Before you even get started, you'll need to write down the reasons behind your emotional eating. Sometimes, just seeing them on paper makes it easier to get a handle on the problem. Take one week and keep a food journal. Write down absolutely everything that you eat, as well as making a note about your mood at that exact time. By taking this step, you'll be able to target which foods you turn to when you are in different moods. Don't be ashamed if the amount of food seems like a lot - we're going to fix that.

Now that you know which foods you turn to and why it's time to start working on the actual habit. Now, for many people food is an actual addiction, just like a drug. And, when you're combating drug abuse, especially with serious drugs, going cold turkey is extremely difficult and stressful. This can backfire for an emotional eater and they can easily end up binging when the stress levels get to be too much.

So, let's look at a food addiction like a heroin addiction. When a heroin addict is trying to quit, they go through some hideous withdrawal symptoms. In order to help them through this stage, doctors will prescribe a drug known as methadone. This is intended to work as a bridge that will help the drug user step down from heroin to a lesser drug. Once they get past the need for heroin, they are weaned off of methadone.

While food may not be as dangerous as heroin, we can learn a lot from this process. You need to create a bridge food that will replace the foods you turn to in an emotional crisis. For example, if you eat ice cream when you are upset, throw it all away and replace it with frozen yogurt. You're still going to get that benefit of a comfort food, but it's a lot more healthy. Once you find that it's easy to replace your ice cream with frozen yogurt, you can then wean yourself from this with something else that is even healthier.

By taking the time to slowly wean yourself from the foods that you turn to in an emotional crisis, you're much more likely to be successful at giving up your addiction. It's not going to happen overnight, but with time and patience, you can stop turning to food as a drug. We also recommend counseling during this process to get at the roots for your reasons for emotional eating.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-28 23:57:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• How to Keep Weight Off Permanently How many times have you gone on a diet, only to gain back the weight, plus a little dividend? For many people, dieting is a vicious cycle full of ups and downs, and plenty of discouragement. If you want to keep your weight off permanently, you are going to......
• How to Eat Out Without Feeling Guilty If you are having trouble finding ways to eat out with your friends or family while you are on a diet, you don't have to resort to becoming a hermit. Eating out is not something that you want to do every day, but occasionally, it can serve as an important......
• Roundup: First Sunday of August For weekend reading from the Fitness Health Network this week checkout these posts: How do you know if you're properly hydrated? Journal of Healthy Living posts for Proper Hydration: Clear Urine Is Best. Fat Man Unleashed asks Why Are We Fatter Than the Animals at the Zoo? A Little Help......
• Books: Get Your Motivation Back! With January over, many people will be either be well on the way to making their new years resolutions or have already ditched them. If you're part of the first group, good for you! You deserve many kudos for sticking with your diet and exercise plan. If you're in the......
• How to Eat Low Fat Without Low Taste One of the main things that keeps people from trying low fat foods is the fact that a lot of them taste, well, pretty bad. It's all too easy to brush it off as "rabbit food," and convince yourself that you need real food. However, there are many low......

• Step By Step Fish Taxidermy Fishing
• Universal 325 Step Thru Recumbent Exercise Bikes Cardiovascular Equipment Gym, Workout & Yoga Exercise & Fitness
• Step 2 Patio Sets & Picnic Tables Patio & Garden Furniture Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living
• Brooks Addiction 7 Control For Women Shoes Running Deals
• Underground Turn Off Valves Watering Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living