photo credit: kevindooley
Food.
Merriam-Webster’s defines it as, “any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, and promote growth”. For many of us, however, food means so much more. It is a way to socialize, ease emotional pain, cover up feelings of anger, reward ourselves or ease boredom. We are emotional eaters and our waistlines are expanding because of it–experts say that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.
Emotional eating has a myriad of causes–inability to deal effectively with stress, depression, anxiety, low self esteem, patterning in childhood-but overcoming emotional eating can be done-by understanding what triggers you to eat and changing the habits that support this eating.
Here are some common emotional triggers and ways to circumvent them:
- Boredom: you eat when there is nothing else to do or when you don’t know what you should be doing. This is perhaps the easiest kind of emotional eating to kick. Chances are you just need to be made aware of the times you are vulnerable and have a sure plan on how to deal with it. When you feel yourself going back to the kitchen to snack, try leaving the house and going on a walk instead, pick up something that occupies your hands like knitting or drawing, or keep only low calorie snacks around so that you know you won’t pay for overindulging.
- Depression: Many of us eat to stop feeling the sadness, anger, and hopelessness involved in being depressed. Eating makes us feel better for a few minutes, but it is a quick fix. Exercise, meditation, and therapy are all wonderful ways to get in touch with how you feel and help cure depression. Often, we discover that our reliance on food to make us feel better stems from childhood-,either our parents used food as comfort or denied us food as punishment. Understanding your early patterns of food as reward or punishment can help you decode when and how you are likely to overeat. One good thing to remember, is that your need for reward or comfort is a healthy feeling, it’s just that food is not a healthy tool to use. Try replacing food with things that are good for you and your body–short hikes, massages, facials, a movie, a good book, or a conversation with a friend–little things go a long way toward helping you feel healthy and happy. If it is anger you are trying to stuff down with food, try letting it out in healthy ways that you don’t have to be afraid of like a kickboxing class, self-defense, or scream therapy. You might find that if you feel safe enough to let out your anger, you won’t have to eat as much to keep it from coming up.
- Social: In our culture, food is also a social tool. We celebrate with food, connect with food, and create ritual with food. If your family is like mine, you learned that food is a part of any social gathering. The problem comes in when we use social engagements to overeat. It’s only natural to consume more calories when we are out with others. We are busy talking and not paying attention to what we are putting into our mouths, we indulge in dessert because the other person is too, or we are expected to eat as much as we can (Hello Thanksgiving!). Being aware in social situations is one of the best ways to stop this kind of overeating. If you are going to a party, eat a healthy meal at home first so that you are less likely to overindulge, at restaurants box up half your meal before you start eating so that you don’t have to worry about limiting your portion or better yet share a meal or dessert. Sometimes we overeat in social situations because we are anxious. Taking deep breathes and having a glass of water to sip on instead of nibbling on food are good ways to help calm your nerves. Perhaps, however, the best way of dealing with social eating is to begin to engage in activities not centered around food. Instead of going out to dinner with friends, go on a walk, hike, or bike ride instead. Meet up at a coffee shop instead of a bar or a museum instead of a restaurant. Take a dance class together. For holidays, go out and look at lights or try caroling or volunteering. There are so many ways to connect with people and the more we become committed to healthy engagement the less obsessed with food we become.
- Situational: Do you find yourself eating because the food is there? Eating in front of the television or having to get the big bag of popcorn at the theater because the movies just aren’t the same without it? If so, then you fall prey to situational eating. The easiest way to stop this kind of eating is to recognize the triggers and go out of your way to change the habit or substitute with a healthy habit instead. Try not to eat in front of the t.v. Some research suggests that we consume more than 50% more calories this way. If you need to, make sure to snack on fruit or raw veggies. Popcorn at the movies? Bring your own air-popped popcorn or allow yourself only the smallest size. Eating because the food is just there? If it’s at your house, make sure you don’t keep so much food around. If out, make sure you always have a healthy snack on you that you can indulge in to ease the temptation. If you stop for donuts because they are on the way to work then go a different way.
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photo credit: timlewisnm
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10 Responses to “The Emotions of Eating: How to Nourish Yourself the Right Way”
[...] Originally posted here: The Emotions of Eating: How to Nourish Yourself the Right Way [...]
