Overeating and over indulgence is a key issue and very common problem in today’s world, hence why obesity rates are on the rise and reaching an all time high! It is also extremely common, among those following a strict dietary program, to deviate away from a regimented eating plan, either during a weak moment or completion of a plan. This can easily happen when one stops following a plan or in many situations reaches a goal and turns to food as a way to celebrate or have everything they once were not “allowed” to have. Whether you are a competitor or not, overeating can be something you have faced in your past or face on a daily basis, mentally or physically. Several people have had the temptation to over indulgence but whether or not they give into temptation depends on several variables including, self control, awareness, etc. Everybody knows about the health risks of overeating and, not to mention, everyone is aware of the mental battle faced by overindulgence. What some people don’t know is that emotional eating is the biggest factor in overeating. Without understanding emotional eating, losing weight or fighting this battle is virtually impossible.
Overeating and emotional eating have many hidden consequences. Not only can it leave you feeling extremely full, uncomfortable, and frustrated with yourself, there are so many other consequences you may have never considered. Here are a few to consider…
1. Damage Your Relationships
Relationship stress is one of the most common triggers for over eaters. When there’s tension, or in the aftermath of a fight, food seems “heal all”. However, the more accustomed you get to the relief, the sooner and more frequently you will turn to food when the going gets rough in a relationship. When tension arises, instead of working through differences and communicating, you can find yourself making a trip to the refrigerator at the very first sign of tension.
As time goes on, problems can easily pile up and the habit of turning to food to deal with the problem only gets ingrained so that you don’t learn the necessary skills of communicating, getting needs met and deepening intimacy. Over time, your relationships don’t get better, you just get bigger!
2. You Neglect Your Ambitions
Many people overeat to relieve frustration with where their life is going. You might feel stuck or under-appreciated, and turn to food as a reward. When this habit gets out of hand, you will begin to neglect your ambitions. Instead of going out there and pursuing long-terms goals, you will more and more frequently turn to food for fulfillment. We have too many goals to accomplish, we cannot let food detour us in anyway!
3. It Bottles Up Your Feelings
Emotional eating pushes down unpleasant feelings. In the moment, this seems like a great thing. “Wow, I get to eat and not feel like crap!” May seem like a win win but in reality you are only brushing problems under the carpet and avoiding the deeper issues of what you are turning to food as your means to cope with a feeling or situation. It is NOT a win win, in any situation! You might be able to avoid them for a while, but they will continue to resurface if you do not address the problem directly!
4. It Makes Your Fears Seems Larger Than Life
Everyone has something they don’t want to think about. It could be a challenge or a particular “problem” you think you might have. Many emotional eaters use food as a way to handle fears. Rather than address the fear with practical steps, people retreat to the comfort of food.
The emotional eating habit prevents you from facing your fears directly. This allows them to take on a whole life of their own. Rather than being a simple challenge or self-doubt, they begin to grow and grow until they seem impossible to face. With more food, comes the potential to turn to food to “solve the problem”. Bigger problems, more food… Not a win win situation!
5. It Can Make It Hard to Love Yourself
Anyone that truly knows the pain and struggle of overeating knows how much other stuff comes along with it. With all the physical pains of overeating comes the mental and emotional pain! You can feel like a failure in all areas of your life, if you do not get a handle of the situation and start to love yourself for who you are, without food getting in the way!
Many describe themselves as “failures” or “losers.” Despite having achieved many great things in their life, the emotional eating habit determines how they feel about themselves. This negative self-image, of course, leads to more emotional eating. It’s a slippery slope that can easily destroy self esteem and confidence!
Each of the examples above shows how emotional eating and overeating can affect more than just your body and health but your well being and self worth! It is easy to feel trapped so what do you do?
Good news, it can be done and you can escape this vicious cycle! The key is to start making small, positive changes. Instead of eating after a disagreement or when you are bored, dig deep to find the real reason you are turning to food? Is it an escape mechanism, a way to fill time or what is the REAL reason you are heading for the kitchen? It is all about finding small things you can do to move closer to your goals.
However, just like bad habits can easily snowball, so can positive habits! These small positive steps begin to snowball, in a positive direction and make you feel better and better! Eventually you will feel satisfied, without the need of food. You will feel confident and ALIVE, in turn you eat less and overcome your need to turn to food. Are you ready to step up to the plate and face your fears!?
The bottom line is that these sorts of consequences to emotional eating are real and difficult to bear. But, it’s possible to escape the cycle and end emotional overeating.
Are you an Over eater and don’t even realize it??? Here are a few Triggers for you to consider and tricks to take on the battle to overcome them…
-Boredom- Are you eating because you’re bored or do not have anything interesting to do or look forward to.
