Episode 45: Let’s Talk Emotional Eating with Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Laurie Little

You don’t have to finish a whole sleeve of Oreo’s after a dramatic breakup in order to be labeled an emotional eater. Emotional eating is actually the act of eating without true hunger. When we eat because we are happy, sad, bored, visually stimulated or even eating out of the routine of a typical meal hour… we are engaging in emotional eating.

Everyone does it so we can all benefit from deeper insight into the emotional eating world. Today Dr. Laurie Little, Clinical Psychologist, shares tips on how to be aware of emotional eating as well ways to combat it once you recognize it.

Dr. Little and I worked together for more than 12 years and she is the subject of the chapter in my book about Emotional Eating.

Emotional eating is deciding to eat something even though we aren’t physically hungry.

Decision making engages our mind in one of three different ways:

-Rational mind: We analyze a situation based purely on logic with no focus on what we feel. Think of Dr. Spock on Star Trek

-Emotional mind: Polar opposite of rational mind. Logic and reason go out the window. Decisions are made purely on our emotions often when we are overwhelmed, upset or nervous.

-Wise Mind: Using logic and reason but being mindful and paying attention to how we feel.

When making the decision to eat something even though you aren’t truly hungry, you may not be aware of your wise mind, but you can learn to use it. Start with small decisions.

For example, when deciding where to eat out. Pause and reflect about what restaurant you should go to. Your rational mind might think about the cost or distance for a particular restaurant. Your emotional mind thinks about which place has the best desserts.

Reduce impulses by pausing and reflecting on what your inner wisdom tells you. Women are more socialized to please others, so they need to think if it is what they want or if they are doing it for their spouse or kids. At the end of the day you are your own best friend, so be mindful of who you are and what you want.

Trust that you know what is right for you. Realize that there are no mistakes. Every decision is an opportunity to learn and grow. Decisions with negative results help you to grow stronger and learn how to do better next time.

If we aren’t truly physically hungry, why do we succumb to emotional eating?

An external trigger is something outside of you; such as seeing food, smelling it or hearing about it. Distraction is the best strategy to combat that. Redirect your attention onto something other than food.

An internal trigger is about your feelings; mad, happy lonely, bored, etc. Distraction won’t make the feelings go away. Instead attend to the feeling. Pause, slow down, analyze how you are feeling. Give yourself permission to feel it. You don’t have to fix it right away. Talk to someone, journal or write a letter you don’t intend to send.

Reducing emotional eating can benefit anyone who wants to be healthy, whether losing weight is your goal or not. Understanding which type of trigger is affecting you can help you fight it and take back control of your body.

Dr Laurie Little is a Clinical Psychologist at the Lindner Center of HOPE.

Her presentation topics include:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Mindful Eating

Assertiveness for Women

Body Image

Relationship Changes After Weight Loss Surgery

Resources: https://lindnercenterofhope.org/