Many people feel driven to eat even when they're not hungry. Often people will eat impulsively because they deprive themselves of food or use food to fill an emotional need.
Some people are so much out of touch with their hunger that they can't recognize its cues. When you don't respond to hunger, you'll also find it hard to know when you're full. The better you learn to respond to your hunger, the better you'll know when to stop.
You need to put food back where it belongs in your life.
First of all, don't diet. Starting a diet will only create a negative feeling about yourself. Research shows that diets eventually lead to bingeing which causes even greater negative feelings. Since dieting inherently ensures failure, most people who diet can't maintain their weight loss. Accept your body, get rid of your scale and clean out your emotional closet.
Determine if you are physically or emotionally hungry when you eat. If you eat when emotional, tell yourself it's OK to be upset but try to identify your emotions and investigate possible solutions. Ask yourself what you need.
Don't let food have power over you.
When you label foods as "bad" and then eat them, you internalize the message that you're bad. Guilt and anxiety feed the cycle of deprivation and over-consumption. When you restrict and deny yourself of so-called "bad foods" when dieting, it triggers overeating but if you give yourself permission to eat everything (in reasonable amounts, of course); foods that you used to deny yourself will have no power over you. Allow yourself to eat without feeling guilty.
When you catch yourself feeling guilty about what you ate or want to eat, remember that restricting yourself is punishment. The more restrictive you are the worse you'll feel.
To prevent impulsive eating, eat what you want but stop eating when you feel satisfied. Check in with yourself throughout the meal and remind yourself that you can have more later. Don't eat until you're overstuffed. Easy way to do this is to eat more small meals throughout the day.
Most people who eat impulsively try to avoid eating or ignore their hunger all day. They believe that food is their enemy. In doing so, they end up being so hungry they can't make conscious, rational decisions about food and binge. Most of us get hungry every 2 to 4 hours daily. Let go of the scheduled mealtime and find your hunger pattern.
Eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day. It kick starts your metabolism. Some people find that when eating breakfast, they get hungrier during the day but that's a good thing because it means your metabolic rate is speeding up. Increasing your metabolism can help you burn calories. Then throughout the day, eat in response to your hunger, even if it's six small meals a day, it will keep your body's fuel supply consistent and will keep your metabolism going.
Eat a serving of protein rich foods with every meal, 2 to 3 servings a day. Protein takes longer to digest, keeps your blood sugar levels normal for longer and helps you feel a greater sense of satisfaction throughout the day. Protein rich foods are included in lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, lentil, soy products, nuts and seeds. A reasonable serving is the equivalent of 2-3 oz.
Don't try to change your relationship with food overnight.
It will take time, so set small goals and give yourself a positive feedback. If you tell yourself "I need to add more fruit and vegetables to my diet" it will work better than saying "I need to stop eating chocolate." Be kind to yourself and don't expect to be perfect. Learn from your experiences and experiment with what works best with you.
The key to curing impulsive eating is to put food back where it belongs in your life by reconnecting with your hunger. Banish diets and work on body and size acceptance. Stop criminalizing food and allow yourself to eat without feeling guilty.
About the Author
This article was written by Joe Blaschke and for more informational tips on emotional eating and on how to break bad eating habits, go to Emotional Eating