• Your emotions have a direct impact on your behavior – also on your eating behavior.
• In a large number of cases, diet and exercise is not enough to reach your goals, and to sustain your weight-loss and fitness.
• If you suspect that you may be one of these cases, then this short series of practical self-help steps can be the solution for you.

There are four parts in this series:

1. PART 1: Find out if you are an emotional eater, and what type.
2. PART 2: Learn the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger.
3. PART 3: Identify your emotions before you eat.
4. PART 4: Alternatives to emotional eating, and practical tips on how to manage the effects of your emotions on your eating behavior.

SO, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR – LET’S START WITH PART 1!!

Please answer the following questions for yourself:

IF YOU ANSWERED “YES” TO ANY OF THE QUESTIONS ABOVE, YOU ARE AN EMOTIONAL EATER.  I GUESS YOU ARE NOT SURPRISED BY THIS FINDING, SINCE YOU WERE INTERESTED ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO FIND OUT WHAT TYPE OF EMOTIONAL EATER YOU ARE?

The statements above reflect common types of emotional eating.

By reviewing the statements, you checked with “YES”, you will be able to identify your specific triggers for emotional eating:

• If you checked Items 1-3, you tend to eat too much and or the wrong stuff because you feel DEPRESSED.
• If you checked Items 4-6, high ANXIETY/STRESS LEVELS are your triggers.
• Items 7-9 indicate eating behavior driven by ANGER.
• Items 10-12 relate to eating due to BOREDOM.
• If you checked Items 13-15, your eating behavior is triggered by LONELINESS.
• Items 16-18 indicate that you eat too much or wrong when you feel HAPPY.

PLEASE SIT DOWN, AND CAREFULLY AND HONESTLY REFLECT ON THE ABOVE. DO YOU AGREE WITH YOUR OWN ASSESSMENT?

WHEN YOU THINK BACK ABOUT INCIDENTS WHERE YOU COULD NOT RESIST EATING OR DRINKING SOMETHING (AND PROBABLY FELT GUILTY AFTERWARDS…), CAN YOU RELATE IT TO ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVEMENTIONED EMOTIONS?

Now that you know whether you are an emotional eater and what type of emotional eater you are; it will be easier to take action and find practical solutions.

Make sure not to miss Parts 2, 3 and 4 of this series, by regularly visiting my blog on my website www.izettefaul.co.za.