This week on the Fat Murder Podcast, co-coach, Eileen Trujillo, and I discuss an urge to eat when you're not physically hungry and what to do with it when it happens. In my program, Unstuffed, we refer to this as "mind hunger" and it's rooted in an emotional need not being met. Once you've come to grips with being an emotional eater, it's important to have a process to begin working through them in a healthy way that doesn't involve stuffing them down with food. In 17 years of coaching, I've never had a client tell me they're comfortable sitting with their emotions when they surface — their coping mechanism is almost always a distraction; a way to numb or mentally check out through exercise, watching TV, eating, etc. Because they are unfamiliar with the way the body communicates its needs through emotions, they can feel scary, but they're not. It's the fear of the unknown that makes them uncomfortable. When we learn to invite emotions into our lives without judgment, we also learn how to make ourselves feel safe and secure. Emotions are our friends. They aren't always accurate truth tellers, and often don't match the situation that made us feel the way we feel. This is why observing them without attaching a story or narrative is a life-changing exercise. Check out this week's episode to learn the steps necessary to help you stop eating your feelings today.

Connect with Leslie: • Website • Instagram • Facebook If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.