Emotional & Binge Eating Help

So you’re going along your day, everything is fine and dandy, then it hits you. That urge, that craving, that NEED to eat that you just can’t say NO to.

From that moment on you can’t think of anything else but scouring the cabinets.

If binge or emotional eating has ever been a thing for you, I bet you know what I’m talking about. But have you ever wondered where those nasty binge urges come from, and why they’re almost impossible to resist?

Because after all, you’ve been down this road before. Your rational mind knows what’s going to happen if you give in to the binge again…

You’ll end up feeling tired, bloated, and guilty. Saying yes to that food frenzy never ends well, and you know it. But against your better judgment, you can’t say no.

This was a way of life for me for over a decade. I’ve lived under the power of binges, and it’s no way to spend your precious time.

If this sounds all too familiar to you, stay tuned!

I’m going to show you why those urges to binge feel like trying to stop a tidal wave.

You’ll learn why they happen, why it’s not your fault, and how to finally be free of them.

Read on and we’ll get to the bottom of binge eating triggers once and for all!

 

 

When it comes to urges to binge, it all truly comes down to one thing–your brain.

Sure, there is an emotional component to binge eating. But those overpowering, compulsive urges are, as they say, “all in your head.”

Now, I’m not saying you’re making these urges up, nor am I saying that you’re crazy. NOT at all. Let me explain what I mean by this, with the help of my lovely pet kitty!

I recently moved into a new home along with my cat. Ever since we arrived, my sweet kitty has been on edge. Every bump in the night or random noise sends her into a frenzy. She’s far more agitated than usual (even for a cat!).

In human terms, she’s in an unfamiliar situation, and it’s triggering a “fight or flight” response. The part of her brain that is wired for survival is on full alert.

This primal, survival-oriented part of the brain is powerful in animals. Needless to say, when I try to comfort her and reassure her that she’s safe in our new home, it doesn’t work well. I can’t reason with that survival oriented urge.

Humans and animals both have this primal, survival-oriented part of the brain. But one thing we have that our pets don’t is the rational thinking part of the brain.

Humans have a large frontal brain. It’s the place where you store your goals, your dreams, and your love for yourself and others. It’s where you find the rational, empowered version of yourself. In other words, it’s your “grownup” brain.

So what do my cat and your logical brain have to do with uncontrollable binge urges?

You have that empowered, rational brain in the frontal space. But like my kitty, we’ve also got the survival-mode brain. It’s the part of your brain that ensures you get plenty of food, shelter, water–everything you need to stay alive.

That primal area can be triggered if it perceives a threat to your safety. One of those threats it picks up on is a shortage of food.

If your survival-oriented brain thinks that food is scarce (whether it really is or not) it sounds the alarm bells. It’ll trigger you into what we call “survival mode.” From there, it drives you to do one thing–EAT.

Here’s the interesting part. One of the biggest food-shortage brain triggers out there is good old-fashioned dieting. Restricting or controlling what you eat makes your survival brain think that food must be in short supply, so you better grab as much as you can NOW.

For that matter, food deprivation of any kind can trick your primal brain into action, too, whether you’re on a “diet” or not. Sometimes even restrictive, dieting-like thoughts (like mentally counting calories) can set off the food-shortage panic!

So you restrict your food. Your survival mode brain perceives a food shortage. It thinks you might have to starve yourself next, so it does the only thing it knows how to do– it triggers you to binge right now.

What do you think happens next?

Over time, your brain forms automatic patterns, with binging as your go-to response. The more you repeat this pattern, the more established it becomes.

Before you know it, binge urges and giving in to those urges becomes regular.

Now, let’s get back to your higher-thinking brain for a minute.

Urges to scour the cabinets or raid the refrigerator come from your survival brain. They don’t arise from your rational-thinking, higher-level brain.

Now, you might think that the empowered, reasonable part of your brain could easily override your primal brain. Surely your rational brain can recognize binge triggers for the tripwire they are, and convince your primal brain not to go there when urges hit you. Seems logical, right?

BUT, this rational-thinking part of your brain actually can’t talk your survival brain down from the ledge very well. That’s why trying to rationalize your way out of an urge to binge works about as well as trying to reason with my cat!

Not that I’m comparing your brain to a cat, necessarily! But I’m sure you see the analogy I’m making here. Try as it might, your rational brain can’t reason very well with your hardwired survival instincts.

