The Number One Weight Loss Strategy For Emotional Eaters

By Jill Rodriguez –

If you are reading this article, I assume you need to lose weight so I will be candid and frank. You need to lose weight because:

1. you ate more food than your body needs and

2. you didn’t move as much as your body needs. Bottom Line.

One of the biggest challenges I have faced in my own weight loss efforts and that most of my weight loss clients face is that we eat emotionally. Emotional eaters eat to feed something that’s missing. We eat because it’s harder to feel, sad, stressed, frustrated, or bored just to name a few.

So instead of feeling those feelings, we eat something to “stuff” it down or pack it away so we don’t have to deal with it or feel it for that moment. I realize this sounds strange to those who don’t eat emotionally but it’s a common strategy that emotional eaters adopt over years so that it becomes an unconscious habit.

Over the years in my own efforts to lose weight, I learned to ask myself “what do I really want?” I found the answer was not that I wanted to eat the enticing dessert or a second or third helping of food. The reason I was stuffing down was that I was not getting what I wanted. Moment to moment and day to day, what I wanted was different so I practiced randomly asking myself, “what is it that I really want?” and really listened to my answers. Here are a few of my answers: “I want to go for a walk, I want to watch what I want to watch on TV, I want a break from my whining toddler, I want some alone time.”

A common strategy to help emotional eaters is to first, recognize what we are feeling, then sit with that feeling, label it, and finally ask “what do I really want?”

I suggest that you skip “feeling it” and take action. Feeling it is what we’re trying to avoid in the first place. Ask first, “what do I really want right now?” Then take action getting what you want. I noticed that learning what I want, asking for what I want, and ultimately getting what I want allowed me to fully explore my emotions with a level head and has made me and my clients feel more empowered and in control of our lives.

As with all my Sensible, Efficient, & Effective Weight Loss strategies, this strategy requires practice. If you are an emotional eater, I encourage you to ask first then take action. Don’t wallow in the feeling until you understand what you need, but then do not forget to explore those needs to learn about yourself and what fulfills your life.

Jill is certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine since 2004 and with the American Heart Association in CPR and AED since 2004. She is also a Level III Master Trainer with Power Plate® North America since 2007. She continues to grow her knowledge base by keeping up-to-date with the latest fitness, nutrition and wellness information so that you don’t have to. Her website: http://www.jilltrains.com/.