Bring Emotional Eating to a HALT

Share this post:

I used to overeat all the time.

The problem was that my appetite was all out of whack because I was running on fumes half of the time and hated my job.

I used to think that I was hungry, but instead, I was just tired, or anxious.​

Food was a way that I could make myself fall asleep at night or give me temporary comfort.

This is emotional eating.

The problems with emotional eating

  • It happens excessively (daily)
  • It is harmful to our bodies
  • It dysregulates our ability to feel emotions
  • We feel out of control

​Trust me, when I was going through this binge eating period I thought I was going to have to deal with it forever.

​It can be challenging to break the habit of eating emotionally. 

It takes a lot of focus and practice at the moment to stop yourself and address what true feelings and sensations are coming up.

Enter the ackronym HALT.

HALT

Hunger

Angry or anxious

​Lonely

Tired

​Here is how you do it:

​Whenever you have trouble deciding if you are hungry vs emotional consider the acronym HALT and ask yourself – am I hungry, anxious, lonely, or tired?

​These aren’t the only reasons for emotional eating, but they are common ones.

Here is how you do it:

​The key is to just STOP at the moment and think about HALT regardless of the outcome. 

​You may end up eating or overeating anyways but each time you stop to think you are one step further in the right direction.

This awareness is the object.

​This awareness is the antidote.

Learning to identify true hunger is a practice.

​Once you learn to rely on your internal hunger cues eating becomes much more natural and easily controlled.

​The opposite is also true.

​For a minute think about what would happen if you continue to eat emotionally. Where would you be in a month, six months, a year, five years? It can be painful to think about but the truth is – that sh*t is very real and it is important to realize the consequences of your actions.

​​It is all about changing your habits.

​​You are more powerful than you think.

Krista​

PS. Sometimes all you need is a guide. Someone to help you with the specifics and hold you accountable. Book a time on my calendar in three easy steps to see what the power of upgrading your nutrition and habits around food and exercise could do for you!

More Articles.