By Lisa Goldberg, Licensed Clinical Nutritionist

In the 15 years that I have been helping my clients lose weight by changing their mindset, habits and behaviors around food and eating, I have observed that more than any other influence, our emotions seem to sabotage our eating behavior.

If emotional eating is something you struggle with and it keeps you on the diet roller-coaster, I want to offer you some strategies that you could start to implement so you could change your behaviors and begin to stop emotional eating. The next time you find yourself wandering into the kitchen or thinking about the fast food drive-thru, try implementing these strategies:

5 Strategies to Stop Emotional Eating

Strategy #1
When you “feel like” you want to eat, ask yourself “ AM I HUNGRY”? If you are not, try to figure out what you are really feeling that is making you want to eat. If the feeling isn’t hunger, make a cup of tea, drink some water or brush your teeth. (Believe it or not, this really works!)

Strategy #2
When you want to eat because of how you feel and not because of hunger, use the acronym H.A.L.T. and decide if you are Hungry, Anxious or Angry, Lonely or Tired. Find another way to soothe those feelings rather than through turning to food. And remember: Food won’t ever fix your feelings — and can often leave you feeling worse after a binge!

Strategy #3
Be sure you are pre-pared and pre-planned for all of your meals and snacks. Always have a healthy snack in your bag or your desk so you do not get too hungry and make bad choices. Have food in your home to prepare healthy meals and take a few minutes to look at the restaurant menu online before you go out to eat so you make the better choice before you get to the table. Planning ahead helps you make good choices and if you fear getting hungry, you are prepared.

Strategy  #4
Always remind yourself what you really want. You think you want the pastry in the moment, but what you really want is to lose weight and feel better about yourself. Also remember WHY you are telling yourself no. If you remember your why it will feel less punishing. Dropping a few pounds and feeling good about yourself will last longer and taste better than the pastry. Trust me on this!

Strategy #5
Each morning when you start your day, spend some time thinking about staying mindful in regard to your choices and what you really want for yourself. Any time you eat, you choose what goes in your mouth. Practice asking yourself “Why would I choose to eat something that makes me feel bad longer than it makes me feel good”? When you make choices that make you feel good, it prevents that voice in your head that says “I’ve blown it so I may as well keep going”.

The fact is, when you learn how to honor your hunger and learn how to get comfortable feeling your feelings, you will feel better both physically and emotionally and set yourself up for long-term success.

About the Guest Blogger:
Lisa Goldberg is a nutritionist with a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. In addition, her certifications and Licenses include: Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Dietician/Nutritionist licensed by New York State, Certified in Adult Weight Management by the ADA. Lisa is also a personal trainer certified by the American Counsel on Exercise since 1994. She was the Nutritionist at the New York Stock Exchange from 2003-2007 and for 10 years served as the nutritionist to traders on Wall Street. Anyone who would like to discuss their weight loss goals with Lisa can schedule a free 30-minute weight loss consultation with her by clicking here. (Simply let Lisa know you found out about her on the Just Stop! blog.)

A Note from Gregg:
As some of you Just Stoppers might remember, I have been lucky enough to be a guest in nutrition rockstar Lisa Goldberg’s recent weight loss summits not once, but twice. I love Lisa’s total approach to wellness, which not only includes getting to a healthy weight, but also enjoying life and learning to love and appreciate yourself in the process. And because we’ve had such a good time working together and sharing ideas, Lisa has graciously asked me to participate in her upcoming 6 month online group weight loss program (for the body, mind and soul) – during which you can discover how to break old habits and behavior patterns that keep you from losing weight once and for all. Holistic Health Coach Nicole Benson will also be joining us to add her knowledge and expertise.

Any Just Stopper who wants to find out more information (without any obligation), can click here to schedule a free 30-minute Discovery Session with Lisa herself to find out more about the upcoming 6 month online group weight loss program.