Dr. Melissa McCreery is back with more of her verbal Valium this week, talking us all off the ledge of overwhelm and overeating.  If you’ve been there or know someone who has, this post could be a life-changer. Thank you Dr. McCreery for the wonderful work you do to keep us all happy and healthy!  Read on!  (And be sure to visit Dr. McCreery’s fabulous website TooMuchOnHerPlate.com)

Emotional Eating: How to Avoid the Busy Women’s Overeating Trap

by Dr. Melissa McCreery

Did you know that one of the major causes of overeating and weight gain is something that diets don’t even address? Many women—especially busy women with a lot on their minds, overeat because they are emotional eaters—they use food as a way to respond to (or avoid) certain emotions or feelings. Diets or food plans don’t address this problem. That’s one of the reason so many smart capable women get stuck in patterns of yo-yo weight loss and dieting.

Are you…

• eating when you aren’t really hungry?
• struggling with stress or “nervous” eating?
• circling the kitchen because you can’t find “the thing” that will satisfy you?
• eating when you are bored, tired, frustrated, or procrastinating doing something else?
• hungry all the time–no matter what or how much you eat?

If so, it’s worth considering whether emotional eating is getting in the way of your healthy eating and weight loss goals.

Apply these strategies to break free of the emotional overeating cycle and start walking a different path.

1. Call it emotional eating. If you are using food as a tool to cope with feelings or needs, than call it what it is. Once you identify emotional eating, let go of the other names you’ve been using—you know—the ones that leave you feeling awful about yourself, guilty, and maybe even ashamed. The issue is that you are an emotional eater. The issue is NOT that you are lazy, unmotivated, or undisciplined.
2. If you are going to change a pattern, you need to understand it first. This is why any diet you choose will probably fail you. A diet doesn’t teach you to listen to yourself and understand the pattern of your eating. A diet won’t help you understand what drives you to the kitchen after you’ve already eaten a meal. It won’t help you figure out what you are REALLY craving, feeling, or needing that isn’t even food. Taking the time to understand what’s really going on will help you craft a strategy where you address the CAUSE of your overeating. Programs like the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ 28 Day Program can be helpful if you find that you need new tools or strategies to identify what’s going on or help creating alternatives to overeating.
3. Don’t just say no. No isn’t a strategy. To successfully take control of emotional eating, you’re going to need to decide HOW you’re going to not use food the way you’ve been using it in the past. What’s essential here is knowing what you will do INSTEAD of relying on food. Too many weight loss plans fail because of a lack of this type of planning. Make a list before you start your next weight loss attempt—or better yet—make it now. What are your trouble spots, triggers, and emotional eating cues? What can you try instead of turning to food?

Psychologist and Emotional Eating and Overwhelm Eliminator Dr. Melissa McCreery helps smart busy women get to the root of overwhelm and overeating so that they can create the changes they want and the lives that they crave. Download her free audios: 5 Simple Steps to Move Beyond Overwhelm with Food and Life at http://TooMuchOnHerPlate.com

Please note: The information provided here is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for the advice or treatment given by your doctor or dietitian. Please consult with a registered dietitian or your doctor if you have any questions about the information in this post.