Find Out What You Really Crave

Find Out What You Really Crave

Is it really food you are craving, or could it be something else?

Answering YES to more than one of the following questions may mean your eating patterns are driven by emotions rather than hunger.

Are you an Emotional Eater?

  • Do you often eat when you’re not physically hungry?
  • Does your hunger come on suddenly?
  • Do you crave specific foods (often times, carbs or sugar)?
  • Do you want to eat when you’re upset, lonely, sad, worried, bored, or irritable?
  • Do you sometimes feel a sense of regret or guilt after eating?
  • Do you find yourself eating unconsciously (and suddenly surprised at what or how much you just ate)?
  • Have you been on lots of diets and put lots of energy into losing the same weight again and again?
  • Do you feel like even though you just ate, you still want more?

 

No matter what you weigh, if you are used to eating when you aren’t hungry and any of the above questions ring true for you, you are using food to fill other needs. But there is never enough food to take upsetting situations or feelings away. There’s never enough sweets to make sadness go away…never enough snacks to make anger go away. You get the point.

Problem #1: Using food for comfort…comfort is what you really crave!

Problem #2: There’s a good chance you’re not even aware of why or how you use food for comfort. It’s a subconscious and automatic behavior pattern. You may not know which upsetting feelings cause you to reach for food.

body-image-istock_000019996761xsmallThe real solution to ending emotional eating, and ending battles with your weight, is to resolve the underlying issues that cause you to use food for comfort.

Getting Real

As I have learned myself, getting real with yourself is the only thing that works. If you go on yet another diet, deprive yourself of this, that, or the other thing, or lose that 10 pounds again, you won’t be able to keep the weight off unless your underlying beliefs about yourself and life are consistent with living at your natural, healthy weight. And you’ll need to learn new, healthier ways to handle upsetting and anxious situations.

 

What do you Crave?

We make about 200 choices a day about food and we’re only aware of about 25, according to Brian Wansink, author ofMindless Eating. You’ve got to increase your awareness of what you’re eating and why. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get connected to your own body and understand more about both your physical needs and your emotional needs. When you’re clearer on your true needs, you can consciously choose healthy and supportive ways to fill the real “craving” of the moment.

If you’re reaching for food to help you handle upsetting situations or feelings, you will never be satisfied. To quote song lyrics, it’s like “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Maybe you’re going for chocolate when what you really crave is to feel respected. Maybe you’re eating too much ice cream when what you really crave is to have a friend to be there for you. Maybe you’re finishing off the bag of chips when what you really crave is to feel like you matter.

woman-on-scale-istock_000011472381xsmallYou Can Transform Your Relationship with Food

Know the difference between hunger and eating for other reasons. Find out what you really crave. Interrupt old patterns and replace emotional eating with healthier ways to fill your “emotional cravings.” Have the courage to get real with yourself and you can transform your relationship with food (and with yourself!) forever.

For more information about emotional eating CLICK HERE

Related posts:

  1. Emotional Eating Quiz
  2. Emotional Eating: The Mind-Body Connection
  3. The Cure for Yo Yo Dieting
  4. 5 Ways Stress Prevents Weight Loss
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