Some people say the battle between the rational and survival brain feels like an “angel and devil” thing. On one shoulder there’s the angel trying to convince you NOT to give in to urges. On the other is the devil, prodding to eat like there’s no tomorrow.

It’s an interesting analogy, but it’s not exactly the truth…

Binge urges are not the “devil.” Your survival-oriented brain is not evil, and it’s not attempting to hurt you by driving you to eat.

The truth is that your survival-oriented brain is trying to help you. It has ONE job–to keep you alive. But sometimes it does that job a little too well. Sometimes it’s strategies to keep you safe morph into destructive mental patterns, like binge eating.

But know this. Your survival brain isn’t out to get you.. It’s not this demon that intentionally torments you by pushing you to overeat.

For that matter, binge patterns are NOT a disease that you’re destined to battle for the rest of your life. They don’t mean you’re broken, flawed, or beyond hope. These patterns CAN be broken, no matter how long you’ve had them or how powerful your binge urges are.

And the news here gets even better…

With the right steps and the right system, you can not only stop fighting binge urges but actually eliminate them. (Really!)

There are several steps to this process…

One step is ensuring that you eat enough food to meet your body’s needs, so your survival brain doesn’t panic. Another is learning to manage your emotions rather than push them down with food. Yet another is replacing unsupportive habits with empowering ones.

Of course, it’s not an overnight thing. Take it one step at a time, and it’s important to follow the steps in the right order. You need the right system, plus the guidance to make it work for you.

But when you’ve got the right support and the right system, magic starts to happen!

So how do you begin? I’ve created something special that will help you start using everything you’ve learned here in a powerful way. It’s a special training that I know you’re going to LOVE!

It’ll help you get a grip on those binge urges the right way, and set yourself up for the ultimate food freedom. We’ll go deeper into why these urges happen, and what you can do to take back your power over them once and for all.

Click the link below and get access to everything you need to start on your journey to Food Freedom Forever!

Now, once you’ve got that training, leave me a comment and tell me what you think about all this…

Have you ever been hit by those uncontrolled binge urges, and how did my explanation here land with you?

Leave me a comment, share your thoughts, and let me know how my team and I can support you!

I remember when I first came across the term “Binge Eating”. It was years ago while the word “binge” wasn’t even a thing.

I’d been desperately Googling for answers. I typed in searches like “I can’t stop eating,” and “how to control cravings.” Then I stumbled across something called “binge eating disorder” in my search.

I was like, What the hell is that?! Honestly, I was shocked to find out that this was even a thing.

So of course I clicked on the results. Then I read through the list of signs and symptoms of this “binge eating disorder” thing. With every single indicator on the list, I kept saying, “this is me.”

It was the very first time I felt like there was someone out there who might get what I was going through. For the first time in my life, I felt understood. That was the plus side.

But the flip side? Tremendous amount of fear followed. My mind was overflowing with doomsday thoughts such as…

Do I have an eating disorder? Am I gonna have to go to treatment? Does this mean there’s something wrong with me? What do I do now? Is there a way out?!

This “binge eating disorder” thing was an unsettling discovery, on the one hand.

But finding out about it did send me on a journey to find some real answers for myself.

And find them, I DID. But the answers weren’t quite what I was expecting, either….

Today, I’m sharing my binge eating discoveries with you. I’m doing this not only so you can get clearer about where you stand, but also move toward food freedom for yourself!

Disclaimer: I’m not here to make a medical diagnosis. I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. But I have had a lot of experience in the binge eating space. I’ve healed my struggle, and have helped thousands of women heal themselves, too.

I’m here to help you eliminate some of the confusion around binge eating. I want to help you become more aware of your current body-food relationship, so you can take the steps to break FREE.

Watch the video below I reveal how to know if you’re actually binge eating. We’ll get into what binge eating is, and how to know if you’re in eating disorder territory (or not). I’ll break down the definitions, then I’ll show you a step-by-step way to break free from your struggle with food for good.

 

 

Now, before we start, l want you to know one important thing. No matter where you fall in the binge eating disorder categories, you are not broken.

Even if you read this and end up convinced that you’re a binge eater, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. It doesn’t mean you’re destined to struggle with food forever, either.

So with that in mind, let’s get down to what binge eating is all about.

