In the past week, I fell on the ice not just once but twice! I now have a lump on the back of my head, a very sore rear end, and a left hand and wrist that has become black and blue. The good news was that I didn’t break any bones. Yeah! The bad news was that I was sidelined from getting much work accomplished because of the pain and the time spent at the doctor’s office.
The day this happened, I allowed myself to have a bowl of ice cream and indulge in some chocolate. Both were definitely over and above my calorie needs! Was that emotional eating? No I don’t think so. Here’s why…
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The way I see it, true emotional eating is a kind of eating disorder that has very little to do with food. Food is simply the indulgence of choice to soothe all manner of other psychological issues. An emotional eater might habitually be unable to recognize feelings of satiety (having eaten enough), feel out of control or unable to stop eating, have obsessive thoughts about food, or regularly turn to food as a means of coping with life’s problems.
If you think emotional eating might be an issue for you, ask yourself how often you turn to food as a way to cheer yourself up. Occasionally indulging in eating treats and more calories than needed is perfectly normal! You just need to keep it in perspective. After all, a treat is no longer a treat or a special food if you indulge yourself on a regular basis.
The best way for you to gain a better understanding of your eating habits is to keep a food diary or journal. By keeping a food diary you can keep track of not only what you eat and how much but also how you were feeling just before eating. (To learn more about food diaries read: Keeping a Food Diary). A journal, on the other hand, would allow you to explore your thoughts and feelings in greater depth. (Journaling and Appetite)
Either way, keeping food diary notes or journal entries will help you better understand what circumstances trigger overeating, how often it happens, and whether or not it might be emotional eating. The added benefit is that dieters who keep food diaries are much more likely to succeed with weight loss (Food Diaries Best for Weight Loss Success).
True emotional eating can be a much bigger problem than you might think. According to a study in the Journal Obesity, emotional eaters have a harder time with weight loss than those who are not emotional eaters. In addition, when emotional eaters succeed with weight loss, they are less likely to keep the weight off.
In conclusion today, I have a heartfelt video message to share with you by a young woman who has struggled with weight loss. This woman may or may not be an emotional eater. Either way, she expresses (better than I could begin to describe) the importance of listening to your own inner voice and shutting out the negative or unhelpful comments and advice from others. This inner voice is the positive one that believes in your ability to lose weight and get healthier one small step at a time with healthy eating and living. That’s what this site is all about. I’m here to help!
Remember to watch those calories, and eat healthy food!
