Do your emotions get in the way of your eating habits? If so, you may be an emotional overeater.

Do you often find yourself sitting on the sofa, stuffing yourself with pizza and mulling over a rough day? Or is chocolate the first thing you reach for when you're feeling down? Have you ever felt so happy about being at a party that you threw your diet to the wind and ate an entire cake? If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be an emotional overeater.

Emotional overeaters have a problem with weight management because their eating patterns are ruled by their emotions. Emotional eaters tend to eat for reasons other than physical hunger, turning to food when they are stressed, upset, anxious or excited. The result is a loss of control over what they eat and excessive calorie consumption. This cycle results in weight gain and depression, which leads to more eating, creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

We're all emotional eaters to some extent. We live in a food-orientated society where eating is an integral part of celebrations and a fundamental aspect of family life. But how much emotional eating is too much? Simply put, when it interferes with your health and happiness.

Traditional dieting strategies don't work for emotional eaters, because the psychological aspects of weight management aren't fully addressed by most diet plans. Many programmes don't deal with self-sabotage and the real reasons we throw ourselves off track.

In his book Fattitudes, American clinical psychiatrist Dr Jeffrey R Wilbert addresses the problem of diet sabotage and emotional overeating. He describes the need to discover the hidden emotional triggers that drive us to eat, and to understand the ‘food-feelings’ connection that makes balanced eating so difficult.

Dr Wilbert believes you can find new ways to manage your lifestyle so that you consciously choose healthy food and regular exercise. He explains that only through addressing the emotional side of overeating, can you free yourself of old habits and manage your weight. For example, if you tend to eat when you are stressed, you will continue to do so unless you address what is causing the stress.

The following tips from fellow iVillagers may help you to hesitate before pigging out:

Conquer the craving:

‘I give in to the little devil on my shoulder and allow myself a favourite biscuit or a few chips, but I eat healthy snacks like yoghurt, fruit and veg. If I fill up on healthy food, I'm not likely to be as hungry for the other. The biscuit is really just the cherry on the yogurt, so to speak.’ --Eva

‘I've found that I'm sensitive to sugar and white flour, as they cause my insulin level to fluctuate and alter my moods. Cutting down on these foods decreases my need to eat.’ --Ellen

Drink water first:

‘I make myself drink a large glass of water before I eat anything. Using a straw helps it go down more quickly. I'm sometimes so full I don't want to eat anything. If I’m still hungry, I try to make a healthy choice like fruit.’ --Jennifer

Fill up on something healthy:

‘Keep baby carrots in the fridge and binge on them. If you want something really sweet, keep peeled bananas in the freezer and put them in a blender for a healthy version of ice cream. You'll feel like you splurged, but you haven't.’ --Dorothy

Take time out:

‘I tell myself to wait five or ten minutes before I can have that chocolate bar. By the time I can “officially”” have it, I no longer crave it as much.’ --Jennifer

‘Take five minutes to do some deep breathing, yoga or tai chi. Try to focus only on your breath, or visualise yourself as healthy and curvy and doing an activity you enjoy.’ --Jackiemoveit

‘Put on a pair of walking shoes and go out for a walk or some other type of physical activity. This will take your mind off of eating fattening food.’ --elenaT99

‘Exercise is a great idea. A kickboxing class or some type of high intensity aerobics clears your mind and helps you forget about your craving.’ --Dawn

Write on:

‘Keep a diary. This helps to motivate you towards good food habits. Write down alternatives to eating so when you've had a bad day and want to munch mindlessly you have a list of other things you can do. Make sure they're pleasurable so when you're in the middle of a bad day you'll have something to look forward to.’ --CMJoyce

‘In your diary, talk to your craving. Say anything you like. But let it speak. Ask it questions. Most of the time it just runs out of steam, but the point is to hear it out. The food will quiet it, but allow your craving to be heard and understood.’ --Shay

Pamper yourself:

‘Talk back to that little voice inside your head that whispers "Eat!" and suggest alternatives: do something creative like take a hot bubble bath by candlelight, listen to music or have a small glass of wine, read your favourite book or - although it could be dangerous – go shopping!’ --Kestrel

‘I reward myself with non-food treats that make me happy, like getting my hair done and having regular manicures and pedicures. These things really fulfill me.’ --Ellen

Talk it out:

‘I call a friend for a good heart-to-heart. This helps me get to the bottom of why I'm feeling sad or depressed. It takes my attention away from food and focuses it on myself.’--iVillager

Use your imagination:

‘Just imagine you are marooned on a desert island for two months (or however long you are dieting for) and the only food available is fruits and veggies. Even if you do have chocolate ice cream, remember that it is in limited supply and has to last till the ship comes along. This way, even if you feel tempted, you will have to eat very little.’ --iVillager

‘I pretend I'm someone I admire -- either fictional or real. How would they handle it? Scarlett O'Hara wouldn't let herself pig out on ice cream.’ --iVillager

Keep it in perspective:

‘As long as you are eating the good stuff daily, it isn't terrible if you eat the crappy stuff once in a while. If your eating habits are poor because you are having several bad days in a row, you need to change your life, not your diet.’--wordsmith99

‘No food is illegal, but what's bad is when you eat and your body is not hungry. Remember that supermarkets are open until late and food is all around. There will never be a time when you cannot get to it. So don't feed your soul with things that won't satisfy and leave you hungrier than before.’ --Karen

Have fun:

‘If it is nice weather and still daylight, go to a park and swing on the swings, or just watch the kids doing it and have fun. And just because you had a bad day at work doesn't mean the rest of the day is shot. Tell yourself - I may have had a bad day up to this point, but I'm not going to let it ruin the rest of my day.’--rhales199

Find out if you are an emotional eater by taking our quiz. Share more tips and dieting experience on the message board. Read more about how to overcome overeating.