She shared that “it was such a sad time” and that she was “in so much pain.” However, she wrote that she looks back and is so proud of what she has become and achieved today, sharing that her goal with the post was to send encouragement to others. “And just wanted to send out some encouragement to everyone out there struggling with weight or body issues or emotional eating. I feel you. I know what it’s like,” she wrote. “But it’s never too late to start improving yourself and trying to be the best version of YOU possible. It’s not a race and it’s not a competition—it’s about respecting yourself and doing what’s best for YOU.” Wilson declared that declared 2020 was her “year of health” last year, and embarked on a journey focused on wellness and weight loss. The Australian actress combined workouts with her trainer, Jono Castano, with a diet called The Mayr Method, which resulted in a 60+ pound weight loss.
What is emotional eating?
Wilson shared that for her, emotional eating meant using food to numb her emotions. But it can present itself in many ways. “Emotional eating is turning to food to suppress or soothe uncomfortable feelings. It’s using food to fill emotional needs in order to feel better,” says Janette Marsac, LMSW, RDN, psychotherapist and registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in disordered eating of Forward in Heels. “Emotional eating may be in response to stress, anxiety, sadness, or to seek a reward. While it may temporarily numb or suppress feelings, it causes distress long term.” That’s because, according to Marsac, emotional eating is a “maladaptive coping mechanism,” or a negative way of dealing with adverse feelings. “Emotional eating can stem from society trends, like food as a reward. It can be learned from parental figures, like negotiating with food: ‘Finish all your food on your plate if you want dessert’ or giving children snacks when they have emotional outbursts to soothe a tantrum,” she says. “It can also stem from good memories—like the nostalgia of having ice cream with friends on a summer day as a kid, or parties, barbecues, and family events.” She also notes that by eating a lot of food, emotional eating involves literal ‘stuffing’ of food into your mouth, mimicking the stuffing down of emotions that someone would rather avoid. “Eating can also feel like filling a void such as emptiness,” says Marsac. Adds Dr. Ling Lam, PhD, a licensed psychotherapist, a TEDx speaker, and lecturer in counseling psychology at Santa Clara University, “When we eat to fill our heart rather than our stomach, we eat not because we feel hungry, we eat because we feel empty (or stressed, or sad, or bored). Emotional eating is not the problem, but an expression of the problem, like underlying depression or anxiety.”
Tips to stop emotional eating
If you struggle with emotional eating, here are 8 tips to help you overcome it.
1. Understand the difference between emotional cravings and physical hunger
Emotional cravings can be so strong, it’s hard to distinguish between the two, notes Marsac, but these questions may help distinguish between emotional reaction and physical need. Ask yourself: Did the need to eat come on suddenly? Is it urgent? “That imminent need to eat is an indication it is emotionally driven. Physical signs of hunger are gradual, they’re non-urgent,” says Marsac. “Our bodies are adaptive and can wait long periods of time for food. Emotional urges demand instant satisfaction.” She also points out that with emotional eating, you may crave junk foods—things that are salty, sweet, or fried. “Physical hunger will crave what our body needs to function: Certain vitamins and minerals, fiber, carbohydrate, healthy fats,” says Marsac. “If you find yourself craving all the goodies, it’s a good indication it’s coming from an emotional response.”
2. Increase your awareness around your relationship with food.
“Identify the emotional, environmental and time triggers for your emotional eating,” says Dr. Lam. “Is it a specific emotion likestress, fear, or loneliness? Is it a specific time of day, like late at night? Is it a specific circumstance, like a conversation with a boss or an argument with a partner? One technique to help identify triggers is to keep a food journal. Track when, what, and where you eat and correlate with your emotions in the moment.”
3. Pause
“Cravings come on suddenly and emotional eaters often report feeling powerless. Remember, emotions are energy driven, and they only remain at their energy level if we fuel them with our thoughts or behaviors,” says Marsac. “Doing a quick check-in with your mind and body can gain insight into your current emotional state. Acknowledge your emotion. Wait a few minutes. This is a good time to implement a healthy coping skill to handle your emotions instead of eating.”
4. Practice emotional regulation skills
“Learn to notice and name your emotions,” says Dr. Lam. “Slow down and take a breath, sense into how you are feeling, name the feeling, learn to befriend andaccept your feelings instead of judging them, and helping regulate your emotions through exercises like stretching, running, dancing, yoga, mindfulness, and self-soothing skills. Turn towards emotions with curiosity and acceptance, rather than numb emotions with food.”
5. Learn to accept your feelings
“Feelings have no free will. They orbit around our lives and make themselves known throughout. It’s how we respond to them, interact with them, and behave towards them that influences our mood,” says Marsac. “Try not to let the feeling (or avoiding the feeling) consume your thoughts. It might be helpful to remember they will not linger forever and we are not our feelings, rather people who experience the feeling.”
6. Be conscious of how you feel when eating food
“Be fully present to the processing of choosing and eating your food,” says Dr. Lam. “Slow down the chewing process and check in with your body to see how full you are. Engage your senses and pay attention to the texture, taste, smell, and color of food.”
7. Try distress tolerance skills
“Make it harder to access your go-to food for emotional eating, finding replacement activities that are more adaptive and aligned with your long term goals,” says Dr. Lam. “Practice ‘if/then’ statements around triggers for emotional eating, such as “if I feel sad and have the urge to do emotional eating, I will do five push-ups and listen to my favorite music.”
8. Ask for help
“When you’ve tried halting emotional eating only to find yourself more stressed and self-defeated, finding a therapist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify negative emotions and the unproductive thoughts associated,” says Marsac. “CBT flips the script and helps a person replace these negative thought patterns with productive ones.” Adds Dr. Lam, “Build connections. Emotional eating thrives in isolation. The best way to overcome emotional eating is to share what’s going on and experience acceptance within a non-judgmental community. Consider joining a support group, and have accountability partners you can reach out to when you experience a strong urge to do emotional eating.” Next up: What to Know About Intuitive Eating
