Jillian Michaels: Control Emotional Eating

Daily Dose With Jillian Michaels Jillian Michaels: Put the Brakes on Emotional Eating On a recent episode of 'Daily Dose With Jillian Michaels,' Jillian counsels a listener on how to control emotional eating and when to ask for help. By Annie Hauser, Senior Editor Jillian Michaels: Control Emotional Eating A bad day at the office soothed by a pint of creamy ice cream. Nightly boredom in front of the TV solved by a bag of crunchy pretzels. Stressful family events managed with heaping plates of gooey pasta. Whatever the cause, millions of people struggle with emotional eating, which is defined as eating because of an emotion, not hunger, every day. Experts estimate that 75 percent of all overeating is fueled by emotion. On a recent episode of Daily Dose With Jillian Michaels, Jillian advises Antoinette, whose son's Leukemia diagnosis has led her to self-medicate with food. Twenty pounds later, she's asked for help on how to curb emotional eating. Throughout all the family stress, Antoinette reports that losing weight has been tough, and sticking with a diet has been nearly impossible Sound familiar? Try Jillian's top tips for putting a stop to emotional eating and getting back on track with your health. Write a list of alternatives. The No. 1 piece of advice Jillian offers to emotional eaters: Focus on feeling good with something or someone that's not food. When she's feeling down, Jillian says she turns to uplifting activities, such as riding her horse, walking her dog, or even just relaxing and watching a favorite TV show. "I have these behaviors that I turn to, that I find pleasurable, that are going to help distract me from feeling scared, upset, emotional, or anxious," she says. "Make a list of hobbies you love and people you can turn to. Reach out to those people and establish the ability to call them at any time so they can be a support system for you.” Ask for help. To avoid emotional eating, you ultimately have to keep yourself accountable. But that doesn't mean you have to go at it completely alone. Find a diet buddy to confide in, or reach out to loved ones, and ask them to cover for you when you need a little time to yourself for your favorite stress-busting healthy activity, such as exercising, reading a good book, or getting a quick mani-pedi. "Do what you need to do to survive, to take care of your son, to take care of your daughter, to take care of your husband," Jillian suggests. "And that means leaning on other people." Know your triggers. If you can't stay away from chips and salsa or your favorite cereal, don't keep it in the house. You're more likely to overindulge in your favorite comfort food when its easily available. If your family can't live without the trigger foods that send you spiraling, keep them in a cabinet that's separate from your day-to-day foods — out of sight, out of mind. Analyze your hunger. When you're about to reach for that second serving, put the brakes on and stop to think. Are you really hungry, or tempted to overeat because of boredom or stress? If the answer is emotion, the next step is to ask yourself what's really missing from your life. Figure out which emotion is driving your eating, and take steps to solve it. Take a hike. If you're bored eating, some sort of activity is usually the answer. Pry yourself away from the kitchen and go for a brisk walk instead. If you're feeling lonely, call that friend who you asked to help keep you accountable. If you regularly eat to reward yourself, try a larger goal to keep you on track long-term, such as a massage, a movie ticket, or a long weekend away. Recover one day at a time. Busting long-standing habits is difficult, but not impossible. Each day you're able to resist overeating out of emotion, mark an "X" on your calendar. You'll be less likely to break the streak if you have a visual reminder of how far you've come. If you do slip up, don't beat yourself up about it. Instead, take a step back, and create a plan that will see you through next time. Check out new episodes of Daily Dose With Jillian Michaels each day at noon ET.