In my 20+ years of working with weight challenged patients, I would guess that 3 out of 4, when faced with stressful situations, will reach for food. As professionals, we call this stress or emotional eating. But if this describes you (and I'll bet you it does), it can be one of the most challenging obstacles blocking your path to successful weight loss.

Among the many strategies for coping with and combating stress eating is one originally developed by Dr. Roger Callahan, but popularized by Paul Mckenna on his national TV show "I Can Make You Thin." It is known as the "Tapping Technique." It involves tapping on specific acupuncture points in a designated pattern. You can view Paul McKenna demonstrating this in front of a live studio audience (click here) .

Stress eating is by far the most common eating trigger that I see in my clinical practice. I would estimate that 75% of people who fill out our initial intake survey state that stress is a major provoker of their eating. I have often said that our brains were originally designed to accomplish three basic things: find food, seek out shelter, and procreate! However, in our daily lives, our poor brains are called upon to multi-task in ways we were never designed for, creating stresses that were never seen before the modern age.

There are many techniques that you can learn to help you reduce stress without resorting to food. The key is to understand that many times when your brain is shouting "GIVE ME FOOD!" it may not be because you are truly hungry. If you think you might be responding to stress signals instead of true hunger, it's time to pull out your favorite stress reducing techniques. Many of them can be done right on the spot, regardless of where you are.

We've all see the reality shows in which experts make over people's wardrobes, homes...even their external appearance through plastic surgery. But rarely do you hear anyone looking to have a Mental Makeover.