Recognize Your Triggers and Habits to Stop Eating for Comfort.

The longer I work with clients, the more I realize that the majority of us who have food issues are simply hurting in some way and seeking love/comfort. We can have a loving relationship with someone else, but if we don’t love ourselves, something is missing, and we turn to food to fill the void. Others may be influenced by alcohol, drugs, gambling, or smoking.

However, food appears to be the most popular because it is quick and easy, does not harm anyone else, and can be easily hidden. Unfortunately, we only feel good for a split second after the first taste, then the guilt sets in, we feel uncomfortable, and we begin to beat ourselves up, which leads to more eating or bingeing. Unfortunately, eating only serves to keep the emotion inside of us. Instead of dealing with our problems, we overeat, which only makes matters worse.

Only when we are physically hungry does our body desire food. So eating for emotional reasons doesn’t work because our bodies don’t want food; they want comfort in other ways. So we keep eating in the hopes of finding that magical fix that never comes.

Learning to eat “naturally” reconnects us with our bodies’ natural hunger and satisfaction instincts. This will then meet the physical need while also allowing us to find positive, empowering things to meet the emotional need. Natural eating is wonderful because it is based on awareness. You can make a different choice once you are aware of your food habits/triggers.

I encourage you to consider the times when you overeat or binge and see if you can spot a pattern. It is based on specific activities and events that have resulted in negative habits. Because once you’re aware of what you’re doing, you can avoid those triggers and make different positive choices.