Are you an emotional eater ?

Do you crave sugar and junk when you are down, stressed, tired, bored etc ? Do you reach for the biscuits if work is stressing you out ? Do you crave chocolate in the evenings when the kids are in bed and you want to treat yourself to something "nice" . Do you crave sugar if you have had an argument with someone you care about and are upset ? If so, then you are an emotional eater. To be honest, I think a lot of people are emotional eaters, including myself. There is good news however, once you identify why you emotionally eat, and what emotions trigger cravings for junk, then you are on the road to recovery !
Here are some tips to stop you letting your emotions control your eating habits.

1. Write it down. Every time you crave junk even though you are not hungry, instead of giving in, grab a pen and paper and write down how you are feeling. You may laugh at this but it does work. By the time you have written down your feelings, you will have forgotten about what you were craving. Just hide your notebook somewhere out of sight if you do not want anyone else to read it !

2. Distract yourself. They say cravings last only 3 minutes ! So, ring a friend, have a bath, read a book, listen to music, go out for exercise, play an instrument, just do something to get you away from the kitchen !

3. Get rid of temptation out of the house. If it's not there you can't have it !

4. Be strong, mind over matter. Once you can control your mind, then you can control your stomach. Just say no. ! Use your emotions in a positive way, rather than in a negative way.

5. If you have a slice of cake or whatever tempting you in the fridge, just dump it ! Once it is gone you will feel much better that it is not sitting there, tempting you.

6. Google "sugar" and read about the negative effects it has on your body....

7. Drink a pint of water.

8. Think of  why you shouldn't give into your cravings. Picture yourself in three months time, looking and feeling fantastic.

9. If your cravings happen at night, just go to bed  earlier if you can !

10. If you must nibble on something, make it healthy. Raw vegetable sticks, a small few nuts and/or seeds, some fruit are all good options.

Many of us are very healthy all day and delighted with ourselves, but all our good work could be quickly undone in the evening by making poor choices when it comes to snacking. So, be aware of why you are snacking, and what exactly you are snacking on !