Emotional eating doesn’t have to be something negative – it’s really about the way that you process the emotions that lead to your emotional eating. I think we need to reconsider what emotional eating means to us. Let’s unpack the emotions behind emotional eating and strategize ways to survive any scenario where you might be more inclined to eat emotionally.

 

Survive Any Scenario or Situation Without Emotional Eating by:

1. What comes up for you?
2. Strategize to be successful
3. What are you looking for?

 

Learned Behaviors and Emotional Eating

Your learned behaviors, such as that glass of wine after a long day of work or overeating at a family function, contribute to your emotional eating habits. Food is very much connected to your emotions, but that doesn’t have to limit what you eat. 

I think it’s really important that you learn to process your emotions in a healthy way. That way, you can figure out whether you’re eating because you’re not processing your emotions or whether you’re eating because you are and you’re enjoying the experience.

It’s all about driving a positive response. Do you enjoy the wine or do you feel driven to drink the wine? When you have an emotional response, I encourage you to unpack the emotions you’re having behind it.

 

Strategize for Success

Some of the most common scenarios that lead to emotional eating are a lack of sleep, alcohol, naturally lower dopamine, or increased stress. But these scenarios don’t have to define your emotional food response.

It’s important to come up with a strategy to help you survive any scenario that comes your way. First, I want you to think of a scenario where you know you eat emotionally - what emotions come up for you? 

Then, I want you to develop of plan or strategy to help you process those emotions and work through them without turning to food. Finally, I want you to ask yourself what you’re looking for in the scenario. What is your most desired outcome?

I’d love it if you created a strategy for one scenario where you know you turn to emotional eating. What comes up for you? It would be great if you could share your strategy in the comments on the episode page!

 

In This Episode 

• How your learned behaviors and habits lead to emotional eating [0:45]
• How to use your emotions to drive a positive response [2:45]
• Some examples of specific scenarios that can lead to emotional eating and strategies to cope [8:00]
• The importance of a strategy and plan to prepare for specific scenarios [14:00]
• Why you need to abandon all-or-none thinking and perfectionism [22:00]

 

Quotes

“The strategy is being very intentional and putting yourself in control to make the decision based on a feeling that is very self-serving. If you’re on edge and you create the learned behavior to pour wine, not so great. But, if you are feeling like wine is part of your life and you love to enjoy a glass, it makes you excited, put it in there and have your wine. Let’s go ahead and use your emotions that will drive you in a positive way to create the cognitive relationship with your food, your body, your other relationships.” [1:51]

“How do we strategize? We have a plan for [any scenario that comes up]. We have a plan and then we give ourselves grace for it.” [14:01]

“Many of us get really anxious about the idea that we might get hungry, but this is what you have to remember. Hunger is not an emergency, it’s going to be fine. The sensation of hunger brain could be uncomfortable if you get really hungry, but it’s okay nothing is wrong. Everything will be fine. We can proceed from there.” [19:06]

“When we think about the emotional eating piece, I like to say that emotional eating is not a bad thing, it’s not our fault. The idea is that when it starts to lead to the negative impact on the relationship with ourselves, our food, our body, our exercise, and others, that’s when we have to intervene.” [23:42]

 

Resources

Optimizing GLP-1 Weight Loss Program. Learn more HERE.

31 Days of FIT. Learn more HERE.

Muscle Maintenance During Fat Loss. Waitlist HERE.

Fit Woman Collective™. Learn more HERE.

Transform® 8.0 deposit link is now open. Sign up HERE.

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Ali Novitsky MD, this podcast, and podcast write-up are NOT providing medical advice

 

Related Episodes

Episode 121: Emotional Eating Part 1

Episode 114: Emotional Eating, It's Not Your Fault

Episode 87: When Old Thoughts Resurface