Hunger or Desire to eat?
To stop emotional eating, you first have to recognize you’re doing it. Take a look at how often you struggle with food issues. Do you feel out of control around food? Do you wish you had some other ways to manage your challenges?
Pay more attention to the times you eat when you aren’t actually hungry. Analyze your habits such as having a bowl of ice cream every night at bedtime or grabbing a few cookies every time you get off the phone with your mother.
Whenever you start thinking about food, take a minute to figure out whether you’re having a physical need or an emotional one. Before you put the first bite in your mouth, ask yourself…
Is this hunger or a desire to eat?
If you decide you are truly hungry give your body some fuel. But if you’re having a desire to eat, catch yourself on the spot and ask, “What’s going on here? What’s making me want to eat right now?” Then consider how you could take care of your real needs instead of appeasing them with food.
Question: What helps you recognize whether you’re having physical or emotional hunger?
Stopping at the coffee shop on my way to my office each morning has become a habit. Not only bad financially but also for my health. Of course, I can’t just get a plain coffe…no the cinnamon roll stares me down until I get it as well. SO, I can tell this is a desire to eat rather than hunger because it has become HABIT. My plan: brew my own coffee at home, and bring a plain bagel with a string cheese stick. AND change my walking path to my office so that I do not have to pass the coffee shop at all during the day!! 100 day challenge…here I come. Thank you Linda
Christy
05/31/2011
Hi Linda, I am enjoying your book immensely and am on day 19 of the 100 day challenge. I just wanted to tell you how much I am learning from the book and the exercises.
I am really becoming mindful of asking myself if I am hungry or is there something else I am trying to fill when I feel the urge to eat. And I am making so many new, healthy changes in my eating patterns. I love the concept of the 100 day challenge, because I know that 6 weeks, or 10 weeks just might not be enough for me to break the old habits and make the new ones part of my life. Thank you so much for writing this book and creating the challenge.
Joann Shawn
09/01/2009