The Holidays can really throw off your hunger cues.

With the increase in sugar, alcohol and processed treats, our body is really thrown through a loop when it comes to getting on a normal eating schedule.

But you can use this little guide to hunger cues to make sure you’re not adding overeating to the list of variables your body has to process this time of year.

Here’s how to tell the different between physical and emotional eating cues.

When your body is physically hungry your stomach feels empty, you may feel hunger “pangs” and you will not crave any one food, but will be happy (but not rushed) to eat anything.

When your body is emotionally hungry, your mind gets foggy, you may struggle with clarity, you feel fixated on urgently feeding a craving for a certain food.

When you pay attention to your hunger cues, you’ll know when your body really needs to be fed.

But what if you do get emotionally hungry? How can you resolve that type of hunger without eating when you don’t need to?

When you are emotionally hungry, what your body is really searching for is an outlet for stress or a way to create more energy.

Exercise, Journaling, Doing some sort of mind stimulating activity (like a puzzle), breathing exercise or taking a walk can all help your body overcome your emotional triggers

So if your goal this holiday season is to create or continue a healthy lifestyle that will continue even after the season, be sure to pay attention to those cues!