Hi Lovely %FIRSTNAME%
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog and if I’m totally honest I took some time away from social media and emails and had some time for me to recharge and I feel so much better for it. It’s given me time to get connected and get into my creative zone again which is exciting as I have some great things planned for you guys this year!
Now I’m kicking off today with delving into What The *F* Is Emotional Eating? I want to make sure you lovely ladies are super clear with why this pattern of behaviour happens. Once you know this you can start to make changes and overcome it.
Let’s get into it!
Emotional eating, binge eating, mindless eating….we can call it various different names but to me it’s all the same thing. It’s using food for another reason than physical hunger and I used to do this all the time.
I actually had no idea it was emotional, I thought I had a problem with food and needed to go on a strict diet…but sometimes you can’t see the problem when you’re so wrapped up in it. This was me! 👇 👇
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So let’s break it down to basics. Food should be there to fuel your body, give you energy, give you nutrients right? 💪🏼 🥑🥝 So why do we use it to make us feel better? Or when we’re bored to fill a space? Or if we’re lonely to give us something to do? Why is coming home to that yummy snack we’ve saved in the cupboard the highlight of our day?
…Because lovely on some level…you’re emotionally involved with food! (I used to be too…it’s ok!)
The way I see food is it’s the most readily accessible drug! If I was guzzling alcohol or smoking drugs the way I used to scoff chocolate, I’d be getting some serious help. But because we need food for survival it’s become socially acceptable to eat it more, use it more and for all the wrong reasons. And without realising we get ourselves caught in a trap feeling as though there’s no way out. 😫
🍔Emotional eating can happen for a few reasons;
#1. You’re trying to squash down an emotion (stress, anxiety, sadness etc) You don’t want to feel it or or don’t know what the hell to do with it so you eat.
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#2. You’re trying to get an emotional reward from the food. You feel lonely, down, fed up and want food to give you that glimpse of happiness or moment of excitement. But this wears off fast.
#3. Past programming and conditioning. At some point in the past food was there and it served a positive purpose. For example maybe you had a bad day at school and mum or dad took you to McDonalds or the sweet shop to cheer you up. Food = happiness. This becomes a neural-pathway in your mind that fires on repeat. Every time you feel down, you turn to food. We’re creatures of habit so these things stick!
#4. You went on your first diet, totally screwed up your relationship with food. You were eating so little a day, starving, moody, fed up with being told what you can’t eat and so out of retaliation ate everything. In that moment food made you feel better, it was a relief from your strict regime and it felt like freedom…hello new neural-pathways. (This definitely happened to me)
#5. Something in life is missing, whether that be with your work and career, relationship, family, friends, social life, personal development, any area. You eat to fill yourself up because the true thing you’re craving is missing. But food will never ever fill this space not truely.
Start using your relationship with food as a guide to navigate what you need on a core level, start doing this and you’ll transform the relationship for good!
If you know you’re using food emotionally or for one of the reasons listed above and you’re ready to break free of it, reach out, email or DM me, let's have a chat! I'm here for you!
Leanne x x
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