How to Stop Stress Eating

Stress eating... we all do it at some point and time in our life.

But why exactly do we stress eat and how can we combat the urge to reach for sweets or highly processed salty and savory foods?

I want you to first understand that there is NOTHING wrong with you for wanting to reach for food in times of needed comfort.

When you stress eat, you’re using food to solve a problem. And let’s be real, times are STRESSFUL... we just lived through a global pandemic and currently inflation is on the rise.

We stress eat because…. well, eating makes us feel fucking amazing, and it offers a solution to whatever pain or stress we are going through at the moment.

BUT, unfortunately, eating is not going to solve your problem.

Only worse, after you stress eat, how do you feel? Chances are you feel guilty, trapped, and alone … almost like something is wrong with you. I know this because I have been there. Multiple times. It’s a lonely place.

I want to offer you some advice.

If you find that you suffer from repeated episodes of stress or binge eating, there ARE ways to help overcome this.

My favorite method is the “notice and name” game.

Here’s how to practice it ...

Just before you have the urge to eat more cookies, peanut butter, ice cream, another slice of pizza, etc. - PAUSE.

Stop yourself in your tracks.

Then ask yourself these questions:

1. WHY am I eating this?

2. How does this BENEFIT me?

3. How do I FEEL? (angry, upset, sad, stressed, bored, tired, etc.)

4. What will happen if I DON’T eat this?

5. What will happen if I DO eat this?

Asking yourself these questions can help you understand some of your deep-rooted overeating triggers. Noticing and naming your thoughts builds awareness and helps you understand that your behaviors around food don’t define YOU as a person.

In my journey, I was stress eating because I had extremely low body confidence and lack of identity. To mask these negative feelings, I would reach for ice cream, cookies, tortilla chips (my kryptonite), you name it.

IF I were to ask myself these questions early on, these are some of the answers that would have brought me valuable awareness:

1. I am eating this because I feel like shit about myself

2. This is benefiting me because it gives me a split second of numbness

3. I feel sad and alone right now

4. If I don’t eat this, I will honestly probably feel better in the long run

5. If I do eat this, I will feel like shit afterward

And what would happen in this instance? I would put down whatever I was about to binge on and walk away.

See how powerful our thoughts are? And see how powerful a pause and moment of awareness can be?

If you are someone who finds themselves stressed or emotional eating, I encourage you to try this and share with me your experience in the comments below.

Also know you are not alone. It may not seem like it, but I have most likely been in your shoes before, and I have felt (and still do) what you feel too. THIS is exactly what inspired me to become a coach.

- Coach Emma