When You Feel That You’re Not In Control Of Your Food

February 10th, 2014 by

I have said before that I do not really believe that being an emotional eater is something that you actually are, but something that you DO.

What this means is that, while you may have eaten in response to your emotions in the past, it is not predestined to happen every time you face similar emotions in the future. It is an action and you are free to CHOOSE a different action even in the face of those same emotions.

Of course, in those situations you may FEEL as though you’re not in control of your food, but the thing about feelings is that they aren’t always a reflection of the truth.

In reality, unless you are tied to a chair and someone else is putting food directly into your mouth, you are the ONLY one in control of your food. YOU are picking it up and ultimately YOU are the one putting it in your mouth. Whether you are consuming 4 ounces of chicken or 4 bags of cookies, it is all under YOUR control.

Now this is not to say that emotions are not powerful and hard to put aside, but you CAN choose to act according to what you KNOW you need to do rather than what you feel like doing in the moment.

Stressful situations can make this more difficult, but with each small success you can build willpower even in those circumstances. Willpower is limited to some degree, but it can be trained just like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes over time.

If you’re struggling with eating in response to your emotions and feeling out of control, start by making sure your meals are prepped ahead of time to set yourself up for success.

Then, rather thinking about things like nailing your compliance for a whole week or even a whole day, just focus on one meal at a time. When it comes time to eat, get in that meal. When it comes time to eat again, get in that meal. And so on.

Each small victory builds upon the last and with many small successes you’ll rebuild your confidence in your ability to control your food.

Not only will you KNOW that you’re in control, you’ll FEEL like it too. Sometimes you have to just start living it out first and the emotions will follow suit.

You are in the driver’s seat of your nutritional journey. You just have to take the wheel.