What are you eating? – The problem with emotional eating

We all know that Americans are getting fat. Go to any public place and you will be able to see this clearly. Part of the problem is in the abundance of food that is available 24 hours a day. As Americans, we are also much more sedentary than previous generations. Our consumption of high-fat foods, coupled with minimal physical activity, contributes to excess fat storage and unhealthy bodies.

These factors don’t explain all of the rise in Americans’ expanding waistlines. Many people struggling with excess weight use food for purposes other than nutrition and fueling the body. In these cases, it’s not about the food; it’s about what eating does for the person emotionally. For some, food can help calm unpleasant feelings like anger, hurt, or fear. Food can serve to fill the void of loneliness in others. Eating can also provide a sense of comfort when we feel sad or generally moody. Others cope with boredom and stress by eating. Food calms the mind and emotions and gives us something to do with our time. For all these situations, food fills a need, but only temporarily. Stuffed feelings don’t go away; they’re just stuck somewhere else, unresolved. Eating doesn’t address the reasons for negative emotions in the first place. Realistically, the only thing that eating really solves is physical hunger and the need for nutrition.

By the way, carrying extra weight on your body can also serve a purpose. An extra layer of fat can give a feeling of protection. It can be used to punish oneself in terms of self-hatred. Some may use the extra weight to avoid intimacy with others and as an excuse not to take responsibility for oneself or one’s life. Alternatively, the added weight can also be used to project an image of inner strength, such as “throwing your weight”.

Regardless of how we use food or weight, there is a heavy price to pay in terms of weight gain, self-esteem, and emotional health. The real issues and problems behind our negative emotions need to be addressed and resolved. This is what you can do:

• Become fully aware of your eating habits and patterns. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Do you tend to eat when you are angry, bored, stressed, or experiencing some other negative emotion? Is there something unresolved in your life that plays a role in overeating? Identify the specific emotions that lead to overeating.
• Think about what you want food to do for you. Do you want food that calms you down from stress, gives you comfort, or just helps you feel good? Most importantly, how do you want to feel instead?
• Get clarity on the long-term downsides of overeating. What is it costing you? Extra weight increases the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Perhaps your self-esteem is affected and you feel that you are not in control of your diet or your body. Food may be a quick fix, but the long-term cost of added weight and managing emotions by eating isn’t worth it.
• Identify what else you could do that would change the way you feel. Some real solutions might include talking to a friend, going for a walk, or finding something you like to do instead of eat. Perhaps negative emotions could lessen if you need to talk at work or resolve a conflict with another person. If you think about it, there are many alternatives to eating when you are not very hungry. Keep the list of practical alternatives.

The bottom line is, whenever possible, to deal directly with the source of the problem. By solving the source of the problem, you can eliminate the urge to eat to change the way you feel. You will be healthier, emotionally and physically.