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Eating is one of the single greatest things about life wouldn’t you say? I mean, there are so many great foods out there. What’s interesting about this is that our body gets its nutrients from these delicious foods.

Sometimes we all have gone overboard with our eating habits and it has probably resulted in gaining some weight.  We’ve all been there so don’t worry. One potential issue with food is emotional eating.

The roadblock that is considered “emotional eating” may end with the scale but it begins with a thought. It seems like stress runs rampant throughout our lives and really is starting to take a toll. This is when your defenses start to lower and your health takes a hit and this leads to another problem with your emotions.

We all have our good days and our bad days.  It’s the way that we deal with the bad days that brings emotional eating into play. If we choose to look for comfort we often choose food as the answer.  It’s true that food won’t judge you, hurt you or tell you no.

To make the issue even worse, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just as exercise does.  So, after you finish chowing down on that bag of chips, you still have a sort of a high.

Emotional eaters often use food to relieve issues caused by stress.  These eaters often hide behind food instead of actively looking for a solution to the real problem.  This is not uncommon when the stressor is something such as horrible of physical abuse or a death.

So, the real question at hand is: “How do I know if I’m an emotional eater?”

Well, the first sign is a fairly obvious one.  You will gain weight if you eat too much. If you currently have been gaining weight, you need to ask yourself these questions:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?

* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?

* Are you dealing with a problem but haven’t found the solution?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it could mean that you are an emotional eater.  You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time.  The foods that you choose are what we like to call our comfort foods:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods

* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes

* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake, and for me personally Reese Cups!

The first step, as always is recognizing that you have a problem.  You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt.

Secondly, seek counseling.  There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need.  Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits, it all has to do with taking control over your emotions.

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques as well as family support.

Visualization helps us see your problems in a realistic way and not blow them out of proportion(we get to choose how much a problem affects our life).  You will also learn to see food as proper nutrition for the body and not as much as an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family or friends can learn how to identify your stress triggers and can then be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits.  They can help you become aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and have these friends exercise along with you. Workout buddies always help.

Having a  proper diet and taking the time to exercise daily increases your immunity, blood flow and also greatly increases your positive thinking.  Yoga is another way to enhance your mind/body connection and is a fun way to stay in shape.