Emotional Eating Part 1

Emotional Eating Article 1 of 2. Emotional Eaters: Who Does it and Why?

Emotional eaters are not people you can pick out in a crowd.  They are not all overweight, nor are all overweight people emotional eaters.  Simply put, I define emotional eaters as anybody who uses food as substitute for their feelings.  Stress, anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and fatigue are common triggers, and many people turn to food to quell anger.  The emotion can be anything that is uncomfortable, anything you want to stuff down.  In my experience, I see that a lot of emotional eaters share a tendency toward perfectionism.  They also believe that their lovability depends on how they look and what their performance is.  For perfectionists, there’s often a big difference between the idea of how they think life should be- the flawless house, job, garden, marriage, dress size- and how they see their daily existence.  Dwelling on imperfections (that are usually made up in their minds as they compare themselves to unrealistic ideas) and devoting one’s primary energy to “measuring up” can lead to depression and anxiety, two of the main triggers for emotional eating.

So why do emotional eaters turn to food rather than healthier sources of comfort?  When I ask this of my clients, most of them say that it is cheaper and more socially acceptable than turning to drugs or alcohol.  However, emotional eating does have a drug-like effect.  Foods rich in sugar and fat are associated with the release of the body’s natural neurotransmitters that help us with pleasure and pain.  What I’d like people to understand is that emotional eating is an addiction just like a drug because of the chemical result that is caused in our bodies when eating certain foods. 

Replacing emotional eating with healthier habits is an individual process.  This is because both the emotional triggers and the “fixes” vary from person to person.  Besides reading one of my favorite books on this subject, Constant Craving by Doreen Virtue, I also recommend doing the following exercise.  Start by making a list of non- food- related activities that make you feel good.  Then identify your personal triggers- situations, emotions, sensations, and people who tend to set off emotional eating episodes.  Finally, pair each trigger with a positive activity.  Be as specific as you can, and give yourself time to make the transition.  To learn more ways in how to heal emotional eating, stay tuned for my next article and in the meantime feel free to visit my website. www.clarityistheway.com.  –Crystal Doty