How To Tell If You’re Really Hungry (or Just Emotional Eating)

Have you ever stopped yourself from reaching for a snack because you realized you weren’t actually hungry? Often, we forget to check with our stomach before grabbing a bite and we instead let our mind, emotions, or the clock control us.

Many times, when you begin to get in the habit of asking yourself whether or not you’re really hungry when you’re experiencing a craving, you’ll find that the answer is a big fat no. Instead, you might be emotionally eating.

What Is Emotional Eating?

You have probably heard of emotional eating before. Many people do it, and it sprouts from finding comfort in food. Think about it. Society associates food with just about everything.

• Enjoying a good movie? Eat popcorn.
• Going on a date? Have dinner.
• Joining a get-together? Gather around the table.

Food is used to comfort, to cheer up, to celebrate, and to pretty much mark every big milestone in our lives. It’s really no wonder why people have emotional eating problems.

How Can You Stop Emotional Eating?

The trick to overcoming emotional eating, which is likely a big contributing factor to your weight gain and struggle to lose weight, is to learn to identify when you’re emotionally eating.

Rather than using food as a pacifier, learn to take your emotions and turn them into something positive. When you’re upset, get in the habit of going to the gym or going on a walk rather than going into the kitchen. The fresh air and exercise will actually do your brain and body good.

You can also learn to stop emotionally eating by practicing intermittent fasting or another trick that won’t allow you into the kitchen on a whim. By restricting when and what you can eat, you can help stop yourself from taking comfort in food.

What Is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is taking off, and for good reason. Intuitive eating is all about listening to your body and only eating when you’re hungry. In other words, no more snacking because you’re bored and no more running to the kitchen for comfort. With intuitive eating, you learn to put your fork down when you are full even when you piled extra onto your plate. This trend is very important for your weight loss journey because it teaches a very important lesson:

Don’t eat if you aren’t hungry!

There’s no reason to eat when you feel full or when you aren’t actually in need of food.

Be Aware Of Your Thoughts and Assess Them Logically

Mindfulness gives you knowledge. It supports you to be aware of your thoughts and to be able to assess them logically. It’s achieved by staying focused upon the present and one’s thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. Awareness means you’re able to feel what’s going on in your body. It means you become aware of your thoughts and have clarity about them.

Sometimes it’s easier to practice mindful fitness if you’re learning a new exercise or trying a new program. Download my free report, Top Mindfulness Exercises to learn 4 mindfulness exercises to not only improve your emotional wellness, but your physical wellness too.