Weight Loss, Emotions Go Hand in Hand

Weight loss isn't just a numbers game. While calories in/calories burned may be the basis of losing weight, there's more to breaking bad habits and developing a healthy lifestyle.

Last week, I asked you whether you think fears, insecurities or other emotional issues can hinder your weight loss progress. Here's what you had to say:

• 66 percent of you think that emotional eating is a big part of weight gain and that underlying issues have to be dealt with to lose/keep off weight.
• 22 percent of you think some people might turn to food for emotional reasons, but you don't think that should prevent them from maintaining a healthy weight.
• 12 percent, however, think emotions have nothing to do with it and weight gain is strictly due to eating too much and not exercising enough.

While not everyone is an emotional eater, it's common enough among those who need to lose weight. Just like dumping a bad boyfriend, if your relationship with food is unhealthy, you need to change it. To start making that change, you need to look at the reasons behind emotional eating.

Try keeping a journal; mark down how you were feeling and what you were doing before you grabbed something to eat. In time, you may see a pattern emerge. Do you eat when you're stressed, bored, angry, lonely or nervous? Once you recognize the triggers for unhealthy noshing, you can start to replace your emotional eating habit with healthier outlets. Try these ideas:

• Stressed. If you're stressed out, exercise is a perfect option. All those endorphins are a natural stress reliever.
• Bored. When boredom strikes, don't reach for food. Get your mind occupied with something else, such as gardening, reading a book, working on a crossword or doing a craft.
• Angry. Do you have feelings of anger more often than you'd like? We all feel angry or upset from time to time. Exercise is a great outlet for all those big feelings. Try something with a little impact such as a kickboxing class (or even just installing a punching bag in your house).
• Lonely. Keeping your mind and body busy is a good way to stave off loneliness. A healthier way to deal with the emotion is to call friends or family members for a pick-me-up. Maybe ask them to join you for a walk. You can also take a class (such as a healthy cooking, photography or a group exercise class) to meet more people.
• Nervous. Anxiety can definitely have you reaching for a snack. When you're feeling anxious, find a quiet place to do some deep breathing and try to release some of those nerves. Consider taking a yoga class -- it's great for relaxation.

AOL Health has more tips for breaking the emotional eating habit.

Are you an emotional eater? What do you do to break that habit?