Emotional Eating and Weight Loss: What Do You Really Need?

Emotional Eating and Weight Loss: What Do You Really Need?You can lose weight just by eating when you are hungry andstopping when the hunger signals go away.If we all ate ONLY when we were hungry, then no one wouldhave any issue with food and weight.For most people, it's not that simple.How often are you letting hunger be the guide to youreating?And how many of your urges to eat are driven byphysiological hunger?When we reach for food, it often has nothing to do withphysiological hunger. Many people have lost the ability tofeel their body's hunger signals entirely. What's hungergot to do with it?Eating when hungry should be the simplest and most naturalthing in the world.But it's not.Next time you have an urge to eat, ask yourself?Am I hungry?If yes, great!Hunger is good.If no, what ARE you hungry for?What do you need?Do you need energy, a lift, a boost in your day to "getthrough" what you need to do?Do you need to calm down?Most people live with a certain amount of stress andanxiety. It can be easily triggered. Your child acts out inschool, and you worry about their future and whether youare a good enough parent.Or you have to make an important presentation at work andyou are scared that you won't perform well.You feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of items on yourto-do list and the anxious reality that you will nevercatch up. You need to know that you can perform well, evenunder stressful circumstances.These are all needs they are just not FOOD needs.Yes food can give you temporary comfort.The problem comes when you start to experience the cost ofthat action. You may feel miserable and beat yourself up.Worst of all, you are caught in the same vicious cycle . .. . repeating the same pattern over and over again.Whatever you don't want to face will control you.If you don't like what you are doing, then you need toreplace it with a different habit.So, when you find yourself reaching for food when youaren't hungry, simply ask yourself am I hungry?If no . . . what do I need?Are you exhausted, and you need to rest . . . but you THINKyou have to keep going? A lot of overeating occurs out ofexhaustion ("I'm tired and I just want to eat").Here's another great question:What is the kindest thing I can do for myself right now?Then, go do it.Eating is far more enjoyable when you ARE hungry.So challenge yourself to wait for the true hunger and getyour other needs met more directly. You'll feel a LOTbetter about yourself.About the Author:Get your free 60-minute Audio Training "6 PowerfulStrategies to Lasting Weight Loss". Go to:http://www.Lose-Weight-Now-Stay-Slim-Forever.comCarol Solomon, Ph.D. Psychologist and personal coachspecializes in helping people stop binge eating and turnoff the drive to overeat (http://www.Stop-Binge-Eating.com )