Emotional Eating

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Emotional Eating

by Laura Brand

I am continually amazed at the prevalence of eating disorders in our society. If you look around, they are everywhere! I’m not just talking about anorexia. Although that is one of them, eating disorders can also take the form of compulsive eating; overeating; eating and then purging (i.e. bulimia); eating as a coping mechanism (i.e. to either suppress or express emotions); or simply obsessing on food. For many people, eating is much more than simply sustenance, enjoying the pleasure of eating, or providing nutrition for their bodies… it’s a way to either cope or escape from life.

Many people who are trying to lose weight think their problem is simple: they have a weight problem. I beg to differ. I can’t say it is true for everybody, but I think a large percentage of people who are trying to lose weight will at some point have to address the emotional eating patterns that led to the weight gain in the first place. I have also met people who look “skinny” who are deeply burdened and obsessed with thoughts of food. Eating disorders can happen to anybody. If you think you may have either an eating disorder, an obsession with food, or any other kind of disordered eating, a helpful tip is to log your food - at least for a little while. This will help you to be mindful of what you are eating and why. I have found an incredible internet resource that works great - Calorie Counter at MyFoodDiary.com - as it not only counts the calories, but all of the other nutritional information in the foods you eat every day. It also has a place to journal your feelings and emotions, which will help you see your eating patterns and if you tend to use food to cope with stress and emotions.

Take this short quiz to see how you rate.

Overeating:

For the next two questions, score 1- never, 2- rarely, 3- occasionally, 4- frequently, 5-always.

1. When food is mentioned, do you want to eat even if not hungry?

2. Do you have trouble controlling your eating when your favorite foods are around the house?

3. How often do you eat because of physical hunger? Score 1- always, 2- frequently, 3- occasionally, 4- rarely, 5- never.

If you scored 3 to 6, try to control the attitudes that occasionally make you overeat; 7 to 9, eating nutritiously will be easier if you try to resist external cues; and eat only when you are physically hungry.

Binging and Purging:

4. Have you ever eaten lots of food rapidly and felt the eating was excessive and out of control? Score 2- for yes, 0- for no.

5. If yes, how often over the past year? Score 1- for less than once a month, 2- about once a month, 3- a few times a month, 4- about once a week, 5- about 3 times a week, 6- daily.

6. Have you ever purged to control your weight by using laxatives, diuretics or induced vomiting? Score 5- for yes, 0- for no.

7. If yes, how often during the past year? Score 1- for less than once a month, 2- about once a month, 3- a few times a month, 4- about once a week, 5- about 3 times a week, 6- daily.

If you scored 0 to 1, binge eating and purging are not your problem; 2 to 11, get professional help if these eating patterns arise more often; 12 to 19, your potentially serious eating problem needs immediate professional attention.

Emotional Eating:

For each of the next three questions, score 1- never, 2- rarely, 3- occasionally, 4- frequently, 5- always.

8. Do you overeat or make poor food choices when you feel anxious, depressed, angry or lonely?

9. Do you celebrate feeling good by overeating or making poor food choices?

10. When things don’t go well with others or on your job, do you eat more than you would like, or eat foods you wouldn’t normally eat otherwise?

If you scored 3 to 8, you don’t seem to let emotions affect your eating; 9 to 11, monitor your occasional tendency to eat in response to emotional highs and lows and find alternative activities; 12 to 15, you need to find other ways than eating to express your feelings.

Quiz is taken from Fitness: The Complete Guide. Pages 9.13 and 9.14.