Emotional Overeating

By Nurse Diane 

I hate to shop for clothes.  I recently spent several days shopping for an Easter dress to wear to church.  I couldn’t find anything I liked, and if I did, they didn't have it in my size, or the color was wrong, or it didn’t look good on, so I would leave the mall and go across the street to the dairy queen, and get some ice cream.  This made me feel better at the moment, and then I would feel guilty as soon as I finished. It seems like when I am mad or upset, I always look for ice cream or chocolate to make things better, but it always seems to make things worse.

April is Emotional Overeating Awareness Month.  According to emotionalovereatingawareness.com, millions of people overeat in an attempt to numb unpleasant feelings with food. The challenge this month is to experience your feelings without anesthetizing yourself with sugars and simple carbohydrates. Try to recognize these urges to eat for emotional reasons and deal with them in more appropriate and satisfying ways. Ask yourself what it really is that you need.

Dr. Denise Lamothe is a clinical psychologist and doctor of holistic health. She is the founder of Emotional Overeating Awareness Month.  She offers some tips to help those struggling with emotional overeating problems.  They include:

• Choose the healthiest foods you can find to truly nourish your body
• Move your body choose activities that you enjoy
• Express your feelings
• Make as many self-loving choices as you can
• Give yourself quiet time
• Spend time in nature
• Appreciate yourself
• Always remember there are no mistakes only lessons – and whatever you do, never under any circumstances beat yourself up

Like the picture above says, a healthy relationship with food is when you feel proud of your choices, whether you choose carrots or ice cream.  Learn the things that are making you want to overeat, and ways to change that pattern or correct the problem.  Don’t worry about a hot fudge sundae every now and then, ice cream still helps sometimes, if eating in small servings.