The best weight loss program in the world won’t work if you suffer from emotional eating. Food was designed to sustain us. It’s how we take in energy to function in our daily life. It is the vehicle that transports vitamins, minerals, and fiber into our bodies and ultimately nourish our cells. Food contains most of all the elements we need to be healthy.
Unfortunately, many people eat for the wrong reasons. They have a destructive habit of emotional eating. They use food as an emotional support. They eat out of an inability to process the difficult emotions they might be experiencing. They eat our boredom or because they’re tired. They eat out of emotional, rather than physical needs.
The authors of the You On a Diet book put it this way:
“It’s no secret that we use food as a medication for our acute emotional problems…The reality is that a good number of us with weight problems have emotional issues that run deeper than the middle of the Pacific and we try to satisfy our need for a higher power by self-medicating with food.”
Dr. Roger Gould, author of the book and online program called Shrink Yourself says that if you are eating for reward or reward, you are turning on your “hunger switch” and you’ll never be able to lose weight.
It is clear that for those of us who struggle with emotional eating, we need to find a way to deal with runaway emotions that cause us to eat when we’re not hungry.
Emotional eating…is it chemical?
I’ll admit that many times I eat for the wrong reasons. Many people eat to eliminate anxiety or as a way to be comforted when they are sad or depressed.
Sometimes it results in emotional eating or “binge eating”. Or it could be a sign of having a low serotonin level. In that case, you should see a doctor about your emotional eating issues. Be aware that the doctor may prescribe an anti-depressant to treat your symptoms.
Could it be a spiritual problem?
A christian weight loss program can help you recognize if you are eating in an effort to fill emotional needs that can only be fulfilled by God.
Emotions are given to us by God, both positive feelings and negative feelings. How we deal with these emotions is key to staying emotionally balanced and not reaching for food to provide comfort or soothe our wounded feelings.
Tips to Stop Emotional Eating
If you are tempted to habits of emotional eating, here are some ways you can stop or at least cut down on doing it. First, learn to recognize the signs of hunger. A grumbling stomach is a real sign of hunger. If you find yourself looking for food and your stomach is not making those sounds, stop what you’re doing and ask yourself what you really want. Are you tired? Sad? Depressed? If that’s the case, get away from the kitchen and take a nap or try to deal with those emotions honestly. Start a journal and write what you’re feeling that makes you want to eat.
Second, have a set schedule for eating. Most successful weight loss programs have you eating on a regular schedule, every 3 hours or so. If you have a schedule for eating, you can stick to it by knowing exactly what you’re going to eat when it’s the right time.
Third, keep yourself busy. A lot of times it’s boredom or loneliness that makes us eat. So start a new hobby or re-visit an old one to keep your hands busy and out of the potato chip bag. Call a friend or write an email to someone you haven’t chatted with in a while. Spending time on a weight loss forum is a great way to make new friends who’s lifestyle goals are similar to yours.
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