What is "unplanned" eating?
Unplanned eating happens when you eat something that was not part of your original plan and that causes "calorie damage" to your overall eating plan.
When people have unplanned eating episodes, I urge them first to look for simple answers. Did they overeat because they got too hungry? Did they make an unhealthy choice because they failed to plan? I then suggest that they ask themselves whether something's missing or whether they were trying to fill a particular unmet personal or emotional need in that moment. If someone is bored, the answer isn't calories, it's activity. But if boredom is really loneliness, going for a walk, taking a bath, or reading a book will not address the problem. That person will still be lonely. The goal is to figure out what you need as specifically as possible and then to do something to address that need before reaching for food.
Some foods are more difficult than others to control. We call these trigger foods. Our overall approach is not to make any foods off-limits. We want you to learn how to eat all types of food so you don't feel deprived. But because that's sometimes easier said than done, we approach these "trigger foods" using a method known as desensitization. First, we get people to list such foods. Candy, chocolates, desserts, and salty snacks like peanuts and chips are foods that people often struggle to control. When a trigger food has been added to the list, we encourage people simply to say that for now maybe it's a good idea to stay away from it. Then we agree that we will work with them to give them some skills to handle adding that food back to their diet gradually, when they feel more confident of their ability to control it. They can start by adding similar foods they find a little easier to control, then work their way toward controlling a particular trigger food. We sometimes use an imagery exercise to practice dealing with a particular food and the psychological cravings or urges that go with it. We also offer a trigger foods class at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, where we introduce people to these imagery techniques, mindful eating techniques, and other strategies designed to put them back in control of those hard-to-handle foods.
You don't have to avoid foods — you just have to learn to control them. You can think of learning to conquer unplanned eating episodes as if you were learning how to climb mountains — you don't do Everest the first day.
Learn more in the Everyday Health Diet and Nutrition Center.
Last Updated: 6/4/2007