I'm more a stress eater.. when stress levels hit high gear and there is food available (any food) I will eat it...

I found that exercise reduces stress and gives me a lot more overhead to eat above plan, so to speak.. so that's my primary way of handling the problem. I also try to keep calories "in the bank" a few days/week, so that if I do go over on other days, my weekly balance is still good... and if I find I don't need those extra calories, then it usually translates to a good weigh-in at the end of the week.

Overall though, as I get more practice at this whole thing, I'm learning that will power is like any other muscle.. the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.

I used to be an emotional eater and with direction I looked at why that was. Eating was a distraction from what was bothering me. I could get lost in the action of preparing food, savoring flavours, sometimes zoning out and going on automatic while chomping. It took a lot of conscious effort, but I substituted computer gaming and science documentaries for eating. I find both of those engage my mind fully and I don't have time to fume over what's bugging me. Every once in a while I still catch myself going to the kitchen if I'm emotional or stressed, and I stop and ask myself if it's really worth it, and then get on the computer instead. I don't eat at all during that time because if I start, I won't stop. Now that I'm pretty much trained to do things other than eat in a crisis, it's not a struggle. You can get there, it just takes time. I respond well to written instructions and left myself notes as reminders of what to do (and not to do), and why...keeping goals in mind and not going on automatic.