Self-Image vs Self-Worth (3) - ThinnerTimes

eyesthatkissu · 12-14-2005, 04:30 PM

How to overcome emotional eating

I WAS STUCK IN A SELF-DEFEATING CYCLE!
I felt out-of-control with food! I was either overeating or dieting. In either mode, I felt I was never good enough. I had willpower and stick-to-itiveness in many other areas in my life. So why couldn't I apply that same resolve to my eating habits?

I WASTED SO MUCH TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY!
I was obsessed with my weight. Living like that was miserable. Today, I understand that weight was not my real problem. It was actually a symptom. My real problem was that I was an "emotional eater".

EMOTIONAL EATERS USE FOOD TO MANAGE FEELINGS
We use food to self-soothe. People who have struggled with it, and the professionals who treat it, call it by many different names; compulsive overeating, emotional eating, and food addiction. No matter what it's called, people USE food because food works!

1. FOOD WORKS AS A TENSION RELIEVER
Both eating and thinking about eating work as distractions from uncomfortable feelings. Being food focused takes the edge off any feeling that a person would rather not feel or tolerate (boredom, stress, anxiety, anger, loneliness, etc.).

For example...You're feeling bored. Suddenly you find yourself thinking about the ice cream in the freezer. As soon as you start to think about the ice cream, you are no longer focused on feeling bored.

Food and food thoughts can be used in reaction to and as a defense against any intense feeling or stressful life situation. The use of food to manage mood becomes a self-reinforcing habit. (Today, scientists are also focused on the biology and brain chemistry of overeating. There may also be many physiological reasons why we keep turning to food, even though it feels self-defeating to do so?)

2. EMOTIONAL EATING HAPPENS ON A CONTINUUM
Emotional eating is normal. We all celebrate with food. When something sad occurs, friends and neighbors arrive with cakes and casseroles. It's only when emotional eating begins to have impact on one's emotional and/or physical well-being, and it's used as a person's primary strategy for mood regulation, that it becomes a problem.

When eating becomes a primary coping strategy, it greatly impacts a person's quality of life. At the most extreme point on the emotional eating continuum, there may be a diagnosable eating disorder present - such as bulimia or binge eating disorder - and often, clinical depression as well.

3. FOOD, AS A MOOD REGULATOR, ALWAYS BETRAYS US
First, an emotional eater experiences an uncomfortable feeling. For example...You just had a fight with a family member and you're feeling really angry!

Next, you have a FOOD THOUGHT; and you find yourself reaching for a bag of chips. Note...you may or may not be conscious of when or why you are having a food thought.) Once you are focused on the chips, you are no longer focused on how angry you feel. The use of food as a distraction works...

You eat the chips, warding off the anger for a little while. Then, the anger comes back. Now, in addition to the anger, an emotional overeater has to deal with the guilt and shame he/she feels every time he or she eats chips (or any other food that he or she has labeled "forbidden").

4. THIS FRUSTRATING CYCLE IS A TRAP FOR EMOTIONAL EATERS
Until you develop healthier coping strategies, the only way to avoid the guilt and the shame that results from emotional overeating--is more emotional overeating! Every time we swear we'll be "good" on our diet today, and then turn back to food for comfort, we feel like we have "failed". Then, to "stuff down" our frustration, or anger, or desperation, we turn back to food.

5. SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO IF EMOTIONAL EATING IS A PROBLEM?
Make a conscious effort to become more aware of how and why you may be using food. Develop new skills for mood regulation. If you need support to do so, find appropriate professional help (find a class, hire a Coach or a Licensed Psychotherapist). The focus should be on self-care and improved emotional and physical well-being--eating well and being fit--not on dieting and weight loss. Remember, dieting is a trap for an emotional eater. Dieting just leads to more emotional eating.

Jeanie · 12-14-2005, 04:35 PM

Thanks for posting that. I really needed to read it. I am totally that person.

eyesthatkissu · 12-14-2005, 04:45 PM

Knowing is half the battle Jeanie my love! Once you can define your eating pattern you can take steps to change it, if you feel it's necessary. I think emotional eating is something we are able to overcome. If we replace food with something else. And no not alcohol! LOL

coptergirl · 12-14-2005, 05:02 PM

Have you been spying on me?! You have me pegged!!!

ValenP · 12-14-2005, 05:58 PM

that was a really good article, very helpful.

specially now that I'm 4 months post op and I can eat more stuff, and when you're trying not to use food to confort yourself in the bad times.

LizardQueen · 12-14-2005, 11:29 PM

thanks for posting these! It all seems so obvious whe nit's right in front of you!

Scarbelly · 12-15-2005, 07:35 AM

Wouldn't it be great if we could teach ourselves to use exercise instead of food to comfort ourselves? So the next time one of my kids makes me mad I would think, oooh I really need to go for a walk right now, instead of wheres that bag of chips?

eyesthatkissu · 12-15-2005, 07:42 AM

Totally.... I tried reading my bible.... lol.... it didn't really work to well, I ended up eating while reading

bridgetgirl · 12-15-2005, 08:48 AM

Food journaling helps you to idenify this stuff. Julez got the challange to food journal after admitting she grazes throughout the day. If you become more concious and have to write it all down, you should be able to 1.) identify a pattern 2.) Stop eating 'cuz your tired of tracking it!

If you need a food journal I have one!

Jeanie · 12-15-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridgetgirl

Food journaling helps you to idenify this stuff. Julez got the challange to food journal after admitting she grazes throughout the day. If you become more concious and have to write it all down, you should be able to 1.) identify a pattern 2.) Stop eating 'cuz your tired of tracking it!

If you need a food journal I have one!

Hey can you send it to me. I know that when we post it on the forum I do better because I know that people will be reading what I post. This way I will do it everyday, and I can get it under control. I'm trying to get things back to the way I was. Now that I'm better emotionally I need to be better physically.