Emotional eat
Sunil is an expert at losing weight. She has lost the same 50 pounds over and over again. She has tried all the fad diets, diet pills and diet centers. She is on a weight gain/loss roller coaster. Each time she goes through the cycle of dieting, she gains a little more weight than she loses. At 270 pounds, she fears that she is gaining on 300. Ironically, that fear also contributes to her eating binges.
Sunil, like many people, is an emotional eater. Food is no longer simply fuel for her body. It has become her drug of choice, her friend, companion, comfort and distraction from the unpleasant emotional experiences of daily life. At some point she discovered that eating helps to medicate her pain. That association between eating and easing her emotions gets reinforced daily.
There are many different triggers that can send a person into a feeding frenzy. For Nita, loneliness is a common trigger. Having been raised in a family that says "I love you" with food, eating has become associated with love. Now when Nita feels lonely, she feeds her hungry heart. A big meal feels like a warm letter from home. It's the easiest way to fill her emptiness.
Julie, at 135 pounds, is only 10 pounds over weight but she too is an emotional eater. Her eating is triggered mainly by stress. As a customer service representative who deals with angry people all day, she soothes her frayed nerves with comfort foods. Ann's critical, demanding boss sends her through the roof and to the candy machine to choke back her anger with something sweet.
No comments:
Post a Comment