There is a lot of clinical criteria to officially diagnose Binge Eating Disorder. One of them is that to be true “binge eating,” you have to consume a certain large amount of food, and several times per week.

For this blog, I’m not talking about medical diagnosis. To me, it’s not the criteria you check off it’s the feeling and energy behind you eating that determines a binge.

“Binging,” by our definition, implies a compulsive feeling. It’s that trigger that sets you off, and once you start, it takes over. It’s a feeling that you’re not in control anymore, and some unknown force is making you eat uncontrollably.

I’m not talking about a momentary desire for a piece of chocolate, a cookie, or a pizza night. This is wanting a special treat, and allowing yourself to have it.

Wanting, say, a burger, ordering it, and eating every bite because it was tasty? That might be a bit of overeating, but it’s not binge eating.

What would be binge eating, by our definition?

A binge is driven by a compulsion. It’s an aggressive urge in your mind for that said burger. As in you have to have it NOW, and you most likely consume it ravenously when you get it.

Binge eating is eating with such ferocity that you lose touch with your body. It’s almost an unconscious thing. It feels like you’re eating from a place of compulsion instead of conscious enjoyment.

Then when it’s over, you don’t feel full or satiated. There’s no warm-bellied, satisfied feeling, just the desire to keep eating.

You might even feel this drive for more food, whether you’re hungry or not.

This is getting into binge territory.

So where do these compulsive urges come from?

For some people, compulsive urges stem from emotions and traumas. For others, they’re simply the body’s response to some sort of deprivation.

What constitutes “deprivation” here?

Think of things like strict dieting. Or thinking like a dieter, doing things like obsessively counting calories. Even circumstantial food restrictions (like being in quarantine, for instance) can trigger binges.

Once these restrictive actions start, they keep going. From there, your brain and body create binge eating patterns. Then those patterns keep repeating–and losing control with food becomes a regular thing.

Regardless of the reason, binge patterns are easy to establish. They sometimes happen before you know what hit you, too.

But here’s the most important part. Having these behavioral patterns does NOT mean that you have a disease. It doesn’t mean that you’re broken. It also doesn’t mean that you’re destined to struggle with food until the end of time.

All it means is that somewhere along the way, you started binging, and kept binging. And your body and brain made it easy for you to continue.

So if you discover that you’re leaning toward binging (or are already there), what do you do about it? Here’s what I have to say on that…

Traditional eating disorder therapy does have some beautiful aspects. If you feel like this kind of treatment would help you, then consider it. I’m not here to knock traditional therapy.

And I will ALSO say this…

In my experience, most mainstream methods are a little on the old-school side. They teach some outdated ideas, like binge eating disorder is a disease. A disease that you’ll only be able to manage, but something that will never go away.

I can tell you for certain that this is NOT true. Through my personal journey, and the thousands of women that we’ve helped, I know that binge eating CAN go away.

Now, it’s not necessarily easy. It’s definitely a challenge to heal yourself on your own. For best results, you need support, guidance, and a proven step-by-step system. A system that takes you from where you are to where you want to be, and in the most effective order.

If those binge urges feel compulsive and out of control for you, there IS hope. If you feel like there’s something inside that is driving you to eat but you can’t quite put your finger on it, we can help!

You don’t have to struggle anymore. We are here for you! Right now, we have a special opportunity for you to get a little personalized help, too.

My coaching director and I have opened up our calendars for a host of FREE 1:1 calls. So if you don’t know what your next step is and you’re ready to get some real help, grab a spot while they’re still available!

Here’s what you’ll get…

This call will give you clarity on where you are now. We’ll help you uncover why you’re struggling, and give you a personalized plan to stop that struggle.

We’ll help you determine your next best steps, whether that be working with us or something else altogether.

These spots are going quickly, so get on this one fast! Check out the calendar and book your call TODAY by clicking the image below!

So just a reminder. You are NOT broken. You are not going to struggle forever with this. I promise, you have everything you need to get to the other side of this. You just might need a little help. That’s where we come in!

Check out the calendar and book your call while they’re still available. We can’t wait to help you get on the path to Food Freedom Forever!

I believe in you, I’m sending lots of love, and we’ll see you on the next post!

I’m here today with a BIG confession that might shock you. So here goes…

I still emotionally eat.

Yes, you read that correctly

Emotional eating is still a part of my life, even after beating binge eating. BUT… it’s not the kind of “emotional eating” that you think it is.

