Tomorrow evening, 12/14  at 8 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be one of the featured experts in a live discussion on Seasonal Eating on Huff Post Live. To get in on the action go to: http://live.huffingtonpost.com

The topic we’ll be discussing is why we stuff ourselves and how we can avoid falling into the same pattern of seasonal eating each year.

Here’s one of the insights I’ve had along the road to recovery that I’ll be sharing tomorrow:

A binge is your body’s way of crying out for help.  It’s like your soul is having a temper tantrum. Stop judging and listen.

H.A.L.T.

As taught in the 12 step programs, when you notice yourself wanting to overeat, it’s a good idea to pause and check in with your body and see what’s really driving your need to feed.

HALT is an acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired.

Anger, loneliness and exhaustion can all lead to pushing your hunger buttons, since these emotions can put your body on overload and trigger stress chemicals to be produced in your brain to send you into a tailspin, completely unable to think. That’s because the blood drains out of your forebrain and you’re left with a headful of fluff.

All day long you’re facing situations which tug at your emotions. Can you relate to any of these?

Sitting in holiday traffic, can drive anyone nuts. So you may find yourself swinging into the drive thru for some fries to eat in the car before heading home.

If you’re a mom taking care of little kids, they know what buttons to push to really get to you. Not wanting to get angry with them, you may stuff down your emotions with food. That welcoming feeling of being able to zone out with the leftover crust from their peanut butter sandwiches or your own little stash of cookies in your pocket may just be enough to hit your happy spot.

Putting in a lot of overtime at work, to pay off your debt, can make you feel like you’re on a short fuse, just about to blow. Then when hubby starts asking about the charges on your credit card bill, you want to strangle him, but instead you smile sweetly, and pile on a second helping of mashed potatoes as you try to think of something to say.

All real problems that can trigger your urge to eat anytime. But during the holidays the stakes are higher.

But you don’t have to feel defenseless against your emotions anymore at any time. Tomorrow evening, 12/14  at 8 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be one of the featured experts in a live discussion on Seasonal Eating on Huff Post Live. http://live.huffingtonpost.com