TIP: If you are heading straight to the refrigerator be sure you have healthy veggies cut and ready to go so you opt for the crunchy veggies over the jar of nut butter!
-Feeling Deprived- You feel deprived of the foods which you enjoy and this leaves you craving for them even more. This is that whole, you want what you “CAN’T” have thought process! Restrictive dieting and avoidance of certain foods causes you to mentally crave those “forbidden” foods. If you indulge, this only leads to guilt, low self esteem and potential to continue munching to fight those negative feelings.
TIP: Remember you are making a choice! You absolutely ARE able to have any food you want but you are Choosing to NOT! Tell yourself you “CAN” BUT ARE “CHOOSING” NOT TOO and watch how mentally your mind shifts towards not even wanting it anymore!
-Feeling unhappy with your Body- Are you focused on the things you feel are wrong with your body. We are all human and NONE of us are perfect! Are you focusing on flaws??
TIP: Love yourself for who you are! Understand that we all have our flaws! Tell yourself you are beautiful everyday! Search within yourself to find your inner talents and gifts! Be the best YOU can be and know that you are Beautiful! Don’t compare yourself to anyone but yourself! Love you for who you are and what you are all about! Know who you are and what you stand for, love and in turn, your body image will shine through!
-Low Glucose Levels- Are you finding your blood sugar to be low and you are turning to food as a means of bringing your levels back to sanity? Low blood sugar can easily cause you to turn to food but the wrong types of food, as a quick fix to solve the physiological problem
TIP: Be sure you are eating every 2-3 hours to maintain normal blood glucose levels. The goal is to be slightly hungry before your next meal. If you go too long without eating, this only leads you straight to over indulging! Be sure to eat plenty of your complex carbohydrates and fiber to keep blood sugar levels stable longer!
-Habits- Your daily habits are key in your eating habits! Are you finding yourself overeating in specific places and times, such as in the evening when you’re at home, at the office or watching t.v.?
TIP: #1 Notice these habits and take note! Engage in things that keep your mind and hands busy. Acknowledge and Note feelings of depression, anger or anxiety. Do whatever you can to reduce feelings of stress, like writing a journal, talking with a friend, taking a walk, take a warm bath or exercise.
-Lack of Energy and Feeling Tired- When your energy level is low, you may look for food to pick you up!
TIP: Identifying your low mental energy vs. low physical energy! Are you tired because of a lack of nutrition or because of a lack of sleep OR are you tired because you are mentally drained? Be sure to get plenty of rest to ensure you are well rested and will not be turning to food for a quick glucose boost! Also be sure your nutrition is on point and you are following a well balanced program!
-Needing Love and Comfort- You turn to food when you’re really needing love and comfort. With the pressure of work, home and attacking any personal goals, you may feel burned out. If you have the love and support from others, you can power through but if you are in need of love and comfort, it is very likely and common to turn towards food to comfort you!
TIP: Taking out some time for yourself and relaxing. Pamper yourself by going out for a facial, manicure or pedicure. Be sure you have a support group to help keep you motivated and feeling loved and comforted! (that is what we are all HERE for!)
-Feeling Overwhelmed- You have got so much that you feel you must do that you find it difficult to take the first step. Pressure of work, goals and deadlines can leave you discouraged…
TIP: Do what can be done. Make a list and prioritize what NEEDS to be done vs. what does NOT NEED to get done. Tackle one task at a time!
-Feeling Upset and Hurt- You turn to food when someone says or does something that feels upsetting or hurtful to you. Anxieties and emotions can also trigger the desire to eat.
TIP: Remember, other people’s doings and sayings are THEIR issues and have nothing to do with You! Do not let words or actions get to you! Be a duck and do not let any unnecessary words get to you! Be thankful, breath, relax and understand that it is NOT about YOU but THEM!
-Lack of Willpower- Your attitude is shaped by your thoughts, feelings, and actions. It’s really easy to feel good when the going is good. The key to vibrant energy and a powerful attitude is to MAKE yourself feel good, ESPECIALLY when the going’s tough, and you don’t feel good, or you don’t want to feel good. Willpower is one of the tools you need to employ in order resist the powerful cravings associated with food. The cravings will attempt to control you. It is your willpower, determination and self-discipline that you will use to fight back.
TIP: developing a strong will-power. We all have the capacity to build up or strengthen our willpower by exercising it, day in and day out. Lifting weights develops muscles, and exercising willpower makes it stronger. Use your self-discipline in your life to become more aware of how you use your willpower in the course of all your daily activities. Sit back and pat yourself on the back for all the will power you have put to good use!
Learning more about yourself and identification of emotional and physiological triggers is an important key towards attacking over eating and making lifelong physical, mental, emotional strides in the right direction!
Believe and you WILL achieve!