I’ve got a bold statement for you that is VERY contrary to popular opinion: emotional eating isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Believe me, I get why you might think I’m crazy for even saying this. After all, I know how devastating it can be to stuff down your feelings with food.

As you already know I was on an emotional and physical rollercoaster with food for over a decade. Emotional eating, as most of us know it, RULED MY LIFE.

Things are highly different for me now.

These days I have a free, easy, and fulfilling relationship with food. Believe it or not, that relationship includes what some might call emotional eating.

I’m sure you’re wondering how can anyone find food freedom and still emotionally eat.

Isn’t that whole “eating your feelings” thing exactly what keeps you stuck in binge eating misery?

NOT necessarily

The key is knowing that there is more than one way that emotions affect your appetite.

One way supports you, the other keeps you stuck in a place where food wreaks havoc on your life.

Watch the video below to find out why everything you’ve ever heard about emotional eating isn’t entirely correct–AND how to use this information to change how you relate to food!

You’ll learn the difference between the two types of emotional eating.

Then I’ll show you how to free yourself from the not-so-good version of it once and for ALL — and put the supportive version to work for you!

Ready? Let’s talk about how to use your emotions to create an amazing relationship with food rather than a miserable one…

 

 

As of this writing, the Coronavirus pandemic is still in effect. I’m guessing that you’ve got a lot on your mind now, as we all do. We’re stressed out, anxious, overwhelmed, even bored. All these intense emotions could drive anyone to the cabinets in search of a break.

So “emotional eating” is a thing for a lot of us right now and I get it. It is even worse if the struggle with food has ever been a thing for you.

Binging to bury my feelings was once a WAY of life for me. I battled it for over a decade, from my mid-teens to my mid-20s, and let me tell you–it wasn’t pretty and it honestly felt like I was always in a battle with myself.

All those years, I tried every diet there was, hoping they would put an end to those painful cravings and binges. But all dieting did was pour fuel on the binge eating fire.

Then I began to wonder if my uncontrolled binging was a purely emotional thing. Maybe I binged because I was an emotional wreck, and needed a ton of inner healing to make it stop. So off I went to therapy…

After diving head first into traditional therapy, I quickly learned two things. First, inner healing and emotional work does help. BUT second, it also doesn’t take you all the way to food freedom, either.

During this time, I also discovered that I had a preconceived belief that ANY eating based on emotions was a BAD thing. Period.

I believed that if I EVER chose food based on emotions instead of just hunger, there was something wrong with me. Surely it had to mean that I was an emotional eater, and I needed more inner healing and therapy before I’d be free, right?

Turns out that I wasn’t seeing the entire picture about food and feelings.

What did I ultimately discover about food and emotions you ask?

I learned that there’s a difference between supportive emotional eating and unsupportive emotional eating. One is energizing and grounding. The other is draining and exhausting.

Let me break them both down here for you:

Unsupportive emotional eating means numbing out your emotions with food. It’s grabbing a snack when the stress, sadness, fear, or anxiety is too much. It’s disconnected, unconscious, and reactive. We’re talking about things like grabbing a cookie when you’re emotionally triggered. Or numbing out in front of the TV with a bag of chips so you forget your troubles.

This is the default definition. But there IS a second option, and here it is:

Supportive emotional eating is different. It’s based on connecting to your body. It’s checking in with yourself and determining how you want to feel. Then, it’s about making a food choice that supports the emotions you want to feel.

Want a clear picture of the difference between the two?

Let’s look at a few examples so you know what I mean, starting with one from my own life.

One morning a while back, I woke up feeling groggy, exhausted, and way out of sorts. I needed to lift my spirits and energize my body (and fast!). I knew that to feel the way I wanted to feel, I needed something green and energizing, like a raw food filled smoothie. Something that would make me feel energized, grounded, and human again.

Technically speaking, I made an emotional decision about what to eat. If you called that “emotional eating,” you’d be right! But this kind of emotional eating is healthy and supportive. It comes from a place of connection instead of compulsion.

So what might supportive emotional eating look like for you? Here’s another example:

Say you’re out with your friends for a fun dinner. Before you order, you decide to check in with yourself, and decide what you want from this dining out experience. There are a few different ways this scenario could go…

Maybe you know you’ve got a crazy schedule the next day. So with this in mind, you choose a meal that will leave you feeling energized not only now, but for the next day too.

