|
|
Fast Weight Loss Information - Articles, search and news in
a single place.
Emotional Eating: A Prime Ingredient for Obesity :
Sandra found her weight
ballooning 60 pounds after her separation from her husband. While
part of the weight gain was apparently tied to the medication she
was taking, the rest appeared to be the result of what can be described
as emotional eating. In recent years, greater attention has been focused
on the problem of emotional eating for both women and men. In fact,
some experts have gone so far as to claim that most weight gain can
be blamed on emotional eating. According to Women Today magazine,
it has been estimated that as much as 75 percent of overeating is
attributed to the emotions.
For a number of people, overeating stems from anxiety. For instance,
if you find yourself consuming an entire bag of potato chips, it’s
possible that anxiety is the cause. While many people realize that
alcohol and illegal drugs are not an antidote to anxiety, they may
not understand that indulging in comfort food in order to combat anxiety
can be dangerous as well.
In other cases, overeating may be the result of depression. If you
feel tired, hopeless, and have lost interest in your normal activities,
you may be suffering from a depressive episode. In order to deal with
these uncomfortable feelings, people may turn to food in an effort
to cheer up. The problem is that the food can lead to weight gain,
which can lead to further depression.
At times, overeating may be a symptom of boredom. An individual may
figure that he or she has nothing better to do than overeat. This
can be particularly true when one is watching television or surfing
the Internet. Rather than trying to determine a cause for the boredom,
an individual may just try to “fix” it by indulging in
high-fat, high-calorie food.
How do you know if you are an emotional eater? Ask yourself some key
questions: Do I tend to eat when I’m worried? Scared? Sad? Do
I find that eating lifts my spirits? Am I spending more time eating
than engaging in other activities I enjoy? Do my binges come after
I’ve suffered disappointment? Am I turning to food in order
to deal with the death of a loved one…a divorce…or the
defeat of my favorite team? If the answers to any of these questions
are “yes,” you may be overeating purely for emotional
reasons.
After you’ve identified yourself as an emotional eater, you’ll
need to take steps to correct your behavior. Perhaps the most effective
technique is diversion. In other words, if you find yourself reaching
for the cookie jar, find another activity to engage in. The answer
could be taking a walk, kickboxing, or dancing. Or it could be something
less physically demanding, such as needlepoint or crochet. The idea
is to get your hands…and perhaps the rest of your body…moving.
In time, you might find the urge to overeat subsides as you become
involved with other activities.
Another effective step you can take is to identify the triggers for
your emotional eating. Do you tend to binge in mid-morning, mid-afternoon,
or right before bedtime? Are you snacking while watching television,
while at the computer, or when you’re sitting in your favorite
chair? By asking yourself these questions, you can identify the time
of day when you overeat, as well as the location for your binging.
With this information, you can learn to re-direct your behavior to
less fattening pursuits.
Yet another helpful technique is to develop a support network to help
you combat overeating. The members of your support team could include
your spouse, children, parents, friends, or other over-eaters. You
may even consider joining a support group which specializes in helping
those who engage in binge eating. If you feel the need to overeat,
contact a member of your support team. Talking through your emotions
could provide you with the emotional release you need, making overeating
unnecessary.
If your anxiety or depression persists, consider seeing a psychotherapist.
He or she can help you develop more effective coping mechanisms. If
you find it difficult to talk to friends or family about your overeating,
a psychotherapist can provide you with the talk therapy you need to
overcome your problem.
Weight Loss Tips
Sponsors;
|
