When you are eating because of emotional reasons the hunger comes on suddenly and you feel the urge to satisfy it instantly, when you are hungry because your body needs foods the hunger comes on more gradually and it feels like it can wait.

When you are eating emotionally you feel that you want a specific food, like chocolate, sweets or chips, when you are hungry because of an empty stomach you are more open to options.

Another sign that can give you a clue if you are eating emotionally is to think if when you eat that specific food you mostly do it alone, either all by yourself or if you are the only one eating.

If you are not hungry and suddenly in response to an external influence, like a TV commercial, a comment or invite by another person you decide to eat a particular food you are eating for emotional reasons.

Another telltale of emotionally eating is to check our moods before and after eating a specific food, if you feel a certain way, say bored, then eat and your mood changes you are eating for emotional reasons.

When you are eating emotionally you can easily keep eating after you are satisfied or your stomach is full, when you eat because of an empty stomach you are more likely to stop when you're full.

Sugar and high refined carbs like white flour products cause our brain to release the hormon serotonin, which is the responsible one for our 'happy' feelings, so eating comfort foods like ice cream, chocolates, cookies, donuts, bread or chips is also an indicator of emotional eating.

After eating emotionally, immediately after or a few hours or the next morning you typically have feelings of guilt, eating because you're hungry does not leave you with that feeling.

You are at home, you have nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to call, nothing to occupy your mind for a while but the pantry is full of comfort foods that will help you kill some time.

Your life is not going well but you think there is nothing you can do, things are the way they are and nothing you do will make a difference, why care about my weight or health?, so if eating makes me feel better even if it is temporary I do it regardless of the long term consequences, I am not going to die if I eat those cookies.

Obviously the name says it all, however, extending on what happens the eating is really to soothe, quiet, minimize, numb or avoid dealing or confronting the emotion, and when we go for comfort foods we get the temporary added benefit of feeling better at that moment, taking the focus out of the emotion.

It is important to recognize that the eating action is to deal with the emotion, since learning to deal with emotions in a different way we can help ourselves to get back in control of those emotions, we can then choose to deal with them in a different way eliminating the need to eat for emotional reasons.

Amazing but we are creatures of habits, a big percentage of us emotional eaters just do it because that is the way we've being doing it for a long time, we tend to think that we are not in control, that's just the way we are, when in fact, most habits are learned behavior which means that they can be unlearned, we are in control, we can change them, not an easy task since we may already be conditioned but there is definetely a way out.

Out to eat with co-workers or a friend, munching while watching a good movie or sport on TV, getting together with family on weekends, the barbeque, eating out at night with your companion, the pressure to eat while meeting or being around people is enormous, however, you must know that you can beat it, it is your body, it is your health and when you explain that you are trying to change your habits you will find empathy from people around you, they will understand and may even want to lend a hand and respect you.

Got a candy as a reward when you where a child?, Had great moments with family around the table when eating? Mom would make you your favorite meal? Our culture and social upbringing attaches food to many emotions and we learn to associate in our brains an emotion to food, but here again, this is all learned behavior, with information as to what emotions you attach to food, awarness of why it happens and tools to deal with them in a healthy way you can beat emotional eating.

Many emotions add up to cause us stress, restlesnness, nervousness and we learn to cope with it in many ways, biting our nails, sweating, chewing gum, drinking and of course giving our mouths something to do, dealing with the source in a healthy way, the emotions that cause it in the first place, is a sure way to reverse any bad habit.