Emotional eating

Happy occasions calls for celebrations with food as our society is immersed in experimenting with gastronomic pleasures at any possible pretext. When pressure is mounting and one can not sleep we feel tired & exhausted, we become anxious this is the time we feel like eating those food that is available around Chips, cake, Ice cream, chocolate & what not.

Emotional eating can disrupt our well meaning efforts at weight loss & healthy eating. This leads to a tail spin of weight gaining, self recrimination and plummeting self confidence leading to further despair and over eating. We find that our longing for food especially unhealthy food happens to concur with the most vulnerable periods of our life. During emotional low points, we discover ourselves unconsciously seeking solace in food.

Most of unhealthy eating is motivated by something, we are not always aware of on a conscious level. It is most often the result of unconstructive thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that may be lurking just below our conscious awareness. Negative thinking is invariably the product of negative programming that we might have assimilated in childhood from our parents, teachers etc. We may have learnt early to soothe unpleasant feelings. Parents may have used food as a reward (a candy or chocolate) for good behavior. The positive sensations that were associated with the food involved may often need to be re experienced in adulthood whenever one is anxious or unhappy. Major life stressors such as death of a loved one, unemployment, ill health divorce, separation day to day set backs, unwelcome changes in normal routine can trigger emotions that encourage overeating.

Some foods have seemingly addictive qualities eg. Chocolate, coffee, sweets. Caffeine, chocolate release trace amounts of mood enhancing hormones. Eating such may make one to feel better momentarily. Food can also be a distraction. If one is concerned about an imminent event or rethinking of an earlier conflict, eating comfort foods may distract. These distractions may be short lived. While we eat our attention is on taste of the comfort food. Our attention goes back to our worries thinking once we have done our eating. And now we have to bear the burden of guilt about overeating.

It is very important to be armed with healthy diet plan and a well structured exercise programme that one can sustain. But these things alone can not bring real & lasting weight loss if our own subconscious mind and concealed thoughts are still destroying us.

Will power alone is an effective tool to address the problem of over eating. Our unconscious motivations are much more powerful and persistent than our conscious desires to eat healthy, exercise and so on. Get into the heart of the problem: Analyse and eliminate the toxic thinking pattern that created our bad habits. This requires a deeper understanding of the issues on hand and counseling by professionals.

Learn to recognise real hunger

Sometimes body is unable to distinguish true hunger from just stress or even thirst
When you think you are hungry drink a glass of water wait a while & see if you are still experiencing hunger

Identify the triggers that lead you to overeat
Maintain a food dairy Record the food intake, stress, correlated mood,

There is a definite association between the stress full event that you need to attend and your eating comfort food. There is a tendency to overeat at lunch when we had a show down with kids or the spouse.

Identify thoughts & feelings normally you experience before your gluttonous enterprise and those that justify your indulgences

Stock up healthier options If real hunger strikes you are not left frustrated. Avoid keeping those sinful temptations near at hand.

Exercise regularly Exercise acts as a stress reliever. Practice yoga, meditation & your favourite activities. Use it to get you through the tough times of using food as away out.

Get adequate sleep. Sleep deprivation may mislead the body signals of fatigue as hunger.

Mindful eating Take 10 minutes off for your meal will enable you to focus completely on the food & enjoy it rather than consuming hundreds of calories without actually registering it.

Find other outlets for your stress Take a walk, talk to a friend, and watch a movie, pursuing a hobby can substitute as distractions.

Learn to use the right resources

Upheavals are part of our life. Learn to deal with unpleasant feelings. If you intend to make meaningful changes in your diet, weight and life style, understand yourself a little better will go a long way in staying healthy.

See a therapist counselor. When all your efforts to gain control over your eating is not yielding progress see a psychological counselor / therapist.