8 Tips to Curb Emotional Eating

One thing you may not know about me: I developed an eating disorder when I was 30 years old.

The catalyst? Competing in a bikini bodybuilding competition (eye roll, I know, I know).

It’s not that I regret competing, I regret not being prepared for what it would mentally do to me afterwards.

For two years after my competition, I battled binge eating disorder and struggled with emotional eating.

I still have bouts with my BED and to this day, struggle with emotional eating. But the reality is, I think most of us do.

The good news is you can successfully get out of a stress/emotional eating spiral with smart strategies that include being compassionate with yourself and making a plan to better handle stress in the future.

Here are eight practical ways to help curb the tendency to use food to cope with life’s ups and downs.

1. Identify the stressor

The next time you feel the urge to stress-eat, take a moment to ask yourself, “Why am I so stressed out?” To break the habit of stress eating, it’s important to investigate what’s triggering your stress in the first place.

2. Clean up your kitchen

For many of us, stress eating is so automatic and habitual that we hardly think about it — we just grab whatever’s in sight. In order to guard against this mindless eating, try to keep less nutritious foods out of sight. Consider making low-calorie, healthy snacks highly accessible by cutting up fresh fruits and veggies and storing them in a glass container front and center in your fridge. Check out some of my favorite healthy snacks high in protein HERE.

3. Remember your WHY

When you’re stressed out, it’s easy to lose sight of the long-term benefits of making healthy food choices because you just want to feel better ASAP. To get yourself back on track, post reminders of why you want to lose weight on your cupboards or fridge, such as a photo of the grandchildren you want to see graduate high school or the 5K route you want to tackle in a few months.

4. Have a go to stress-routine to fall back on

Unless you have a replacement food or activity, it’s almost impossible for our brains to hear ‘don’t’ when we tell ourselves ‘don’t eat the chocolate cake.” I like to encourage my clients to meditate, go for walks, hikes, take baths or journal to help relieve stress. Check out some of my journaling affirmation HERE.

5. Make time for meditation

Meditation can be a great tool for stress management as you calm your body and mind by slowing your heart rate and breathing, says Seti. If you already struggle with emotional eating, mindfulness meditation can help you have fewer episodes, shows a review in Eating Behaviors.

6. Stop and just breathe

When you feel yourself losing control of your stress and cravings, take a few minutes to practice deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. HERE are a few of my favorite breathing options you can try on your own.

7. Move your body

Putting in just a few minutes of exercise can help ward off stress eating. The endorphins [feel-good hormone) released from moving your body and sweating are one of the most effective ways to reduce stress. Check out this body weight HIIT circuit you can try HERE

8. Busy your hands

If you tend to find yourself stress eating as a way to self-soothe while you’re sitting around or watching TV, try getting your hands moving with a fun activity instead. Just taking 10–15 minutes to direct your attention to something tactile and calming can help you forget about your desire to stress eat. This could mean enjoying an adult coloring book, painting your nails, foam rolling, knitting, coloring, painting, writing, or even organizing items around your home.

When In doubt, know you can also always reach out to me for advice or support. Rewriting the narrative around food takes time but it’s WORTH it. You CAN reach true food freedom with these actionable steps and the right support.