When starting the Nutrisystem diet, I jumped right in thinking that it would be easy to follow the meal plan and lose weight. Well, it wasn’t so easy for me. There have been days that I have eaten double the amount of my Nutrisystem foods and other times that I have strayed from my diet all together. I have figured out that I have a problem with emotional eating. Ending emotional eating has been a real learning process for me and I would like to share with you some of what I have learned.
What is emotional eating? Emotional eating is eating for reasons other than hunger. An emotional eater consumes large amounts of comfort food in response to feelings not hunger. Do you ever find yourself eating certain foods when you are in a particular mood? I tend to emotionally eat when I am feeling bored or stessed. Ice cream is a food that makes me feel happy when I am sad.
How do you know the difference between emotional eating and eating for hunger? Emotional eating tends to come on suddenly, while physical hunger occurs gradually. When you eat to fill an emotional void, you tend to crave specific foods, like my sudden cravings for ice cream late at night. When eating to fill an emotional need, you will continue to eat when your stomach is full. Emotional eating often is followed by feelings of guilt.
How to break the habit. Recognizing emotional eating is the first step. The next step is to learn what triggers emotional eating for you. Keeping a food diary and logging what thoughts or emotions you have as you eat can be very helpful in identifying triggers. Find alternatives to emotional eating. The next time you suddenly feel hungry for pizza try cranking the music and dancing to your favorite song or walk the dogs. Maybe a warm bubble bath would be more suiting for your mood.
Leaving comfort foods behind while following my Nutrisystem diet has been very difficult for me. I have learned that moderation is the key. Trying to totally eliminate comfort foods has not worked for me. However, having them in smaller portions really seems to help. The most important thing I have learned from Nutrisystem is portion control. Eating smaller portions in moderation is a new habit that will benefit me forever, even when I am not on Nutrisystem.
I have recently made some major progress in ending my emotional eating. Are you also an emotional eater who has had success? What helps you curb the urge?
After week 11 on Nutrisystem, I am still holding at 198 pounds. It was a rough holiday season for me and I am still getting back on track. Hopefully, I will be off this plateau soon and will see the pounds drop off again. I will be taking some measurements this week. I think out of shame I have been putting this off, but it’s time.
Join Nutrisystem today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog
Disclaimer: I have been selected to participate in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. For the next four months, Nutrisystem will provide me with their meals at no charge for my honest review. I am not compensated for my participation.