A lot of people ask, "How do I know if I am overeating for emotional reasons?"

Luckily, figuring this out is one of the easiest things to do. There are very specific symptoms and signs that you can look for. If any of the following statements sound like they could apply to you, then it's likely you are struggling with emotional eating.

1. My hunger comes on suddenly.
Physical hunger comes on slowly. Hunger from emotional eating often comes on quickly and suddenly.

2. I crave specific foods—generally not carrot sticks or steamed broccoli.
Cravings for specific, usually unhealthy foods is a sign of emotional eating. Often people like the rush they get from satisfying their cravings. That rush is fulfilling emotional hunger.

3. My hunger feels urgent—I need a particular food right away and I'm willing to walk out of my way, or get in your car late at night, or raid my kid's Halloween candy to get it.
Physical hunger, unless you haven't eaten for a very long time, is usually pretty patient. It will wait for food. Emotional hunger demands to be satisfied immediately.

4. My hunger is often paired with an upsetting emotion—if I backtrack a few hours or a few days I'll usually find an upsetting event and feeling that triggered the urge.
Hunger that's connected to an upsetting emotion or situation is definitely emotional hunger. Physical hunger is not typically triggered by emotions.

5. My eating habits involve unconscious eating—all of a sudden I'm eating ice-cream and I find the whole container is gone.
When you're eating for physical reasons, you are usually mindful of what you're doing. If you catch yourself eating "just because," then it's likely you're eating for emotional reasons.

6. I don't stop eating in response to being full—I keep wanting more of the taste of the food.
Physical hunger doesn't need to be stuffed in order to be satisfied. Emotional hunger on the other hand often demands more and more food to feel satisfied.

7. My hunger isn't located in belly—I crave the taste of a certain food in my mouth or I can't stop thinking of a certain food.
Feeling hungry in this way is usually a sign of emotional hunger. Physical hunger is happy to get what it can, while emotional hunger usually focuses on specific tastes and textures.

8. After I satisfy my hunger, I am often filled with a sense of regret or guilt.
Feeding your body what it needs is not something to feel guilty about. If you feel guilty after you eat, it's likely because part of you knows you're not eating just to satisfy physical hunger.

If you don't experience any of the preceding statements, it's likely that you're struggling with simple biological hunger.

有很多人问：“我怎么能知道是否我是因为情绪的原因而暴食？”

幸运的是，估计出这种情况是一件很容易做的事情。有一些你可以找到的非常具体的症候和体征。如果听起来下面陈述的任何情况像是能够适用于你，那你就可能是无法抵挡情绪进食的人。

1. 我的饥饿突然来临。
生理饥饿是缓慢到来的。情绪进食的饥饿常常是很快和突然来临的。

2. 我渴望具体的食物——一般不是胡萝卜或清蒸花椰菜。
对于具体的、通常是不健康的食品有瘾，是情绪进食的一个迹象。人们往往喜欢匆忙行事，从中获得满足他们的渴望。这样的繁忙使情绪饥饿能够结束。

3. 我觉得饥饿难忍——我立刻需要特殊的食品，我愿意放下我的事情出去，或者在深夜搭上你的汽车，或者搜索我的孩子的万圣节糖果来获取它。
生理饥饿，除非你很长时间没有吃东西，通常是相当有忍耐性的。它会等待食物。而情绪饥饿则要求立即得到满足。

4. 我的饥饿往往和心烦意乱的情绪成双出现——如果回溯数小时或数天前，我通常会找到一个令人心烦意乱的事件，并且感觉是它引发了这种急促要求。
联系到心烦意乱情绪或状况的饥饿肯定是情绪饥饿。生理饥饿通常不是由情绪所引发。

5. 我的饮食习惯涉及无意识的进食——突然我吃雪榚，而且我觉得整个货柜都没了。
当因为生理原因进食时，你常常能知道你正在做什么。如果你发现自己吃东西“没有特别原因”，那么有可能你是因为情绪的原因进食。

6. 我在感到饱了时还不停止进食——我一直想要更多的食品滋味。
生理饥饿为了得到满足不必要把肚皮塞满。情绪饥饿则往往要求更多更多的食物才感到满意。

7. 我的饥饿不是位于腹部——我渴望在我嘴里有某种食品的味道，或者我不能停止去想某种食品。
以这种方式感到饥饿通常是情绪饥饿的迹象。生理饥饿很高兴得到可以得到的东西，而情绪饥饿通常侧重于具体的口味和材料。

8. 当我的饥饿得到满足之后，我常常充满遗憾或内疚。
喂养你身体所需要的食品并不是感到内疚的事情。如果你在吃后感到内疚，很可能是部分了解你吃东西不仅仅是满足生理饥饿。

如果你没有经历过任何前面陈述过的情况，则很可能你忍受的只是简单的生物饥饿。