Ever wondered why you eat more when experiencing particular emotions? Carly Yue gives us the low-down as to why this happens… Emotional-eating Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. Physical hunger comes on gradually. Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly. Physical hunger can wait. Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods. Physical hunger is open to options. Emotional hunger isn't satisfied with a full stomach. Physical hunger stops when you're full. Emotional eating triggers feelings of guilt, powerlessness, and shame. Eating to satisfy physical hunger doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. People eat for many different reasons, so the first step to putting a stop to emotional eating is identifying your personal triggers... Is it your feelings? Keep in mind that while most emotional eating is linked to unpleasant feelings, it can also be triggered by positive emotions such as rewarding yourself for achieving a goal, or celebrating a holiday or happy event. Becoming more aware of your feelings is crucial, as it may lead you straight to the reason behind your over-eating. Is it an event in your life? Every time you over-eat or feel compelled to reach for your version of comfort food Kryptonite, take a moment to figure out what triggered the urge. If you backtrack, you might find that it was a specific upsetting or stressful event in your life kicked of the emotional eating cycle. Write it all down You're now aware of your emotions and what recent events may have got you down, so it's time to keep track of them. Keeping a 'food and mood diary' is one of the best ways to identify the patterns behind your emotional eating. Seeing regular, or even irregular eating trends may be the key to ditching those bad eating habits. Revolve the issue Once you've found out what it is that makes you run to the kitchen, you can then be proactive and find ways to combat any emotional eating or cravings in a positive way. Maybe you always end up gorging yourself after spending time with a friend, or perhaps you stress eat whenever you’re on a deadline at work? Whatever it is, it can be prevented by identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings. Not related to emotions or particular events? Here's a possible theory... Have you ever noticed how when you're short on sleep you crave foods that give you a quick energy boost? There's a good reason for that. A lack of sleep has a direct link to stress, over-eating, and weight gain. There are two hormones in your body that regulate normal feelings of hunger and fullness. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin sends signals to the brain when you are full. However when don't get the sleep you need your ghrelin levels go up, stimulating your appetite making you want more food than normal, and your leptin levels go down, meaning you don't feel satisfied and want to keep eating. So, the more sleep you skip, the more food your body will crave. As well as making it harder to fight food cravings, feeling tired can also increase your stress levels, leading to yet more emotional eating. To control your appetite and reduce food cravings, make sure you get plenty of rest. Logging the number of quality hours of sleep you get per night will help you determine if this is the cause. [caption id="attachment_641" align="aligncenter" width="150"]Carly Tierney Personal Trainer Guest post by PT & Media Fitness Expert Carly Yue.[/caption]