EMOTIONAL EATING

Often people arenot aware of or don’t understand how significantly our emotions influence our eating habits. When it comes to wanting to lose weight, research has shown that deprivation and dieting can actually make you hungrier and increase the cravings for the very foods you are trying to avoid. This in turn can lead to a cycle of emotional eating, overeating, and binge eating. Food essentially is used as a substance to mask any deeper underlying feelings of discomfort. Unless the real underlying cause of this habit is addressed, the cycle can continue despite dieting efforts.

Over eating and weight gain can often be the result of a stress induced response to a deeper underlying emotional issue. Past negative events or traumas can be the underlying cause for overeating, binge eating and weight gain.Often people are unconscious they are using eating and weight gain as a means of feeling safe, protected and comforted, hence the term ‘comfort eating’. They often don’t realise that they are using eating and weight gain as a way to cope and soothe themselves from past unresolved traumatic events.They are unaware they are using overeating as a self-soothing strategy to ‘feed’ and ‘nourish’ their emotions in an attempt to make up for the emotional abuse or neglect they received as a child. The food serves as a replacement and compensation for the love, comfort and nurturing they never received as a child.Others who overeat are actually subconsciously trying to gain weight because they unconsciously feel insulated or fat protected by having an extra layer of fat around them. Their subconscious beliefs are sabotaging any real desires they have or any efforts they are making to lose weight.

Binging on sugary foods causes large fluctuations in blood glucose which in turn can cause fluctuations in the hormones which regulate and stabilise blood glucose levels. These fluctuations place a large physiological burden on the body to work harder to bring the glucose levels back into balance.Over time the pressure and extra demand these fluctuations place on the body can cause cycles of emotional highs and lows. These highs and lows can subsequently lead to anxiety, depression, as well as further sugar cravings and sugar addiction. Long term blood glucose imbalances and sugar addiction can lead to imbalances in other hormones in the body and in severe cases, diabetes.

It is therefore important and necessary to address any deeper underlying emotional issues causing the emotional eating. It is vital to examine any underlying beliefs that are causing your feelings of low self-worth and to understand how they are impacting on the relationship you have with food.If emotional eating and binge eating is the cause of your weight gain, we will help you to identify and understand the connection between your thinking, emotions and eating habits.

We will help you to recognise and understand the underlying causes and triggers for your emotional eating. And we will help you to let go any self-defeating beliefs that are keeping you stuck in the cycle of overeating and preventing you from achieving the changes you desire.