Then again, you might just want to enjoy time with your friends, have some of your favorite food, and chill out. In this case, you choose to order those tacos or have a margarita–and allow yourself to enjoy every moment of it. Because connection and fun are your main objectives.

BOTH decisions are emotionally-based. But they’re based on the emotions that you want to feel, not the emotions that you want to squelch. You’re staying connected to your body. You’re making a choice based on what you do want, not what you don’t.

Here’s the bottom line:

Supportive emotional eating is about the experience you want to have, both during and after the meal. It’s a choice you make from a place of connection to the moment, and consideration for the future.

Unsupportive emotional eating is disconnected. It’s automatic and habitual. There’s no connection, no presence, and no honoring yourself. (Definitely no thought of the food hangover that might happen as a result!)

These are two different worlds, both rooted in emotion. But one is way more conducive to a happy relationship with your body and your food.

So what’s the secret to making the most of supportive emotional eating in your life?

Before you make ANY food choice, check in with yourself FIRST. It doesn’t matter where you are. You could be at home on quarantine, back at work, or out for a post-lockdown celebration dinner with friends. Know how you want to feel, and choose your food to support those feelings.

Connect with yourself, and figure out what you want, both physically and emotionally. Then make a food choice that will support how you want to feel, both now and in the immediate future.

Sure, circumstances aren’t always perfect. You might not always have all the food options in the world (especially in the quarantined world!). That’s OK. Just do your best with what you have. This way, food becomes your friend rather than your scapegoat.

That is emotional eating at its finest!

After seeing the difference between the two, I bet it’s easy to see why emotional eating might not be so bad after all! The main key is distinguishing between the two types, staying connected to yourself, and making the most supportive food choice you can in every moment.

I made you a FREE 20-minute training that will show you how to stop overeating while stuck at home. Click the link below and get this training now! You’ll learn how to recognize unsupportive emotional eating. Then you’ll learn how to shift to a space of supportive food choices based on how you want to feel.

You’ll learn tips and tricks that will support you in these times, AND that you can take with you for the rest of your life. It’s a huge win-win!

So grab that training and learn how to take back your power with food while on lockdown and beyond! Get instant access at the link below.

Until next time, stay safe, stay strong, and be well, and we’ll see you in the next post!

Eat less, lose weight. Eat more, gain weight.

Simple enough, right?

You know the old-school wisdom as well as I do. Ugh, bye Felicia!

Well, I bet that whoever came up with those rules is stuck in 1982 AND probably never dealt with a worldwide lockdown. A lockdown with millions of people stuck in their homes, surrounded by tempting snacks 24/7.

If you struggle with food, being stuck at home with a cabinet full of snacks can trigger some serious anxiety eating. (And in a far bigger way than your everyday treat temptations!) So much for that “eat less” thing, right?

Now, here’s an idea that is so counterintuitive that you might think I’m crazy. But I’m going to share it anyway because it’s kind of a big deal.

What if I told you that the secret to balancing your cravings and the constant desire for food was actually to eat more food?

I know this might sound ridiculous on all levels.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating dieting, restricting food, or trying to control your eating or not control your eating with the end goal of “eating less” in mind, nor am I saying that “eating less” is the answer.

The truth is that there are many surprising benefits to eating more food. One of them, believe it or not, is that your body will begin to tell you what it wants and needs instead of continually driving you to eat more more more.

In this video, you’ll first learn the 5 signs that your brain is secretly triggering you to eat more food. Then, you’ll learn how to shift things so you can work WITH your brain and body instead of against it!

Best of all, you’ll learn to do this without controlling or restricting your food!

When we’re done, you’ll experience less snacking, less grazing, and fewer cravings. (Especially when you’re stuck at home with all those snacks around).

Watch the video below to learn how to eat more, want less, and feel amazing!

 

 

So I bet this is a familiar story…

You’re dieting. You’re restricting and controlling every bite you eat. Basically, your day is filled up with grazing and those “mini-meals” to help you lose weight.

But what does this constant calorie-cutting and food focus do to your brain?

It makes your brain hit the panic button. It gets the message that you’re not eating enough to support your system, and it triggers you to seek out food. Immediately. We call this state “survival mode.” It’s the number one reason why diets fail.

