Read Answer
I know I do everything for a reason… is one of the possible reasons I continue to snack at work in the afternoons (after having plenty of food up until that point in the day) or binge at night when I am no longer hungry just because of pure habit?

Where does habitual eating fit into emotional eating… if at all? Does it even matter that I attempt to distinguish between these things?

I am trying to find a way to explore this idea in more depth and need some coaching, please!

ANSWER

Hello…

The first place I want you to focus is understanding WHY you want to stop snacking in the afternoon. Why is snacking in the afternoon a problem to be solved or fixed? What will happen when you “fix” this problem, or what are you trying to avoid by “fixing” this “issue”?

For most women, we have coached the desire to stop eating (even snacking) is the fear of gaining weight and or not losing weight. When that’s the motivating factor, it will always trigger more eating. That’s what we call psychological restricting driving by internalized fatphobia.

The bottom line is this: Snacking in the afternoon is normal and neutral. What makes it “something to be fixed” are your thoughts about it. I’d love to see a self-coaching about this and coach you.

C: Snacking in the pm

The other element I want to work on is compassion. I notice that you are still inside PEACEFUL, which means you literally just started the process of intuitive eating. I see perfectionism showing in the question: Why is it that I haven’t regulated my eating already? The pendulum swing that we teach you in PEACEFUL will last weeks and sometimes months before you stabilize in the middle to an intuitive eater. Be compassionate with yourself… you are trying to revert decades of restriction, dieting and deprivation. Make sure to practice the self-compassion audio from CONFIDENT frequently… especially when you’re trying to “fix” your eating habits.

We will wait for your self-coaching model.