Q. I eat when I'm not hungry. When I do say no to food I get a feeling of anxiety and suffering. Help!
A. most of the time, anyone with an addiction, like drugs, alcohol, sex, food, etc., is trying to cover up a life trauma, most often from childhood, that they can't deal with. something is eating at you deep inside and therefore you are overeating. overeating, just like drugs, is zoning out so you don't have to think about anything, experience difficult emotions or anxiety. you can see a therapist and they will help you get to the bottom of why you are doing this and give you some skills to try and manage it. good luck you can do it!
How can I break my binge eating?
Q. I can't stop eating. Once I take one bite it starts off a chain reaction and I eat and eat. Please help me. I need to stop I'm going to start gaining weight, in fact I already have about 5 pounds. This has been going on since the start of the year. I need help badly. Any advice would be appreciated.
A. Sometimes the strongest longings for food happen when you're at your
weakest point emotionally. Many people turn to food for comfort â
consciously or unconsciously â when they're facing a difficult problem
or looking to keep themselves occupied.
But emotional eating â eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative
emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and
loneliness â can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Often, emotional
eating leads to eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet,
salty and fatty foods.
The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can
take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on
track with your weight-loss goals.
Though strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take
steps to control those cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try
these suggestions:
Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional?
If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach,
you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to
pass.
Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you
eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat
and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that
reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a
walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a
friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is
nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it
to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.
Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of
high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue,
postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings
don't influence your decisions at the store.
Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a
low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with
fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie
versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet
your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional
eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast.
Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole
grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and
lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more
likely to feel fuller, longer.
Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more
manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's
fit and well rested.
If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh
the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for
how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes
you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for
making changes that ensure better health.
weakest point emotionally. Many people turn to food for comfort â
consciously or unconsciously â when they're facing a difficult problem
or looking to keep themselves occupied.
But emotional eating â eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative
emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and
loneliness â can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Often, emotional
eating leads to eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet,
salty and fatty foods.
The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can
take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on
track with your weight-loss goals.
Though strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take
steps to control those cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try
these suggestions:
Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional?
If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach,
you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to
pass.
Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you
eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat
and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that
reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a
walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a
friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is
nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it
to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.
Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of
high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue,
postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings
don't influence your decisions at the store.
Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a
low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with
fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie
versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet
your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional
eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast.
Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole
grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and
lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more
likely to feel fuller, longer.
Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more
manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's
fit and well rested.
If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh
the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for
how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes
you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for
making changes that ensure better health.
How to start of my eating disorder project?
Q. Hey guys,
I am doing a project on eating disorders and so far for my introduction I have got...
Anorexia and Bulimia, two physical and mental eating disorders that kill thousands of each year.
And now I am stuck, once I get past the introduction I will be okay, but could you lot give me some help/advice on how to complete the introduction?
I am doing a project on eating disorders and so far for my introduction I have got...
Anorexia and Bulimia, two physical and mental eating disorders that kill thousands of each year.
And now I am stuck, once I get past the introduction I will be okay, but could you lot give me some help/advice on how to complete the introduction?
A. Ok.. here are some things to think about for your project.
From a clinical point of view, eating disorders are about strategy. If you are going in the direction of how eating disorders work, allude to the fact you will be investigating the strategy employed by the person with the ED. How do they do what they do?
From my clinical experience as a therapist dealing with EDs, note where the emotions take place in the strategy. Example:
With Anorexia
Person enters negative state -> feels guilt (important bit)-> refuses food -> exits negative state
With Bulimia
Person enters negative state -> binges -> feels guilt (important bit) -> purges or over exercises -> exits negative state
The person with Anorexia feels the guilt of eating before taking a bite - so they refuse the food.
The person with Bulimia feels the guilt after eating - so they purge it or burn it off.
Also look at the underlying problems with the eating disorders. Anorexia tends to be "tribal" in that the underlying problem is very often with someone in the family (pay particular attention to the relationship between the parents and the subject) or a very close friend causing the problem.
With Bulimia, it tends to be something more varied and external, often unconnected with the family unit.
Hope this helps...
Regards,
Stephen
From a clinical point of view, eating disorders are about strategy. If you are going in the direction of how eating disorders work, allude to the fact you will be investigating the strategy employed by the person with the ED. How do they do what they do?
From my clinical experience as a therapist dealing with EDs, note where the emotions take place in the strategy. Example:
With Anorexia
Person enters negative state -> feels guilt (important bit)-> refuses food -> exits negative state
With Bulimia
Person enters negative state -> binges -> feels guilt (important bit) -> purges or over exercises -> exits negative state
The person with Anorexia feels the guilt of eating before taking a bite - so they refuse the food.
The person with Bulimia feels the guilt after eating - so they purge it or burn it off.
Also look at the underlying problems with the eating disorders. Anorexia tends to be "tribal" in that the underlying problem is very often with someone in the family (pay particular attention to the relationship between the parents and the subject) or a very close friend causing the problem.
With Bulimia, it tends to be something more varied and external, often unconnected with the family unit.
Hope this helps...
Regards,
Stephen
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