So what’s the solution? To ensure that your brain and body stay out of this “survival mode,” do one simple thing.

Eat more food throughout the day.

Now, let’s be clear. By “more food,” I don’t mean to gorge on pizza from dawn to dusk! I mean eating more satisfying meals. Meals that leave you satiated and satisfied. I’m NOT talking about a “mini-meal” of an apple and 5 almonds that you might’ve read about in Cosmopolitan magazine. I mean a real, genuine, grounding meal.

(BTW, let me tell you, I have never in my entire life been satisfied by an apple and 5 almonds. That is NOT a meal by anyone’s definition! But I digress…)

So get yourself a real meal. This means enough nourishing food to feel grounded, satisfied, and empowered. This is a boon for your brain and body throughout the day just from a nutritional standpoint. But there’s also something surprising (and awesome!) that happens the more you practice it…

The more you support yourself with adequate food, the more your brain and body trust you. Your brain no longer fears that you’ll let yourself starve, so it stops hitting you with desperate cravings to make you eat.

When you build that trust, that’s when the magic starts to happen!

We’re talking fewer food-focused thoughts. Fewer cravings. No more frantic triggers to eat. You build a beautiful, symbiotic relationship with your brain and body. There’s no more “survival mode” necessary. Your brain and body know you’re there for them.

Speaking of survival mode…

Want to know for sure if your brain is secretly triggering you to eat (even if you’ve stopped dieting)?

Keep reading, I’ve listed the main 5 signs that your brain is secretly triggering you to eat more food. I promise, if you’re feeling 2 or more of them, you’re most likely in survival mode–and you might not even know it.

Here are the 5 signs that your brain is trying to make you eat more food:

#1: You think about food. A LOT. In fact, you have to actively try not to think about it. What you had for breakfast, whether it was “healthy,” what you’re going to eat next, what you’re not going to eat, what you “can’t” eat…you get the idea.

#2: You turn to food for comfort. Whether it’s heightened emotions, stress, overwhelm, boredom, or you just don’t know what to do, you go to the cabinet for comfort. Food is always your go-to when things get rough.

#3: Once you get the “forbidden treat,” you can’t stop. The moment you let yourself have a bite of a trigger food, the floodgates open. You keep eating and you can’t stop.

#4: You have cravings that you can’t control. I’m not talking about an occasional pang for some chocolate. I mean those crazy food-driven thoughts that you can’t stop. The thoughts that lead you to lose control with food. Those thoughts that push you to eat things just because they’re there (like all those quarantine snacks!)

#5: You have an autopilot urge to eat. I’m talking about that compulsive urge to eat. The one that comes out of nowhere, that almost feels like it’s not really you. You get a feeling that something takes over you, and this unknown force drives you to keep eating.

So do any of these sound like you?

If two or more of these signs sound familiar, your brain is most likely triggering you to eat. It’s also likely that your brain has been doing this without your conscious awareness, too.

Now, what does this all have to do with eating more food so you eat less food?

The trick to shutting down these triggers is simply to eat more regularly. Eat in a way that satisfies you. We’re talking about real, satisfying meals. Choose a variety of foods (as much as possible given the circumstances). Eat meals that leave you feeling satiated for several hours.

And when I say “satiated,” I mean you get that warm-bellied feeling, the feeling that lasts for several hours. It’s the feeling when you know that you can focus on your day instead of being distracted by nagging hunger.

The more you make this a regular practice, the more your brain and body begin to trust you. They trust you to take care of yourself, and that they don’t need to set off the food emergency alarm bells anymore.

What happens next? Your body slowly but surely lets go of the need for massive quantities of food. It starts to feel full and satisfied with less!

For instance, the old me used to need massive amounts of food to feel satisfied. Now, I can have a much smaller meal and feel as full. It’s not because I’m cutting calories or carbs, either. It’s because I’ve built enough trust with my body that it knows I’m not going to starve it anymore.

That, my friends, is an empowering place to be!

So give this little counterintuitive trick a try! When you implement this, I guarantee that you’re going to snack less. You’re going to craze less. Those cravings will become a lot less fierce. Over time, you’ll even notice that you don’t need as much food to be satisfied!

The bottom line here? Keep checking in with your needs, even during this stressful time. Get yourself some satisfying meals, and have them on the regular throughout the day. This is definitely NOT the time to diet, restrict, and stress about food. This is the time to take care of yourself.

