calories, and nobody needs love handles.

Figure It Out

The best way to curb emotional eating is to figure out exactly what is causing you to turn to food and fight that specific cause. If you're eating out of boredom, get up and do something that excites you instead of watching another rerun. If stress has you sneaking sweets, consider taking some time for yourself to help you unwind. If it's sadness, seek out other people to talk to about your pain-true friends will gladly lend a shoulder and an ear when you need a good cry, and great therapists are available for deeper traumas.

Stop It

With any of the causes of emotional eating, exercise is a good solution to boost your helpful hormones and increase your brain's stimulation. Drink a glass of water, do a few squats, and see if you are still hungry before you eat. Be mindful of what you put in your body and when. It doesn't hurt to schedule meals if you're going through a particularly rough spot.

Another great tool towards lowering your desire to emotionally eat is an all natural weight loss supplement. These supplements often contain natural appetite suppressants that can help control your cravings, let you go between meals without feeling as much of an urge to snack, and help you towards your weight loss goals. Obviously, natural weight loss supplements work best when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, but they may also be the help you need to stop emotionally eating and get your weight loss back on track.