1. Be aware of my feelings. Acknowledge them and accept them.
2. Ask myself the above question before I eat something outside of a regularly scheduled meal or snack. "Why am I eating this? Am I truly hungry for food or am I trying to fill that empty space inside me?"
3. Deal with my feelings. If I realize I am getting ready to eat something to fill that empty space, then deal with it. That may mean talking about it. That may mean writing about it. That may mean praying about it (or all of the above). But deal with the feeling rather than try to fill it with food.
4. Continue writing down my food-this simple act makes me so much more aware of what I'm doing. Even if I'm not making great food choices in that moment-writing it down means I"m not ignoring it.
Tomorrow I'm going to talk about one of the other reasons that I think I've failed at weight loss in the past: "the diet vs. lifestyle" cycle.