Emotional Eating - Part 1

By Karen Dion, One2One Wellness Coach

Many of us who struggle with our weight have had the unpleasant realization that we had eaten a half bag of chips or container of ice cream after a hard day at the office or a difficult conversation with a loved one.   We may have been eating a healthy diet for the past week and are suddenly derailed, or this might be a regular pattern of eating for us.  Either way, we certainly didn’t plan to eat a day’s worth of calories in one mindless sitting~ so what happened?

This is an example of what is called emotional eating. Emotional eating is when we eat not for physiological hunger, but as a way to soothe or suppress negative emotions such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness, or loneliness. Both major life events and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating.  Sometimes your emotions may be so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for your favorite comfort foods whenever you’re angry or stressed without even realizing it. 

Whatever emotions drive you to mindlessly overeat, the end result is often the same.  The emotions are still there, but now you have the additional guilt associated with overeating, which can lead to an unhealthy cycle~ your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for it, you feel even worse, and overeat again. 

So, how can you tell if you are eating because you are hungry or for emotional reasons?  Below are some of the differences between physical and emotional hunger:

 1. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly while physical hunger develops slowly. Physical hunger begins with a tummy rumble, then it becomes a stronger grumble, and finally it evolves into hunger pangs, but it’s a slow process, very different from emotional hunger, which has a sudden, dramatic onset.

2. Unlike physical hunger, emotional hunger demands food immediately, and it wants immediate satisfaction. Physical hunger, on the other hand, will wait for food.

3. A difference between physical and emotional hunger involves mindfulness. To satisfy physical hunger, you normally make a deliberate choice about what you consume, and you maintain awareness of what you eat. You notice how much you put in your mouth so that you can stop when you’re full. In contrast, emotional hunger rarely notices what’s being eaten. If you have emotional hunger, you’ll want more food even after you’re stuffed.

4. Emotional hunger often demands particular foods in order to be fulfilled. If you’re physically hungry, even carrots will look delicious. If you’re emotionally hungry, however, only cake or ice cream or your particular preferred indulgence will seem appealing.

5. Emotional hunger often results in guilt or promises to do better next time. Physical hunger has no guilt attached to it because you know you ate in order to maintain health and energy.

6. Emotional hunger results from some emotional trigger. Physical hunger results from a physiological need.

In part 2 of this series, I will offer you some questions that will help you determine to what extent emotional eating is a problem for you, and in part 3 I will offer some ways in which you can overcome emotional eating.