Emotional Roller Coaster

One of the biggest challenges I find myself facing lately is emotional eating. I know it's sometimes an easy excuse for over-eating, but it really is a serious issue. Food really can bring about a sense of comfort. But food is the last thing I need.

This afternoon, after a stressful day of classes, work, homework and what have you, I came home to finally get a chance to breathe and put my feet up. Unfortunately, the only thing that seemed to help calm me down was an singles Double Chocolate Brownie Fudge ice cream.

I need to find another source of comfort.

Thankfully my guilt kicked in. After about four or five bites of ice cream, I put the lid back on and put it back in the freezer, and surprisingly replaced it with an apple. It definitely wasn't as satisfying, but I didn't have the "I can't believe I just ate that" horror when I was done. I hate that feeling.

To me, it's easy to admit that I fall victim to emotional eating. What's not so easy to turning off that switch. How do you replace other things with food, especially when you've relied on food for so long? I could talk to friends....but they can only get calls from me so many times during the day. I could read...but then I still want something to munch on. I could do homework, but the sheer frustration and boredom of staring down at a textbook immediately drives me to the kitchen.

Since those options don't work, I've devised my own mechanisms to hopefully prevent myself from falling into the emotional eating trap.

1. Chew gum. More often than not, I find that I mostly want something tasty or satisfying for my tastebuds. Instead of loading up on that chocolate ice cream, I could reach for my Mint Mojito gum. It definitely perks up the taste buds.

2. Drink water. And lots of it. I've really found that when I chug some water (especially water flavored by crystal light) my stomach feels full. Not only do I get the taste, but I also get a somewhat full feeling in my belly.

3. Organize something. Anything. This weekend when I was tempted to head to the kitchen, I started organizing my desk, which was just littered with school papers, supplies, folders and books. It kept my fingers moving, my mind focused and at the end, I felt extremely accomplished.

4. E-mail someone who understands your troubles. I have a core group of people who, like me, are concerned with their health and weight. It's easy to sit down and write an e-mail to talk about your struggles. It gets your emotions out about your health with someone who understands. When I'm feeling restless or bored, I try to e-mail my mom or a friend and talk about some of my weight frustrations, which almost makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

5. Start/Continue a diary or blog. Much like the e-mail suggestion, I found that trying to think of a blog entry or journal entry lets me air some grievances while putting some of my emotions down. It doesn't have to be anything formal or well thought out. Even just random thoughts help get the frustration/disappointment/stress or whatever emotion you may be dealing with out of your system.

6. Have healthy snacks on hand, just in case. Sometimes you just have to give into emotional eating. If that's the case, make sure you've got a healthy stash of food so you're not driven to the ice cream. If you really feel like you need that indulgence (and you have to admit that sometimes we do) make yourself walk around the block or even do laps around your home before giving in. I've found it doesn't add to the frustration of my emotions as much.

Hopefully some of the tips work for you. Those are just a few tricks I've found that get me through some tough situations. Some work better than others, depending on the day and emotion I'm dealing with, but it's a start. I still find comfort in food, but I'm learning to really ask myself why I need to have that cookie or high-calorie dessert. Trust me - eating is only going to make my mood worse, and that's the last thing I need.

If you want additional advice, here's more information on emotional eating, from recognizing the type of eating to possible solutions.