Instead of Emotional Eating After WLS, 10 Strategies to Manage Emotions

August 17, 2018

Weight loss surgery is a life-changing event for most people. Patients claim to “get their life back.” After the initial bliss of the surgery has softened, some patients might notice that although they cannot eat like they used to, they still have the urge to use food as a way to cope with stress or other emotions, and compulsively eat. We do not want you to lose momentum on your weight loss journey! Here are some ways to deal with the “emotional” hunger.

10 Strategies to Manage Emotional Eating After WLS

	Build up your support network Even before you have surgery, I recommend that you rally your “support team” to help. Identify people in your life that you can count on to be there when you start to have the urge to feed your emotional beast. In the months after surgery, use your support team. Instead of reaching for the bag of chips, use ways to avoid emotional eating such as send a text, call a friend or whatever works best for you. Patients that use support are definitely going to be more successful.
	Do something different Emotional eating can be a bad habit that we just need to break. If your old way of dealing with a stressful day at work is to come home and sit on the couch with a bag of chips, then change it up. Instead of coming right home, stop off at a park to go for a walk. Or, instead of going right into the house, walk around the block first.  Find a different activity to do. As much as we don’t want to admit it, we are creatures of habit. In order to break the habit, we have to change our behavior. This might be as simple as sitting in a new place in the house.
	Practice mindful eating Mindful eating is the art of being more aware of what you put in your mouth. It requires you to be in the moment. Before you grab any food, sit down for a moment and consider if this is really going to nurture your body. Before you eat anything, sit down and ponder for at least three minutes what the purpose of your meal is. Listen to your body. Before eating, ask yourself if this is “head hunger” or real physical hunger. Really pay attention to your body. If you are physically hunger, again, ask yourself “What does my body need right now?” Most likely it is not whatever you just grabbed.
	Identify potential triggers Identify some situations that are difficult for you and have led to emotional eating in the past. Have a plan. If that family get together is going to cause you to soothe your emotions with cake, then have an alternative plan ready.
	Re-commit to yourself every day Remember each morning, to go over in your head what your meal plan is for the day. As I like to tell patients, you would not send your child out for the day without knowing what he or she was going to eat, why not do it for yourself. Plan what your meals will look like for the day to avoid overeating or emotional eating. If you skip lunch and end up “hangry” by 3 pm, then there is a good chance you are going to overeat. Part of the reason you did the surgery is for your health and to take better care of yourself. Re-commit to that each morning.
	Get better at identifying your feelings So often, we eat because of every other reason than being hungry. We eat because we are bored, angry, anxious, sad, or even happy. Food is not the answer for dealing with your emotions. Instead of eating, ask yourself, “How am I feeling?” If the answer is that you are bored, then what can you do instead of eating? Maybe it is time to find a new hobby! If you are anxious, maybe it is time to identify why and come up with alternative coping skills like meditation or deep breathing.
	Change your self-talk Piggybacking on number 6, once you identify the feeling, ask yourself, “What am I thinking about?” Really think about it because negative thoughts can be automatic. Maybe you are anxious because you have a big project due at work. Feeding the anxiety is not going to help, but maybe changing the way you think about your anxiety will. Literally tell yourself, “I do not need to eat this right now, I need to focus more on my project,” or whatever is going to help you to tame that emotional hunger.
	Journal Have a journal with you or near where your temptations lie. It does not have to be a big one. It can be a stack of sticky notes. Before you eat something that is not on your meal plan, write about it—why are you eating, what are you going to eat, how is the food going to nourish you, how are you feeling, what are your thoughts. Writing before you eat something slows your thinking down and forces you to really consider what you are going to put in your mouth! It is also a great way to get your feelings out!
	Increase your exercise Yes, I know, we always say that! But with good reason! Exercise increases your endorphins and you just feel better! Study after study proves the physical and emotional benefits of exercise. Also, you are less likely to emotional overeat after you have had a great work-out.
	As always, know when to get professional help Patients often ask me what is the biggest issue patients deal with after surgery. One of them is definitely not reaching out for help. Unfortunately, many surgeons’ offices are not going to call you up at 6 or 12 months post-surgery to check on you. Sometimes you need the help of a good therapist to change your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions!

Finally, be your own best advocate! Let’s face it. After surgery, your stomach changes, but your brain (and your emotions) do not. The anxieties you feel before surgery are not necessarily going to go away after surgery.

Issues that caused you to emotional eat before the surgery, were not surgically removed! Dealing with emotions are often the part of the surgery patients do not anticipate. Have a plan! This will help as you continue to become the person you dreamed you could be after surgery!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melissa Bailey, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with active practices in several states. She has been in the field for over 20 years and received her doctorate from Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Chicago with an emphasis in Health Psychology and is currently head of Bailey Psychology Group. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Bailey has a special interest in the field of Autism. Read more articles from Dr. Bailey!

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