Emotional eating is something that comes up a lot with my clients, and something I know about first hand…. I can’t imagine many people not being able to relate food and mode, sometimes in a good way, other times negative.
There is nothing wrong with “emotional eating” – we all do it! Food adds pleasure, connection, and comfort to our lives.
It is when you use food to numb or deal with emotion – to distract or disconnect that you realize it only provides temporary relief, so you have to re-dose yourself again and again. Learning to identify your underlying needs and tackle those things (eating doesn’t really resolve anything other than hunger!) is the key to breaking this cycle.
So what are the most common eating issues I see?
Craving sweet stuff
This issue came up a bunch of times! Here are two of the major reasons people identify sweets as a problem for them:
• Diet culture has made sweets “bad,” so even though they add enjoyment to our lives, we’ve been taught to feel guilty for wanting them and eating them. Again, restriction and guilt are powerful drivers of the eat-repent-repeat cycle.
• The second reason this is a problem for some people is why: You are reaching for sweets when you’re bored, frustrated, stressed, lonely, and so on. In other words, you are craving a little “sweetness” to smooth over the discomforts of life. And that makes sense; we all deserve to be happy!
Let me be clear: Sweets are not the problem, but they might be the symptom. Continuing to make them “bad” only gives them more power over you!
In our coaching sessions, we’ll help recognize your own patterns and find ways (in addition to your favorite sweets) to find balance in your life.
High-risk times for overeating
Mid-afternoon, evening, and late at night are common times for overeating. There are many different reasons for this. The obvious one is that you are actually hungry but maybe you don’t think you “should” have a snack even though your body is telling you it needs one. In the afternoon, you might feel bored or overwhelmed and just need a break but won’t give yourself permission to take one. At night, you are probably tired and eat to keep yourself awake instead of letting yourself go to sleep.
Are you seeing a pattern here? How often do you reach for food because you won’t give yourself permission to practice REAL self-care? We’ll be working on the core issues that drive this pattern so you can finally begin to meet your true needs consistently!
Managing portion sizes
Such a common issue – we are often so governed by calories and how much is right and wrong that we have lost our way. This particular challenge is really common in our abundant-food environment, but it actually results from why, when, what, and how you are eating in the first place. In other words, resolving your difficulty with “eating too much” isn’t about “portion control,” but about reprogramming the patterns you have established and repeated over and over. (In fact, “portion control” typically helps only temporarily then backfires, doesn’t it?).
I am a big advocate of intuitive eating – listening to what your body needs, eating when hungry and stopping when full – but that takes practice and time, rather than being dictated to by a set calorie limit!
How will you break your patterns?
One of the most common problems I come across is that eating issues are so habitual, they are not recognized as a pattern, and clients haven’t been able to find a way out by themselves. Often by the time I work with clients, they have tried various diets, tips, and tricks, but always revert back to the pattern feeling more discouraged than ever.
My purpose as part of my coaching is to help clients recognise and break free of the cycles that keep them trapped in a small life focused on food (what they eat, how much etc…)!
I take this very serious as I have personally experienced the freedom that came from breaking out of my own prison of guilt, and dieting (I was miserable by the way).
So what about you?
Are you ready to take a good look at what is really going on here?
Do you wish you could learn a whole new way to relate to food?
Are you open to the structure and support I provide so you don’t have to continue to repeat these patterns again and again?
Would you like to learn what ACTUALLY works for your unique body, that fits into your lifestyle and goals and leaves food just part of everyday life rather than something to obsess over?
Drop me a line – my 90 day programme is a great way to get results and take back control.
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