The Essentials of Emotional Eating

You probably believe that diets work, if you let them. But letting a diet work means sticking to it — and therein lies the problem. Only one in every 100 people who goes on a diet succeeds in losing weight permanently. The rest gain it back again, and sometimes gain back more than was lost in the first place. The average dieter begins — and breaks — four diets a year.

I find this to be amazing. It's a story of frustration on a mass scale, and yet, the futility of dieting doesn't deter those that are determined to shed pounds. Dieting is so common, so routine — it's almost like brushing your teeth. Think about all the people you know who try to lose weight by subjecting themselves to the deprivation of dieting. Now think about the fact those people have a 99% chance of failure!

The question is, why? Why do diets fail?

In my work with struggling dieters, both in my 35 years of practice as a psychiatrist. I have found it has to do with the hidden emotions that drive you back to the table time and time again, even when you're full. Diets provide good nutritional info, but they never explain why you were overeating in the first place.

Diets don't work when life's challenges make you crave comfort snacks. Diets don't work when your spouse hurts your feelings and a bowl of ice cream promises you more comfort than a conversation with him or her. What about your hunger when your boss vetoes your vacation plans? What happens when you've just come back from lunch and your best client has cancelled your account? You're probably munching on the Fritos sitting on your desk even though you just ate.

The message that eating right will lead to longer life bombards you at every corner — on magazine covers, in the lifestyle section of the daily newspaper, in the waiting room at the doctor's office, in conversations overheard in the break room, on the internet — and certainly you want to live longer.

So why don't you just buck up, eat less and exercise more? Deep down, you probably know that will result in weight loss. Why do you let your emotions dictate when and what you eat, even when you don't feel particularly hungry for food?

When it comes right down to it, you probably don't know the answer, but I suspect that you can't control your overeating because you use food to force back all the other things you feel. You may do this by overeating at every meal, or constantly snacking, or by choosing the wrong types of foods despite your best intentions.

The bottom line is that somehow eating has been chosen as the preferred way to handle negative emotions. This psychological pattern makes you fall off the diet wagon time and time again. That's why this program may be just what you need. It's basically a guide to help you understand why you overeat when you know you shouldn't so that you can finally end your war with unwanted pounds. It will help you determine when your hunger is real.

Share With a Friend