Success in Not Emotionally Eating?!?!?

For me, step 1 was believing that I could do it if I had the right tools. Step 2, declaration that I no longer eat my emotions, period. Step 3, determine when I am feeling the need to eat due to emotions. Step 4, determine tools to deal with each type of emotional eating. Is some kind of action necessary or can I just sit with the uncomfortable feeling for a moment, recognize it and let it pass? Step 5, Take action if necessary. If the emotion has any angry components to it, exercise or some kind of physical activity helps tremendously. If it is sadness, acknowledging it with kindness for a moment, then doing something else. If it is frustration with someone who seems incapable of rational discussion (child or boss or external events), then physical activity and distraction help.

There needs to be a stopper between the feeling and action, a pause so that whatever the old habit was, it does not happen and leave you with a candy bar wrapper in your hand and a what the heck just happened sort of feeling. Logging food before you eat it can help provide that moment to get it back together. Splashing water on the face, getting a drink of water, watering the plants, taking a shower (obviously, for me water helps!), a short walk to anywhere, getting to the gym if possible, sitting outside in the sunlight for a minute.

There is a tiny window in there where you make your decision, and sometimes it is hours or even days before you do it (like when I would have a bad day and eat fast food at night, when I finally pinpointed the decision spot, it was actually in the morning...so for a while I needed to be very careful to make sure I had a dinner planned/in the crockpot/whatever first thing in the morning). If a trigger happens again and again you can plan in advance what you will do that is not eating.

My most recent challenge on that front was visiting in-laws, and a step-in-law treating me just horridly. No way in hades was I going to let my resolution fail because of that witch. I first attempted physical activity and distraction, which she blocked, and eventually she got to hear just the slightest bit of what she had coming (which in the past I would have stuffed in and eaten up). Obviously in the future I will press much harder to get the physical activity and distraction, because she falls in the category of frustrating/incapable of reasonable discussion so confrontation is useless, but even when pushed I DID NOT EAT my emotions, not then, not later, not ever!

I did hypnotherapy - has taken me about 6 sessions but I feel like a new person and I have really moved past attaching any kind of emotion to food.

When I started eating healthier, I had a few cravings for bad foods. I also had times where I'd be upset about something and want to eat all the things. I started writing down things I *really* wanted to eat on a list that I promised myself I would eat on a designated cheat day if I really really really still felt like eating it then. Five minutes later when the nagging thought of shoving an entire bag of Reese's cups entered my mind again, instead of saying "NO!", I told myself "Not right now, but you can on Saturday!" I know that I tend to want things even more if I'm told that I can't have them. This way I'm not saying no.. I'm just postponing the treat.

When my cheat day rolls around, I'm pretty indifferent to the items on the list. The initial want to shovel the bad stuff in my mouth is long past and I won.