AND, if you’re looking for support in the food department to get you through these crazy times, we’ve got you…

I’ve made you a special video to help you stop overeating while stuck at home. If you’re feeling like you can’t stay out of the quarantine snacks, this is for you!

Click the link below and check out the 20-minute special edition training. It’s made specifically for these times, but it’s also got tools you can use the post-quarantine world!

It’s a training that supports you in stopping overeating, and we cover it all! The brain, the science behind it, and the emotional stuff. Most of all, you’ll get the step-by-step tools you need to take your power back with food.

The link below will get you instant access. Click away and I’ll see you in the training!

Until next time, stay safe, be well, and reach out if we can support you!

Is Quarantine Life Making You Stress-Eat?

Are you breaking your head trying to come up with ways to get through homebound times without raiding your fridge?

This quarantine situation is still going but how are YOU holding up?

If you’re anything like any other human on the planet your emotions may feel a little all over the place…

One moment full of hope, the next full of panic around when this is going to end and what is the impact going to be.

I’ve had plenty of emotional ups and downs myself. Sometimes I’m excited that I have all this time to focus on serving our community. Other times, it’s full-out fear and anxiety about everything.

Can you relate?

Mixed emotions are running rampant for most everyone right now.

But if you struggle with food, this emotional ride likely results in one thing…a trip to the cabinet. (Where all those quarantine chips, cookies, and candy are waiting to take over your day…)

So how do you stop letting food be your go-to solution when your homebound emotions are on a rampage?
Stay with me and I’ll show you how to make sure that lockdown stress doesn’t leave you elbow-deep in a bag of chips!

Life is stressful enough now. You don’t need food anxiety making your world any crazier than it already is, #AmIRight? Or AmIRight?

Watch the video below to learn how to make food one less source of stress in these wild times!

 

 

Let’s start with a quick question: how do you manage your emotional world?

Do you have the right tools in place to manage your intense feelings when they hit you?

What do you normally do when you’re hit by an emotional trainwreck? Does it come and go easily for you, or does it send you looking for anything to stop the stress–including a snack (or two or ten)?

Here’s the typical path of a crazy emotional wave that triggers a trip to the fridge:

An emotion erupts in your body. The spiral ensues, and you feel that gut-punch that you just can’t stop. That’s the part everyone knows. But here’s where it gets interesting…

More often than not, just when that emotional peak is about to come down (it takes about 7-15 minutes), your turmoil wins and you find yourself going for the nearest available snack.

The key to stopping the emotional tidal wave (without grabbing a snack) is something that I call being with and releasing. It’s about first being with and processing your emotions, then releasing them in a healthy way.

There are proactive parts of this process and reactive steps, and I’ll show you how to use them both. That way, you can handle emotional outbursts when they hit you, and take action to prevent them from blindsiding you again.

Where do I start you ask? Let’s dive into that.

The most important step when a heightened emotion hits you – let’s call it “Step Zero”. It’s an easy way to get centered NOW and stop any scary emotion in its tracks. (Think of this as the very least you need to do when you’re struck by a wild and crazy feeling.)

Step Zero: If you find yourself in a place of extreme emotional overwhelm, don’t push that feeling down. Simply acknowledge that emotion. Be honest if you’re scared, overwhelmed, angry, or whatever it may be. It’s 100% OK.

Feeling emotions is normal. What makes them spiral out of control is the stories you create around those emotions. I’m talking about the crazy things that run through your head when the triggers hit.

For example, tell me if any of these thoughts have run through your locked down and homebound mind lately…

What if we run out of food? What if I go to the grocery store and get sick? What if I get the kids sick? What if we run out of money? What if this lockdown thing goes on for months?

This kind of ruminating actually creates more anxiety. So do your best to disconnect from those scary mental stories. Focus on the feeling itself, not the stories your mind makes up about it. Let the feeling move through you, and be on its way. And of course, do your best to just breathe.

Step One: Then, when your center begins to return, remember one important detail. That emotional wave does not represent the real, powerful version of you. Reassure that part of yourself that is feeling scared that everything is going to be OK. Do this as best as you can.

Step Two: So you’ve stopped the emotion in its tracks and let it move through you. What can you do next to get yourself more grounded and empowered?

