Hello love,
You’ve probably noticed there’s a lot of information and quick tools out there that claim to help you feel calm or manage your emotional eating urges.
Today I want to share why I don’t give my clients these tools. If you’ve ever Googled how to stop emotional eating, you’ve likely seen some of these recommendations pop up. Back when I was first learning about emotional eating, I read a book that suggested tactics like: go for a walk, take a shower, call a friend, drink water, etc.
Essentially, these are all tactics to distract yourself from the emotional eating urge that’s coming up.
But here’s the truth: those quick tools might help in the moment, but what I’ve found is that the urges keep building. You might not emotionally eat right then, but you may end up doing it later that day, the next day, or a few days later. You fought the urge, you used the distraction tools but your pattern didn’t actually shift.
That’s why I don’t give my clients these tools. I want them to resolve their emotional eating at the root and create sustainable change.
Some of the common quick fixes I see are things like:
- go for a walk
- call a friend
- journal it out
- drink some water
- chew some gum
But at the end of the day, these are just distractions. And it really annoys me when I hear this advice because it becomes an ingrained pattern of thinking.
I’ve had clients default to these tactics, even while I’m teaching them a new way. They fall back on quick fixes to stop themselves in the moment. But eventually, they can’t fight the urge anymore and end up emotionally eating. Then that old thought loop pops up and they think something’s wrong with them.
Let’s dive in deeper:
- 1:58 You’re not a failure for emotional eating – you need deeper tools and support
- 2:10 Why these tools seem to work but don’t help long term
- 4:42 Switching out one coping mechanism for another, or one distraction for another
- 5:06 How to start shifting emotional eating in a meaningful way
- 7:38 My journey with these tactics and what I realized I really needed
- 9:30 Why quick wins don’t lead to long-term resolution
- 9:49 Free resources and next steps
Next Steps
1. If you are ready to start your journey to resolving your Emotional Eating you can download my free guide “What Are You Truly Hungry For?” to start discerning true from emotional hunger and catching your triggers HERE.
2. If you are ready to transform your emotional eating so that you can get to ease, peace and confidence around food and in your body with a step by step process and guidance then find out more about The Emotional Eating Evolution Program HERE.
To true healing,
Michelle
Certified Holistic Nutritionist Specializing in Emotional Eating
