What triggers your emotions?(01 of09)
Open Image Modal1. Identify your emotional triggers, the situations and encounters with others in your life that ultimately drive you towards the fridge. (credit:Ljupco via Getty Images)
Find a place you feel comfortable(02 of09)
Open Image Modal2. Try to identify any themes, of people and place that you associate with emotional eating, if you can honestly recognise what makes you overeat, even if it’s a cliché, you’ll be starting to do something about it. (credit:Anthony Harvie via Getty Images)
What emotions are you feeling?(03 of09)
Open Image Modal3. Identify the actual emotions you experience, what is the negative message attached to them, for instance if you’re frustrated what / who are you frustrated at. Is it a relationship, money, family, your job? Only by really paying some attention to this, rather than instantly turning to food to comfort yourself with, or using food to push down the negative message, or even agreeing with the negative emotional message and using food to punish yourself with. Only then will you be in a position to stop the default action of eating. (credit:shvili via Getty Images)
What's the reason you comfort eat? (04 of09)
Open Image Modal4. Explore your history with eating and food, have others encouraged you to use food to deal with your (or their) emotions. Unwittingly you may still be conforming to this. (credit:Ablestock.com via Getty Images)
Are there any benefits to becoming overweight?(05 of09)
Open Image Modal5. Be really honest and consider how overeating, being overweight in some form or another benefits you. Does being overweight mean that you don’t have to get a job, ask for promotion, does it stop you considering its possible that you could have a worthwhile romantic relationship. (credit:Caroline Purser via Getty Images)
Is it because of your social life?(06 of09)
Open Image Modal6. Similarly does your issues with food and weight benefit others, does it keep you close to them when you want to be independent. Do they like you having problems because the spotlight is on your failings and not theirs? (credit:pidjoe via Getty Images)
Are you ready?(07 of09)
Open Image Modal7. Be companionate and tolerant towards yourself, it’s not going to be easy stopping something that, although it may be doing you no good, but have been doing for what is probably a very long time, is going to be challenging, but if you really want to do something once and for all about your overeating, stay focused, and don’t let any slips stop you. (credit:Cavan Images via Getty Images)
Control yourself (08 of09)
Open Image Modal8. Every time you want to emotionally eat take a breath and pause for a moment. The eating urge is just like a wave and the feelings will subside. Use a forward thinking technique – think how in control and better about yourself you will feel if you don’t have the food. (credit:iulianvalentin via Getty Images)
Watch out for saboteurs(09 of09)
Open Image Modal9. Be wary of any diet and weight loss saboteurs in your life, they come in all forms, even in those who you would expect and want to be genuinely supportive of your efforts. If you do find saboteurs in your life recognise them, the element of surprise is often their best weapon, so just be prepared you can’t stop them offering you the doughnuts, but you can be ready to know what you want to do when they do, and not be cajoled into it because for what ever reason it’s what they want you to do. (credit:Dimitri Vervitsiotis via Getty Images)