So Tell Me-Why'd You REALLY Eat That Doughnut?

by Catherine Ipcizade | More from this Blogger

09 Oct 2006 01:04 PM

A major component of weight gain is comfort eating; that is, eating for emotional fulfillment of some sort. That emotional fulfillment may be to "erase" a bad day at home or at the office, to "celebrate" something good that has happened, to "ease" loneliness, to inadvertently "get back" at someone who has called you names, etc. Emotional eating is not always the reason people are overweight, but it is certainly true for a high percentage of individuals.

Are you an emotional eater?

1.Do you frequently "celebrate" with food?

2.Do you find yourself raiding the refrigerator after a stressful day?

3.Do you eat alone?

4.Does a large "comfort food" meal make you feel better? Do you seek these meals when you're feeling "down?"

5.Do you eat even when you're not hungry?

If you answered, "yes" to these questions, you're likely an emotional eater. It's difficult to train our minds and our bodies to eat for nourishment rather than for emotional purposes.

Breaking the emotional eating cycle is not easy. As a parent of little ones, I often grab a bowl of crackers when my kids are having their snack, simply because they are there. If I've had a rough day, I'll likely cook a comfort meal full of starchy goodness, and I'll likely eat way too much of it. To break the cycle takes more than willpower-it takes a new set of rules.

Set up some eating boundaries for yourself. For instance, start eating fruit or veggies as your snack instead of crackers. Or, any time you feel like snacking, drink a glass of water. Make small changes that work for you. Soon, you'll find yourself starting to shed pounds.

Emotional eating is part of American culture. By changing a few small habits and recognizing your "trigger" eating times, you can start to lose weight.

Learn more about Catherine Ipcizade

Cathy Ipcizade is 30 years old and currently resides in Southern California. Prior to coming to California she grew up in Arizona.

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Linda Hansen (1796) 10 Oct 2006 05:17 AM

I love comfort foods and snacks and can't resist an ice cream bar late in the evening. One of my strongest triggers is sitting at the computer and snacking. Its sort of like eating popcorn at the movies, they seem to go hand in hand. Because of these lately developed habits and my age, I have gained a lot of weight. You are so right, breaking the emotional eating habit isn't easy, but I am about to try. Snack substitutions are a good idea. I keep a lot of fruit in the house because the boys have it for snack, so that would be a good start.

Catherine Ipcizade (5617) 10 Oct 2006 07:38 AM

Good luck, artcraft! It IS hard. Lately I've been getting the munchies at night and having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Arrr! My other "trigger" time is late afternoon when I could eat an entire second lunch before dinner. It's hard to change habits. Good luck to us all! :-)

Jody Moreen (3274) 10 Oct 2006 05:58 PM

Thanks Catherine for this post- think many of us can relate to comfort food and emotional eating. Many of us have our favorites.So many of the foods I like this time of year in the coolness of fall are a good pot pie,stews and pot roasts, warm yeast bread,apple cobblers. Too bad they are fat-laden.Sometimes in the evening to stave off the sweet tooth or carbo attack I make myself a cup of sugar free hot cocoa or Cafe Francais- 60 calories but sometimes hits the spot and comforts and curbs the sweet tooth. Also I go read in my room away from temptation of the comfort foods! Jody

Catherine Ipcizade (5617) 10 Oct 2006 07:35 PM

Ooh, GREAT idea about the cocoa!