This list is so true. I always eat more at work out. If I didn’t work I would be golden lol
Nicely written…I like the section you call, “situational eating”, and I guess this is an area I really need to improve on. You have offered some really good suggestions for this type of mindless eating.
Candee
when i’m depressed i eat a lot this is one of my problems.
These are good insights on what causes overeating. I realize now that I overeat when I’m at home due to boredom and grab whatever is in the fridge or the cookie jar.
I really like your site. I have had trouble losing the weight recently. It was all so easy at the beginning when the weight was rolling off. But things have slowed down a bit.
Your site has renewed my courage to struggle on down that happy road of merky weight loss.
I liked the other blog on failure. I haven’t failed only discovered the way I’ve been doing it doesn’t work. And naturally I identify with the emotional eating. Of course! Of Course!
When you’ve pinpointed boredom as the main cause of overeating at home, try to find something enjoyable to do to take take your mind of food- playing videogames or surfing the net, or even better, doing something productive like working-out or pick-up a hobby like painting. Something that will keep your two hands and your mind occupied and off the munchies. ; )
@ Radley: You’re sure right about making it a point to stay pre-occupied to keep boredom and the munchies from kicking-in. Videogames and hobbies are good, but if we have over 30 min of extra time at hand, squeezing-in a mini-workout would hit the proverbial verbs with one stone.
Um, I think you mean proverbial birds Carmen, but I’m guessing that’s a typo. ; ) Anyway, you’re absolutely correct in stating that if we had ample time on our hands, it would be best to use if for mini-workouts because the more active the better!
Guys, ever heard of metabolic training? Boosting our metabolism by eating and exercising properly can make it possible for us to lose the excess calories we get from over-eating in short workout sessions of just 15-20 minutes! That makes it possible for those of us who have problems squeezing-in an effective weight-loss routine into our tight daily schedules.
[...] Originally posted here: The Emotions of Eating: How to Nourish Yourself the Right Way [...]
Pingback by The Emotions of Eating: How to Nourish Yourself the Right Way | www.theweightwatchers.com — June 17, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
This list is so true. I always eat more at work out. If I didn’t work I would be golden lol
Comment by kristisummer — June 17, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
Nicely written…I like the section you call, “situational eating”, and I guess this is an area I really need to improve on. You have offered some really good suggestions for this type of mindless eating.
Candee
Comment by Spanx — June 18, 2009 @ 6:07 pm
when i’m depressed i eat a lot this is one of my problems.
Comment by myxscene — July 5, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
These are good insights on what causes overeating. I realize now that I overeat when I’m at home due to boredom and grab whatever is in the fridge or the cookie jar.
Comment by Penny — August 12, 2009 @ 1:01 am
I really like your site. I have had trouble losing the weight recently. It was all so easy at the beginning when the weight was rolling off. But things have slowed down a bit.
Your site has renewed my courage to struggle on down that happy road of merky weight loss.
I liked the other blog on failure. I haven’t failed only discovered the way I’ve been doing it doesn’t work. And naturally I identify with the emotional eating. Of course! Of Course!
Comment by Doug Remington — August 13, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
When you’ve pinpointed boredom as the main cause of overeating at home, try to find something enjoyable to do to take take your mind of food- playing videogames or surfing the net, or even better, doing something productive like working-out or pick-up a hobby like painting. Something that will keep your two hands and your mind occupied and off the munchies. ; )
Comment by Radley — August 14, 2009 @ 1:33 am
@ Radley: You’re sure right about making it a point to stay pre-occupied to keep boredom and the munchies from kicking-in. Videogames and hobbies are good, but if we have over 30 min of extra time at hand, squeezing-in a mini-workout would hit the proverbial verbs with one stone.
Comment by Kharmen — September 8, 2009 @ 11:33 pm
Um, I think you mean proverbial birds Carmen, but I’m guessing that’s a typo. ; ) Anyway, you’re absolutely correct in stating that if we had ample time on our hands, it would be best to use if for mini-workouts because the more active the better!
Comment by @ Kharmen — November 13, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
Guys, ever heard of metabolic training? Boosting our metabolism by eating and exercising properly can make it possible for us to lose the excess calories we get from over-eating in short workout sessions of just 15-20 minutes! That makes it possible for those of us who have problems squeezing-in an effective weight-loss routine into our tight daily schedules.
Comment by Penny — March 1, 2010 @ 12:15 am