This is when you ask yourself: What do I need right now? And do that 🙂

Now, on to the more proactive steps to set yourself up for peace with food during lockdowns (or any time, really!). Grab a pen and paper, and let’s have a little fun with this part.

First: List the things that chill you out. First, brain dump a list of all the things that bring you that calm, grounded, peaceful feeling. It could be anything–meditation, yoga, a whiff of a favorite essential oil, or even a simple deep, cleansing breath.

Make a list of everything that helps you feel grounded, and use it to center yourself even further as you process challenging emotions.

One thing I like to do when I’m stressing is simply to bring awareness into the present moment. By this I mean dropping from my head into my body, becoming aware of my physical body, and grounding myself.

Other things I love are calming music and meditation apps. I love apps like Brain Wave 35, Breethe, and Calm.

Those are a few of my suggestions. Now it’s time to choose yours! So make a list of your favorite things that bring you from chaos to peace. Do this now, and come back when you’re ready for Step 2.

Second: List the things that help you release your energy. The next step is releasing those crazy emotions. You’ve got your list of things that ground you. Now it’s time to list the things that help you get that stressful energy out of your body.

Think of slightly more active things, like having a dance party, or playing in the backyard with the kids. Maybe going for a run or jumping on a trampoline. It might even be punching your pillow or screaming out loud in your car.

The point of all this? If you have tension, release it. You don’t have to hold it inside you. In fact, it’s important that you don’t.

Grab your pen and paper again and make a second list. This time put down the active things you can do to release the tension. Make sure to include active things that are fun for you.

Do this now, and we’ll be here when you’re ready for Step 3!

Lastly: Put it all together. You have these two amazing and supportive lists. What do you do with them? There are two different ways to put these lists to work for you.

The Reactive way: When you have a feeling arise, grab your list. After you run through “Step Zero, One, and Two” listed above, pull from the lists for “Step 3”.

Pick the thing that you know will calm you down, and let it work its magic. Then once you’re grounded, go to your second list, pick a step, and put it into action.

Or, better yet…

The Proactive Way: Work these actions from the lists in before you need them. Make grounding, being with, and releasing a part of your everyday life. This is a quick and simple addition to your day–here’s how to make it happen!

BONUS TIPS:

At least twice a day, factor in a couple of breaks. One break for grounding, one for releasing.

For me, this would look like making meditations and calming music part of my morning routine.

Then later in the day, scheduling a dance break or a walk outside to release any tension from the day.

Being proactive is a simple way to practice processing and releasing emotions. It’ll prepare you for moments when the waves are high and you find yourself headed to the cabinet to grab a snack.

Ready to take this exercise to the next level now?

What to do when you want to grab food instead of doing the above:

The next time that stress has you reaching for food, pause. Remember the steps we’ve done so far. Then answer this question for yourself.

Do I really want this? Where is this desire for food coming from, and what am I really hungry for right now?

If your drive for food is actually coming from an emotional place, then take a step back. Ask yourself what you really need at this moment. Then go to your handy-dandy list of supportive steps to get yourself grounded again.

Remember, you get to determine what supports you. The biggest thing is pausing and asking yourself that thing is.

So I hope that this helped! Sure, it’s not rocket science, but it will help you move through crazy times without relying on quick food fixes.

Not only that, but these tips and tricks work wonders in normal times, too! You can use these practices to bring peace and balance to your life at ANY time.

None of us can fix this worldwide crisis right now. We don’t know where it’s going, or when it will end.

BUT no matter what happens next, you CAN take charge of your life. You can create an empowered relationship with food, even now. Once you’ve done that, the more you can move into an empowered space in other areas of your life, too.

This makes all life’s slings and arrows easier to manage!

Now, one last thing–we are here for you in these times of chaos and stress.

I’ve made a special 30-day Overcome Overeating Challenge: Quarantine Edition for you! It’s geared specifically to help you take back your power with food while you’re stuck at home.

It’s a 30-day fool-proof process to get you through this turbulent time (without losing in control of food)…. AND you won’t be doing it alone!

Join the challenge now to eliminate food stress, conquer cravings and break free from overeating while stuck at home

Just imagine how you’ll feel coming out of quarantine free of overeating and feeling in your power!

Stay safe, be well, and take care of yourself! We’re on your side, and we can’t wait to support you in any way we can. Leave us a comment and share what stood out the most for you on this post, and let us know how we can support you even more!