Emotional Well-Being

How I Controlled My Emotional Eating Habit In 30 Days

(My real journey from food guilt to food freedom)

I was always an optimist, happy-go-lucky and an energetic person. But, a period in life came when things started to change and I started getting exhausted emotionally and physically. I was diagnosed with multiple issues , one issue led by many others all connected to each other. PCOD, acanthosis nigricans, fatty neck, obesity, depression and anger issues. Every day was a new challenge, I chose food to deal with my emotions. Chocolate, chips, cheese burst pizza or something that could lift my mood for a little while. But once the food was gone, all that remained was guilt. Every night I’d promise myself, “I’ll start my diet tomorrow.” But, unfortunately that day never came.

Demotivated, tired and depressed, finally one day i thought i should try to understand the link between my mood and the food I crave for. I had many questions and no guidance at all. Although I wasn’t sure how and where to start from. So I just randomly started scrolling the internet to understand if there is any link between my mood and the food i eat. I was shocked when I got to know that I am stuck in a vicious cycle of junk food — guilt — depression and the cycle went on for years. It was really difficult for me to accept that I wasted years doing this without even knowing what I was doing. It took me a few days to get out of this trauma and that is when my 30 days journey to stop emotional eating began.

Step 1: First, I Understood – What Exactly Is Emotional Eating

Observing myself was the first step. Over time I started observing, I wasn’t eating in hunger , I was eating in feeling. Whenever I felt depressed, upset, hopeless or even lonely and bored I used to start craving sugar and ordered pastries, hazelnut chocolate croissants along with sugary drinks. That was my trigger point, when I started to understand that my problem was not food but my escape pattern. According to research, our brain releases dopamine, which makes us feel better for a while but soon it becomes a cycle of guilt and regret.

Step 2: Observe – Understand Yourself

I decided to just observe first — without judging or feeling guilty about what i eat. For 5 days, I noted down everything I ate — when I ate, how I felt, and what I ate. When I looked at that list, it opened my eyes.

I realized I ate the most whenever I was stressed or anxious, even when I wasn’t truly hungry.

That small moment of awareness became the turning point of my journey — because to change, I first had to understand.

Step 3 : Replace, Don’t Restrict

Instead of forcing myself into strict diets, I slowly started changing my choices.
When I craved chocolate, I replaced it with a cup of soothing herbal tea.
When stress hit me, I practiced deep breathing.
And when I felt lonely, I went out for a walk — just to clear my mind and breathe freely.

It wasn’t easy at all. Even to motivate myself i used to take time and think i will do t later, or may be i will start again from tomorrow. There were moments when my mind screamed for comfort food, when I wanted to give up and fall back into old habits. But every time, I reminded myself — isn’t it better to struggle a little for a better life than to stay stuck in guilt and pain forever?

I learned to talk gently to myself, to understand my emotions instead of fighting them.
I didn’t punish myself for eating — I just began to heal.

Step 4: Yoga Healed My Mind

I was even too lazy to do that and I used to give myself hope that if I do it today for10 mins it will be enough and maybe tomorrow I will give it more time. But I still pushed myself to do it on the same day rather than waiting for tomorrow because tomorrow never comes. When I started practicing yoga, I realized something powerful was coming in, my mind started to calm down and cravings reduced. In my sessions people used to ask me Is it really possible to control your cravings? Because if that’s the case then nobody would ever want to eat junk food. I answered, Just 30 minutes of yoga everyday brings in a sense of balance that completely changes your relationship with food.

My Favorite Yoga Poses:

1.Balasana (Child’s Pose): helps calm overthinking.

2.Setu Bandh Asana (Bridge Pose): balances hormones.

3. Anulom Vilom: reduces stress and anxiety.

4.Savasana: deeply relaxes the mind.

Along with yoga, I developed a habit of mindful breathing and writing gratitude journals and speaking out affirmations aloud. Eventually, I began channeling my energy into positive actions instead of thinking about food and scrolling food delivery apps to find something that releases dopamine. That is when true healing started from inside out.

Step 5: I Learned to Feel My Feelings

I stopped suppressing my emotions. When I felt stressed, I wrote. When I felt sad, I went for a walk. And sometimes, I just cried — without feeling guilty about it.
Crying used to make me feel lighter, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my chest. But later, I learned that frequent crying also triggers negative neurons in the brain, reinforcing sadness instead of releasing it and i couldn’t afford to go back into the same loop of emotional eating. So, I began to find healthier ways to express what I felt.
Instead of tears, I chose journaling, meditation, music, and small acts of self-care.
I started talking to myself with kindness, reminding my heart that emotions are meant to be felt — not feared.

That’s when I truly understood this line:
“You can’t control the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Food was no longer my escape, but nourishment to my body not emotions anymore.

Step 7: Be Kind to Yourself Even After a Relapse

Not everyday was perfect, there were days when I slipped back to binge eating – especially during stress and loneliness. Earlier I used to get angry at myself and drown in guilt. But this time I decided, not anymore. I told myself, Its okay. You are healing and healing yourself is never easy. That moment reminded me of when I was learning to ride a bicycle – I fell so many times but each fall made my fear of getting injured stronger and every time I did my best to ride better and eventually I learned how to balance. Today I call it progress, not failure.

Emotional healing works the same way. You fall, you rise and each time you become a little stronger. So instead of blaming myself, I was kind and gentle and reminded my heart. You are not perfect, but you are consistent and that’s the biggest win.

Food Freedom I Got After 30 Days

Thirty days later, everything felt different. Today, I truly enjoy food — without guilt, without fear. I eat when my body is hungry, not when my emotions demand comfort. The biggest relief? I control my food choices and when to eat, food no longer controls me. Now, I’ve built such awareness that I know exactly what my body needs and when. I can tell the difference between real hunger and emotional hunger. On emotional days, instead of rushing to the kitchen, I choose to pause — sometimes I journal, sometimes I meditate, or simply sit in silence and breathe. This small practice has completely transformed my life and has given me the motivation to become a more better version of myself. Through this journey i am now able to help people around me who believe that they can never break the emotional eating loop, and i have in several blogs shared how i managed to heal from PCOD, acanthosis nigricans, obesity, and depression naturally, step by step. Each story I wrote reminded me that healing is not about perfection — it’s about awareness, patience, and self-love.

Step 6: My 30-Day Routine

 Morning: Warm water, gratitude journal
Afternoon: Balanced meals with protein & fiber
Evening: Yoga / walk
Night: Herbal tea, no screen time after 9:30 pm

In this 30 day pattern my body and mood started to get balanced. PCOD symptoms, mood swings, and binge cravings started to reduce and it became much easier for me to gain control over myself. This routine can be different according to your body and convenience.

The Bottom Line

Emotional eating isn’t a weakness — it’s your heart’s way of asking for attention. In these 30 days, I learned that when you start listening to your emotions instead of fighting them, your relationship with food begins to heal on its own. Don’t suppress your feelings — write them down, talk about them, or just sit with them. Food is not your enemy if you understand with which mood you are eating. It’s just something you need to make peace with. If I can find balance with my body and mind after years of struggle, so can you.