You are often hungry, don’t you? You have a need to put something in your stomach, but you know that everything you eat is sticking on you and becoming extra weight. Well, do not worry you are not a freak, and your constant hunger is not some kind of illness or syndrome, or any kind of anomaly. Remember that there is physical and emotional hunger! The first one is when your body is truly in a need of food, and the other one is “just” a state in your mind.
Consistent track of whether your hunger is physical or emotional demands practice and patience. If you are experiencing emotional hunger, you should know how that urge can be strong. Even if you have promised yourself, “I will not overeat” emotional hunger changes everything.
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Even the most dedicated health fanatic feels attracted to the fridge, looking for something to satisfy the intense craving. So, how can we abolish this terrible power the emotional hunger has over our appetite and eating habits? How can we get back our freedom and the ability to say,” No, I do not want to overeat!”? Don’t worry we have priceless advices for you.
The next time you feel a strong hunger the next five steps will help you:
Give yourself a fifteen-minute “cooling.” Simply tell yourself that you cannot eat in the next fifteen minutes. If you still want to eat after fifteen minutes – do it. But going in the next fifteen minutes you will go through the following four steps and you will be able to curb you appetite and the desire to overeat.
Step away from the food. If you have to, get out of the house, but the next fifteen minutes do not come near the kitchen. Emotional eating often leads to “automatic” or “absent” food consumption, while not being aware of how much you eat. Overeating can be avoided simply by moving away from food. Personally, I sometimes had to destroy the food that I craved. It was not enough to throw a box of cookies because I would simply take it back from the garbage. Then I felt even more disgusted by myself. In these moments, better destroy food (it’s cheaper than psychotherapy or treatment of diseases associated with excess weight!) or throw the packaging in the bin that would not be edible.
If your hunger is coming out of your mouth, brush your teeth and drink a large glass of water (but do not come near the kitchen for fifteen minutes!). When you cleanse your mouth, you will solve the flavors of chocolate, cheeseburgers, cookies or other food that you desire, it will also help alleviate the emotional hunger. Water will also help if you mistakenly interpret thirst as hunger (which happens quite often).
Ask yourself: “Do I feel fear, anger, anxiety, or shame?” That question does not require deep introspection. The answer is usually pops immediately. Ask yourself this, and soon you will hear: “Yes, I’m worried about the financial situation”, “Yes, my mother’s words have insulted me” or “Yes, I’m jealous because I saw how he looked at that woman.” The very act of sincere recognition of emotions is usually sufficient to alleviate hunger. Emotional hunger reflects the urgent need for the suppression of painful truths, thoughts, or feelings. It is exactly like pushing your fingers into your ears when you hear something you do not want to! But if you have already admitted your true feelings, you will not feel the need to seek salvation in the refrigerator.
When you feel fear, insecurity or anxiety push it away and replace it with love for yourself. Marianne Williamson, lecturer and writer dealing with metaphysical issues, reminds you that fear can be healed by overwhelming love. When you fill yourself with love, there is no place for negative emotions. Remember a moment from your life when you blissfully enjoyed love? You did not have the desire to overeat then, did you?
These steps are simple and effective. You will be amazed how easy and fast you can heal constant cravings. We suggest you take this list of five steps, make a copy of it, and put it in your purse so you can have it with you all the time.
