Emotional Eating
Fighting Emotional Eating The Effective Way.
Marilyn found her weight increasing 60 pounds after her separation
from her husband. While part of the weight gain was caused
by her medication, the rest appeared to be the result of what
can be described as emotional eating.
Lately, there has been greater attention focused on the problem
of emotional eating for both women and men. As a matter of
fact, some experts have claimed that most weight gain can
be blamed on emotional eating. According to Women Today magazine,
it is estimated that as much as 75% of overeating is cause
by the emotions.
For some of the people, overeating stems from anxiety. They
will just gulp down the entire bag of potato chips when they
are anxious. While many people realize that alcohol and illegal
drugs are not an antidote to anxiety, they may not be aware
that indulging in comfort food in order to combat anxiety
can be just as dangerous.
In some other cases, overeating might also be caused by depression.
If you often feel tired, hopeless, and have lost interest
in your normal activities, you may be suffering from a depressive
episode. Under such circumstances, people may just turn to
food as a means of cheering them up. The problem is that the
food can lead to weight gain, which also will lead to further
depression.
Sometimes, overeating may be a symptom of boredom. That person
will feel that he or she has nothing better to do than overeat.
This can be particularly true when they are in front of the
TV or computer. Rather than trying to determine a cause for
the boredom, an individual may just try to “fix”
it by indulging in high-fat, high-calorie food.
So, how to determine if you are an emotional eater? Ask yourself
some key questions: Do I tend to eat when I’m worried?
Scared? Sad? Do I find that eating spices up my spirits? Am
I spending more time eating than engaging in other activities
I enjoy? Do my binges come after I’ve suffered disappointment?
Am I turning to food in order to deal with the death of a
loved one…a divorce…or the defeat of my favorite
team? When the answer is YES to one of the above questions,
you may be overeating purely for emotional reasons.
When you’ve identified yourself as an emotional eater,
then steps should be taken to address your behavior. Perhaps
the most effective technique is diversion. Or simply, if you
find yourself reaching for the cookie jar, instead you should
engage in an activity. What you could do is taking a walk,
kickboxing, or dancing. It could even be something less physically
demanding, such as needlepoint or crochet. The whole idea
is just to divert your attention from overeating. Slowly,
you might find the urge to overeat subsides as you become
involved with other activities.
Another effective step would be identifying the triggers
of your emotional eating. Do you tend to binge in mid-morning,
mid-afternoon, or right before bedtime? Are you always snacking
while watching television, while at the computer, or when
you’re sitting in your favorite chair? Asking yourself
these questions will help you to identify the time of day
when you overeat, as well as the location for your binging.
When you have found the cause, you can learn to re-direct
your behavior to less fattening pursuits.
Another helpful technique is to form a support network to
help you combat overeating. The support team could consist
of your spouse, children, parents, friends, or other over-eaters.
It might be even better to join a support group which specializes
in helping those who engage in binge eating. If you feel the
urge to overeat, talk to someone else to walk you through
your emotions. When you release the emotions you need, overeating
will be unnecessary.
However, if you have persistent anxiety or depression, you
might want to see a psychotherapist. They will help you develop
more effective coping mechanisms. If you find it difficult
to talk to friends or family about your food obsession, a
psychotherapist will be the right person who can provide you
with the talk therapy you need to overcome your problem.
| 
