The bonds of overeating and emotional eating can be so powerful. Reaching for something to eat when you’re stressed, anxious, tired, or overwhelmed can feel like second nature. Comfort eating or using food as a reward when you’ve had a long day might just be habits that you don’t even know that you have.
Food is such a consistent part of our lives that eating habits become very strong and can even feel automatic. That’s one important reason that willpower isn’t a lasting solution and why food plans or diets don’t usually work.
If you want to break old habits with emotional eating or overeating, the key is to create new, better habits.
When you’re used to turning to food to cope with feelings, needs, or desires, the way out of this pattern is to engage new habits that works even better.
Most smart women who struggle with emotional eating (stress eating, comfort eating, or eating to avoid or cope with other feelings) make a strategic mistake. They use up their energy and discipline focusing on the wrong thing – food. Breaking free of emotional eating is possible when you look beyond the food and address the reasons cravings and overeating are happening – when you learn to nourish your real needs instead of turning to food.
A winning game plan is built on a foundation of habits that help you get what you need so that you aren’t nearly as interested in turning to food.
The first step is to question. Practice asking yourself why you are eating or why you are feeling hungry instead of focusing solely on what to eat. This helps you identify the root cause of your overeating – and as you begin to understand this root cause (or causes), then, the power dynamics start to change.
Once you understand why food has the power that it does in your life, then you can begin to craft those new habits that nourish you in ways that food never will.
I understand that my approach to overeating isn’t what you might be used to. I also know that it might sound good, but at the same time feel confusing. Lots of smart women love the idea of taking their power back from food and getting to the root of their emotional eating, but when it comes to diving in, it can be confusing to know how to begin.
This is exactly why I created a new free guide for you this month: The Smart, Step by Step Plan for Breaking Free from Emotional Eating.
Download the plan. It’s made up of small, do-able steps that you can begin to take right away. You might find them surprising (and refreshing) – you won’t find a list of what to eat here. Instead, I’ve got new habits for you to start building; the foundations of real nourishment and freedom from overeating.
Enjoy,
