by Susan Albers, Psy.D.

Clients with eating problems often develop a number of mindless eating routines. Eating in the car on the way to work, snacking at their computer, or munching during their favorite TV show each night are a few common examples. Help your clients identify the mindless eating behaviors that have simply become habitual. These behaviors are often much easier to tackle than emotional eating behaviors. Encourage your clients to track their eating behaviors with a journal, writing down all incidents of mindless eating. Review it with your client and identify any patterns or incidents of eating done on autopilot. Then, help identify ways they can break the habit. For example, suggest recording a favorite TV show and watching it at a different time of the day. This would break the cognitive link between relaxing in front of the TV and snacking at night. Your client will likely be surprised by how often they shift into autopilot when they eat.

Also by Susan Albers, Psy.D.