How do you know if you're using emotional eating?
Does any of this sound like you?
- Your meals are healthy, unless you've had a tough day... and then you reach for convenience food, take away or sweet treats
- You rely on having a glass or two (or more) to relax in the evening, particularly on a Friday
- When you're feeling tired or stressed you reach for chocolates or other sweet foods
- You rely on food or alcohol to lift your mood
- If you deny yourself comfort food you'll keep eating and eating unless you give in and 'let yourself' have it
- If you've failed at a diet, it's usually because you've had a tough day and fallen off the wagon
- You sometimes eat fast and in secret
- You often feel guilty and sick after you've soothed yourself with food
If you relate to any of those statements then you're probably an emotional eater
The good news is that you're not alone, many women (and men) report using food and alcohol to self soothe and self medicate. Emotional eating can become a problem if it's causing you to feel worse about yourself, either by lowering your self esteem or your body confidence.
My name is Rachel Swann and I am an Emotional Eating and Body Confidence coach. Most of the women I work with come to me because they are using emotional eating and whilst they tell me that they want to lose weight, when we get together for a coffee and look really deep at what is bothering them, they want to transform their relationship with food and stop the emotional eating.
Over the last few years I have worked with lots of women for whom emotional eating and body confidence is a problem. As time has gone on, my work has evolved so that whilst I still focus on transforming your relationship with food and your body, now my main concern is with your sense of self and how you care for your soul.
When you juggle a career, motherhood, caring for your parents or in laws and countless other things each and every day it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself. When you have emotional turmoil (mummy guilt, stress at work, relationship difficulties, family bereavement etc) it can all have an effect on your relationship with food (and alcohol) and result in emotional eating.
My solution is twofold; to work on addressing the issues that cause you to rely on emotional eating and the reasons you learned to do it in the first place as well as supporting you and giving you the tools to separate your hunger and your emotions - for good.
If this is your first time here (or even if it isn't) why don't you visit the Free Support page where you can find lots of resources to help you start your journey to healing your relationship with food, body and soul.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter!
Stay informed about what's going on, get my musings, hear about new blogs as they come up and I'll also let you know about new products and services that I think might help you as and when they come up. (No spam, I promise).
What previous clients have said about Rachel
Rachel is very supportive and nurturing. After 1 session she helped me uncover the roots of a very deep issue I have carried all of my life. I highly recommend Rachel.
Sharon, Leeds
I'd like to say a big thank-you to sweet Rachel Swann. I purchased Rachel's Beautiful Swans programme and although I'm pretty slow in the process, it's already proving useful.
Yesterday morning I had a 30-minute coaching call with her, to work on issues arising from the Beautiful Swans programme. We actually uncovered something pretty mahoosive relating to why I have weight issues, and she skillfully helped me to put this into context and gave me a few pointers on next steps.
I've battled quietly with an eating disorder for over 30 years. In one 30-minute session, Rachel managed to answer a few questions I didn't even know I had ... and with knowledge, comes power and freedom. Thank you so much, Rachel, for your support, gentle nature and compassion; you are a fabulous coach and hypnotherapist, and I'd definitely recommend your Beautiful Swans programme - thank you! x
Callie, London
At the start I asked a lot of questions because I wasn't sure if Rachel's service was right for me. She was patient and really responsive and reassuring.
I thought I knew myself pretty well and what my issues were but by working with Rachel I found that things I thought were insignificant were having a huge impact on my life.
My first goal was to lose my emotional relationship with food and end my constant battle with food and I have really moved forward on that. I really appreciated the coaching aspect and not just the hypnotherapy and I really value that.
Working with Rachel has been a really great investment on a personal level.
Kirsty, Leeds
I've found working with Rachel hugely rewarding both in terms of coaching and hypnotherapy. She is immensely approachable and understanding and I have found her very easy to talk to. She continues to make committed effort to find strategies that work for me and to get to know my issues better.
Our work so far with hypnotherapy for weight-loss has encouraged me to examine in a different way my attitudes to food and eating, and begin to discover more accurately where my problems lie. Rachel has been hugely accommodating in terms of time and flexibility, and both the short and long recordings have proved valuable for fitting in at different times. I plan to continue with this long-term to achieve the results I want.
The coaching has helped me to deal with all sorts of everyday problems and deal with various issue and situations I was finding stressful or difficult. Rachel has a huge number of practical techniques that are easy to remember and use and I have been hugely impressed by the results. I continue to use these myself and to try to adopt her measured approach to view things more clearly: these continue to provide me with a happier, calmer and more confident approach to life.
I have no hesitation in recommending Rachel's skills and can't praise her highly enough.
Emily, London
Rachel has a gift for listening attentively and making you feel heard and then getting to the core of the issue very quickly. She has enabled me to see things much more clearly and has made me feel more powerful and in control as she always reminds me that I have a choice in any situation.
After years of over eating and a poor body image, Rachel helped me to realise that my core issue was my inability to trust my
body's natural hunger signals. I've since learnt to tune into both my hunger and satisfaction levels, and also to listen to what my body is telling me to eat. I now enjoy my meals and I leave the table feeling good instead of bloated and unhappy.
Rachel also taught me that one of the main reasons I struggled with my weight was my inability to put my needs before any one else's; so not making time for a walk or taking a proper lunch break.Rachel helped me to realise that taking care of ME was very important and it would lead to me being better able to take care of my family.
I really enjoyed working with Rachel. Her approach is authentic and practical but also inspirational.
I would recommend Rachel to anyone who is suffering alone with poor body image or a lack of confidence. She will show you a better way to live, which will ultimately lead to a happier outlook on your life.
Leila, London
Working with Rachel has been a revelation. I've used generic hypnotherapy products before for childbirth and other issues, so I know the technique works, but Rachel's CDs are particularly effective because they are tailor-made for you. It's like having your own personal therapist in your ear! The short recordings really resonate and push the right emotional buttons, because Rachel has taken the time to get to know me and the obstacles to being the size I want to be. I now feel happier, more comfortable and more accepting of my body than at any time in my adult life, and I'm well on the way to looking fabulous at my 40th birthday!
Maja, Guildford
Hi Rachel
Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am. I feel great, really liberated. Even my cycle to work this morning was easier. I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 5lbs now. It's not really about how much I weigh it's the relationship I have with food now that I'm the most happy with. Your sessions are really helping me form better eating habits for me and my children.
Claire, Ilkley