High-risk times for eating often occur when we’re not physically hungry but are triggered by emotions, routines, or environments. Common examples include mid-afternoon cravings for chocolate, eating while watching TV after dinner, and eating in social situation. In this brief video, Dr. Michelle May talks about navigating these high risk times for eating.
Video: High Risk Times for Eating
Transcript: Navigating High Risk Times for Eating with Mindful Eating
Hi, I’m Dr. Michelle May, the founder of Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training.
We are building a new Mindful Eating Community, and I asked you to share your challenges and questions about mindful eating.
So today, I’ll address this challenge from Peggy:
“My problem is emotional eating. I’m fine until mid-afternoon when I crave sweets, especially chocolate. I know I’m not physically hungry, but the urge is strong, and one piece never satisfies me.”
If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for food during certain times—like late at night, when you’re bored, or after a stressful day—you’re not alone. These are common “high-risk times” for overeating.
High-risk times often occur when we’re not physically hungry but are triggered by emotions, routines, or environments. Common examples include:
- Evening hours when the day’s activities wind down.
- Moments of boredom or stress.
- Social settings where food is abundant.
Recognizing your patterns is the first step toward change. Once you recognize the pattern, how can you navigate your high-risk times for eating? Here are some general strategies, then we’ll circle back to craving chocolate in the middle of the afternoon:
- Pause and Reflect: Before reaching for food when you want to eat, ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” A Body-Mind-Heart scan will help you identify your physical sensations, your thoughts, and your emotions.
- If you’re hungry, eat. Choosing food is another topic for another video!
- If you’re not hungry, you can still eat if you choose to. Just recognize that when a craving doesn’t come from hunger, eating probably won’t satisfy it! That’s why you may find yourself looking for more food.
- If you choose to eat, practice Self-Compassion. Replace criticism with curiosity. Use it as an opportunity to learn more about your needs.
- Another option is to redirect your attention to something else. For example, if you’re watching TV in the evening after dinner and you feel like eating, perhaps you could do something with your hands like knit, doodle, work on a puzzle, or pet your dog or cat.
- The most challenging but satisfying option is to identify your trigger. Again, the body-mind-heart scan can help you become aware of thoughts and emotions, like stress, boredom, frustration, and hundreds of other possibilities.
- Naming your emotions helps you recognize your underlying needs. For example, if you realized you wanted to eat because you feel lonely, your need is for connection. Could you call or text a friend?
So back to the habit of crave chocolate in the middle of the afternoon…
First, check in to see if you’re getting hungry. If you are, take a break for an afternoon snack.
If you’re not, you could decide to figure out where this habit is coming from.
As you scan your body, you notice tension and fatigue. You realize you’re bored of the task you’ve been working on and stressed about your workload.
You can now see that the craving for chocolate is really about your need for a break and for pleasure.
Can you give yourself permission to take a break? Perhaps talking to a colleague, walking around the building, or checking in with a friend would help you feel more refreshed than eating chocolate right now.
Of course, you could still choose to eat chocolate. Just be sure to stop working and enjoy it fully. After all, if you aren’t hungry, you are eating it for pleasure, so eat it in a way that gives you pleasure!
One more thing… It’s also important to understand that deprivation can be a hidden trigger. When you restrict yourself from certain foods, you may develop intense cravings, leading to overeating, especially at your high risk times. Giving yourself permission to enjoy all foods reduces the power they hold over you.
Remember, the intention isn’t perfection but awareness. By tuning into your body’s signals and understanding your emotional needs, you can navigate high-risk times with greater ease and confidence.
3 thoughts on “High Risk Times for Eating”
I LOVE this article you shared in your Blog!
The patterns and strategies shared will immensely encourage and help me during “High Risk” times as I navigate towards living a “Vibrant Life!”
Thank You, Michelle!
Always good to hear and read those very helpful explanations of why I might continue to eat snacks at night even after some dinner an hour or two before. And I’m not hungry – just tired and still stressed from the day. Redirection with no guilt or shame about eating too much or too often seems to help me put a positive ending to my evening. Still working on finding those emotional triggers of mine but we are all a work in progress. Going to bed happy and not hungry is a wonderful feeling of success.
I look forward to being able to identify my triggers. When they are emotional triggers, I want to figure out how to effectively deal with them, not with food, but with something more effective.