Emotional Eating

Advice on How to Recognize the Problem of Emotional Eating and How to Stop It.

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

I'm desperately trying to lose weight, but I think I just figured out my problem. I eat all the time, even when I'm not hungry. I don't really know why, I've just noticed that when I'm at home and I find myself standing in front of the refrigerator, a lot of the time I'm not even hungry, but I'm still looking for something to eat. Why do I do this and can you help me stop?

Sincerely,

Eating on a Full Stomach

A:

Dear Eating on a Full Stomach, 

Overeating when you're not hungry? It's called emotional eating.

Women are not necessarily more vulnerable to emotional eating than men, however, women talk about it more, and, as a rule, are more weight conscious than men are. It's good that you're noticing the fact that you're eating even though your body doesn't necessarily need food.

Why women eat when they're not hungry.

Women are also more in touch with their feelings, as a rule, so that when they feel bad -- they know it! Men may have emotions, but they don't necessarily pay attention to them. A woman may feel badly, know she feels badly, and know that she wants to feel better. Instead of confronting the feelings that are making her hurt, and figuring out why she feels badly, she may try to numb the feelings or distract herself from the feelings by using a substance. The substance can be food, alcohol, drugs, work, exercise or something more damaging like cutting.

To avoid emotional eating, follow the following steps:

1. Try to identify your feelings. This is a discipline for many people.

2. When you identify a feeling, figure out what made you feel that way.

3. See if you can eliminate the things that made you feel bad -- or rather than eliminate them, face them and solve the problem that is causing the bad feelings.

4. Recognize this pattern when it occurs again.

5. Keep at it. This is not an overnight fix.

You've reached a great point in that you notice you have a problem. Now you just need to discover why you are participating in emotional eating and you are on your way to stopping it!

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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