Breaking the Patterns of Emotional Eating

Are you feeding your appetite or feeding your emotion?

That is the big question when it comes to breaking the pattern of emotional eating and breaking the battle with food cravings.

Emotional eating is one of our greatest challenges in the 21^st century. We have become addicted to food and addicted to the emotions food brings us. For many of us food represents comfort, safety, happiness, reward and connection with our loved ones. In fact food gives us a sense of belonging. In all our celebrations, conversations and confrontations food is there for us- it is almost the “ONE THING we can rely on- The one constant element in a forever changing environment.

But what are we feeding and how do we break this cycle?

In reality we are feeding a craving, a craving which we have been manipulated and conditioned to have. Through taste enhancers, sugars and other nervous system stimulants we are addicted to the chemical reaction and the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. For example, Chocolate releases endorphins, so we do not necessarily get addicted to the chocolate but the feelings they produce. Click here for research study  Same with coffee, we get a hit of adrenalin and so get addicted to that quick hit and boost. Read more

From an emotional aspect, that INNER craving comes from a void within us. What we have to ask ourselves is why the need for comfort, safety, happiness, reward and connection? What is the emptiness within ourselves which needs that external “SOMETHING” to fill us up?

Last week in my blog, EGO BEGONE, I wrote, “We have been conditioned to look outside of ourselves for validation, acceptance, connection, joy, satisfaction and fulfillment. And the more we look outside the emptier we become as the EGO is INSATIABLE! We can never be enough, have enough or feel good enough when we are constantly coming from an internal place of emptiness.”

When we let go of that we can return to our physiological need to eat not our psychological need. This means we return to a place of logic and let go being controlled and owned by our emotions.

In logic we actually begin to feel hungry and we can make “logical” food choices. (I know it sounds foreign right now, but IT IS possible)

FINDING YOUR INNER FERARRI 

Think of it this way. If you were to go out and buy a Ferrari right now, how much would it cost you?  The new Ferrari 458 italia would cost you about $225,000.

So if you were to spend this amount on a car, what fuel would you put into it? The best, RIGHT? And how would you treat it and service it? You would give it only the best, RIGHT?

Well how come we do not treat ourselves like that Ferrari? Making logical food choices would mean we honour and respect our own “vehicle” and make the best choices to get the BEST driving performance, RIGHT?

Making logical food choices would require the use of positive self talk like…

What will be great for my body?
What is the healthiest option right now?
What’s going to give me more energy and vitality?
Which choice will give me the feeling of respect and a sense of being proud of myself?
Which choice would I make if I were that Ferrari?

FILLING THE VOID FROM WITHIN

Next we begin to take steps towards fulfilling ourselves from within. We start to make decisions from a point of self love rather than self sabotage. When we step into a place of self love we fill ourselves from within and do not have any void to fill. We are complete and whole and take 100% personal responsibility- we make outstanding choices which lead to respect, trust and confidence. And we begin to prioritize a SELF CARE PROGRAM and create a Ferrari team to service us. This means we may

Get coached on limiting beliefs and behavioral patterns and learn to let go of the past

We let go of victim mentality

We do something we loved to do as a child- sing, dance, paint, act, horse ride- anything creative!

We get our bodies moving and exercise more

We pamper ourselves

We are organized and prepared and

We have positive, gentle and nurturing self talk and ask ourselves the magical question...WHAT DO I NEED?

When we begin to focus on filling ourselves up from within we can fill this void and break the patterns of emotional eating and collapse cravings with our own internal power.

Have a wonderful empowering week full of brilliant personal choices.

Lots of love,

Cheryne Blom

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