Many of my clients are emotional eaters, at least that’s what they tell me. Why are we emotional eaters?
First, food and specifically sugar sends wonderful dopamine and serotonin to our brain, making us feel good. We learn that food (carbs, treats, sweets, etc) makes us feel temporarily better. Over the long term, we feel guilty, gain weight, and build unwanted habits.
Second, aren’t we innately emotional? Yes, I agree, it doesn’t feel good to eat uncontrollably when we have strong emotions or even boredom. So, yes, we need to address this but I think the bigger problem is our perspective or attitude. It’s amazing how a shift in mental perception changes everything. For example, I tell my clients to eat what they want but we start rewiring our brain, changing our palette, and improving our food knowledge. Then they tell me that they go back to their favorite treats and it’s just not good anymore. They even wonder how they liked it in the first place. This works so much better than restriction and denial.
If we accept that we are emotional then we don’t waste our energy fighting our emotions and hiding it with food. Let’s allow ourselves to have emotions, then we can better resolve them without masking them in food. Let’s take the time to address the real issues behind our loneliness, stress, sadness, anxiety, boredom, etc. Let’s work through what matters versus jumping onto another fad diet scheme, or diet supplement/bar/shake or resorting to old-school calorie counting.
Together, let’s learn about food, learn about your body, understand your emotions, and thoroughly enjoy the deliciousness of food, movement, and balance. When we do things with pleasure, it becomes a habit for life and not a mere diet that eventually gets off track.
Learn how to have a great relationship with food, love exercise, and build great habits with a free health consultation at www.HappyFoodHealth.com or (619) 876-2655. See if this is the right match for you. I do things very differently to make health a natural lifestyle and this is not for everyone.
~Samantha Hua, Nutrition & Health Coach, San Diego, CA
