What is Emotional Eating?

Why Did I Eat That?

According to:

Medterms.com

Emotional eating: Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food -- usually "comfort" or junk foods -- in response to feelings instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.

WebMD.com

Emotional Eating is: Eating to feed a feeling, and not a growling stomach, is emotional eating.

Seems pretty simple when you read it, but the reasons behind emotional eating are often difficult to identify. I suffer from the curse of Emotional Eating, which is a trait that has been passed down in my family. Even though I am aware of this fact, it does not make it any easier to combat. There are many reasons why I eat when I am not hungry. Sometimes, it is because I had a particularly stressful day at work. Othertimes, it is out of pure exhaustion and a means to try to stay awake to get things completed. Then, there are the times I am frustrated and sad or think that I'm never going to lose the weight anyway and that cookie sure would taste yummy! I always feel good while I am eating my treat, but after comes the dreaded, self condemnation and the resounding question, "Why did I eat that?"

I wish that I could say that I had found the answer to this struggle or a magic solution for you to try if you too struggle with Emotional Eating, but unfortunately it is a constant battle and all I can do is share my strategies for trying to defeat this demon once and for all. Over the next 3 weeks, I am going to try different strategies to combat my emotional eating. I will share each strategy as I try it and how effective the strategy seems to be. Of course, it is easy for websites to give advice to overeaters who eat in response to emotions, but how many of them live with the constant battle of emotional eating? How many times have those of us who are overweight been advised by skinny people who have never truly struggled with weight in their lives? It is not just a matter of don't eat this or that or only eat when you are hungry because emotional eating goes much deeper than this and often ends with eating to satisfy some deeper emotional need. I can honestly say that I have lived with this struggle my entire life. I will jump in and try some of the suggestions given on the web and let you know honestly if they are viable and effective for someone like me. I hope with my sharing, I can encourage you do try to work through your struggles with eating and perhaps glean some insight in to strategies that truly work. Check back often to see what new ideas I have tried and the effectiveness.

Good luck!

Your Sister in Emotional Eating

Four Week Challenge...

Week One - February 25, 2013

Strategy One: Keep a Food Diary from the article: Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating by: The Mayo Clinic Staff

Okay, so many of you have probably heard of and maybe even tried to keep a journal of everything you consume in a day. Well, this one suggests also keeping up with how you are feeling before you eat. So, this week, I will keep a food diary which includes everything I put in my mouth, along with how I am feeling before and after I eat the food. I am going to add a prayer journal to this method, as I feel that connecting with God will also help me to check my emotions and ask for His strength in dealing with this addiction. Each morning I will start my day with prayer and write my requests in the journal, then I will conclude my food journal each night with my prayer of Thanksgiving and continued strength. I will share with as I progress with this strategy in week 1. Check back for an update soon!

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