Do you sabotage yourself with emotional eating?

Do you ever find yourself reaching for a piece of cake or a bag of chips, or even something healthy like yogurt and granola, and then realize that you're not actually hungry? Upon further reflection maybe you'll realize that eating is making you feel better about a bad day or acting as a reward for a good one?

This is known as emotional eating and as this piece on AOL Body points out, it can make you break your diet and lead to unwanted weight gain. If you know that you're an emotional eater and want to figure out why and how to control the urge to nosh, the article gives a number of examples of what moods and situations might trigger you to eat as well as tips on how to avoid it.

For example, if you can't sleep you may be tempted to grab a snack in the hopes that a full belly will make you drift off. Rather than fill up on something that's full of calories, try a glass of warm milk or decaf tea as these may help you sleep. Perhaps you're not hungry but there is a big plate of tasty snacks right in front of you -- it can be hard to say no with donuts staring you in the face. The best solution is to simply walk away, or grab a diet soda or other low calorie drink to distract you from the treats on the table.

For more examples and tips, check out the article in its entirety at AOL Body.