Perhaps you do not know that your emotions affect your eating pattern. Have you noticed that when you are sad or feeling low emotionally, you turn to food for comfort? You tend to crave ice cream and sweets when you are feeling low. Of course, some people do not notice that it happens to them. It is human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so when you ache emotionally, you turn to something that can give you comfort and help alleviate the emotional pain. You turn to food.
Food not only nourishes but also gives comfort. We instinctively know this that is why we tend to overeat when we’re sad. But it is not only sadness and other forms of emotional pain that can cause us to eat more than what our body needs; it is also during times of happiness and emotional highs that we eat a lot. Experts say that about 75-80% of overeating is caused by emotions.
If you learn how to identify the emotions that trigger unnecessary eating, it will be easier for you to stick to your weight loss program if you are at present following one. Emotional eating is one of the reasons why many fail in their efforts to stay in good weight and shape. If you know the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger, you’ll be able to control your emotional eating.
But how do you know that something in you is pushing you to eat more than what you need? Â When you think you are hungry, even if your stomach tells you that you are full, you are probably emotionally hungry and some void in your soul begs to be filled, and you confuse it with physical hunger. When the urge to eat attacks you and you know that your stomach is not really empty, turn to something that could fill the void in your soul– it could be a good book, a movie, or music.
When you crave for a particular food, like ice cream, pizza, or a very large slice of chocolate cake, chances are that the hunger is not physical but emotional so try your best not to succumb to it. It really helps to know the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger.
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