Eating patterns and the role of emotions in our food choices
Our bodies are wondrous machines, consisting of billions of molecular geniuses, capable of
controlling thousands of functions simultaneously with precision. Right now, as you're reading this, your heart is beating blood throughout your body, your lungs are breathing air which is then transferred to your cells, your stomach and intestines are probably digesting food, and your eyes are moving to focus on new words.
Yet while all our bodies are miraculous, they're very different from each other. These differences are believed (but not proven) to greatly affect our susceptibility for being overweight. However, genes and bodily functions are only half the equation; For the vast majority of us, eating a lot of fatty foods and getting no exercise will result in rapid weight gain, while exerting a lot of energy and eating low caloric foods will result in weight loss.
In this article I would like to focus one our eating habits, and some of the things that make us eat more than we really need to. I'll start with a story: a few months ago, I was taking a walk in the neighborhood when I noticed a hunger creeping over me. Nothing unusually about that - I'm a guy who likes to eat. But then I remembered that only three minutes ago I had the distinct sensation of being full. This seemed a bit fishy. So I decided to investigate: I focused my attention on my stomach. It was then I realized that what I was feeling wasn't really hunger - it was an inclination to eat. In other words, I didn't have a biological need to eat - but an emotional one.
In the past, I would always accept this feeling as a cue to eat. Since I wasn't really hungry, I would quickly feel stuffed and wonder "Why did I do that?" But this time, I decided that not to eat. It wasn't easy, but I was glad I didn't eat.
True, the story isn't mind blowing. But it's implications are important. What made me feel hungry? Was it really an empty stomach? Did I really need to eat at the time? No. It was an emotion that was overriding my bodily sensation. I believe these emotions are one of the foremost causes of obesity.
Let's stop and think for a second. When do you feel inclined to eat? When you're lonely? Bored? When you have a task to do which you don't feel like doing?
When you're disappointed or mad or frustrated?
This might be all too familiar to you. If you know that you eat because of emotions, great. Knowing is the first step to changing. If, however, you feel that emotions have nothing to do with it and you just like eating until you're overstuffed, perhaps a little more digging is necessary. Consider that according to Bob Green, whose worked with thousands of people, during his whole career he never met a single overweight person who's weight issues didn't evolve emotional eating.
Whether feel emotions drive your eating habits, the following suggestions might help anyone who is overweight:
- Before eating, as yourself "Am I really hungry?" The immediate answer will most likely be "Hell yeah! LET'S EAT!" Turn your attention to the your stomach. It is the only part of your body that knows the answer to this question. Do you really need to eat right now?
- Keep an emotional eating diary: each and every time you eat, even the smallest of things, write what you ate, at what times, and what you felt. Be honest. It might be inconvenient - but isn't your health worth it? After a week or two, look for patterns. What makes you eat? Knowing these patterns helps you overcome them.
- Compare how you feel before and after eating. This will help you identify the need you're trying to fill with eating. For example, if you feel more relaxed after eating, you might be using food to relax.
- Sometimes, eating is associated with deeper emotions. For example, being overweight helps some people distance themselves from others out of fear of being hurt. If you feel these emotions are too overwhelming to deal with, please seek the advice of a trained professional.
Have an emotional eating patterns of your own? Consider sharing with us.