I am an emotional eater.....

Is your weight causing you emotional problems? Does your self esteem suffer as a result of have concerns about your weight? If so, ask our experts your questions here.

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Gary Turner
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by Gary Turner on Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:47 pm

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Emotional eating is a major issue for most people.

You can always tell emotional eating because you aren't hungry, and you're never satisfied, and when you eat for emotional needs the emotional is never resolved.

Emotional eating comes from liking and wanting rather than needing...serotonin being released in the brain to lift mood and dopamine being released to give reward. This is how food can end up having addictive-like qualities. (Food in itself is not addictive, just can appear that way.)

The easiest way to stop emotional eating is to stop the negative emotions happening in the first place. Find new ways of acting and behaving that result in a more appropriate emotional response. Anger is when rules are broken and is experienced in the moment. Anxiety is about the future, the unknown. Frustration is anger held within, without release. (Temper would be the release, rage the uncontrolled release).

If the emotions come find new ways that resolve the emotions in ways that suit you far better, that are healthier safer and best for you. Resolve the emotion with different behaviour then you don't need to experience the behaviour.

In order to do this quickly I would suggest seeing a suitably experienced professional to help guide you through to make the changes required. As a hypnotherapist I would suggest you see one, obviously, though any psychological intervention approach will work. The key thing is to make changes.

One way of removing negative emotions is by using breathing. Negative emotions come with arrhythmia - irregular heart beat and breathing. If you remove the arrhythmia then the emotion collapses. Give this a go.

Breathe at the pace you need to breathe.
- Regularise your breathing. Breath equal distance in to out, equal time in to out, breathing with rhythm.
- Breathe smoothly.
- Breathe from the centre of your chest or even lower.
- Take your focus to your heart.

Give it a go. I've successfully collapsed full blown panic attacks with this methodology alone.

Let me know what you all think...
Gary Turner
Advisor to British Army School of Physical Training, World Champion Elite Sportsman

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... turner.php

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beat Charity
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by beat Charity on Thu Jan 15, 2015 4:30 pm

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Hi Sarah,

Emotional overeating can be defined as eating large amounts of food in response to negative emotions (such as anxiety or depression) rather than physical hunger.

This kind of eating is used as a way of coping with, or silencing, a range of negative emotions. However, the feelings of guilt and shame which follow an episode of emotional overeating usually leave the person feeling worse rather than better.

As overeating can cause weight gain, over time emotional overeating can lead to further difficulties such as greater dissatisfaction with body image and diminished self-esteem.

Beat (the UK's leading eating disorder charity) are commonly associated with anorexia and bulimia but are actually running support groups for people who emotionally overeat and may be overweight or obese. These groups are available across the East and West Midlands and East Anglia alongside online support groups which cover the whole of the UK. The groups are peer support and give you the option to use various self help techniques with the support of your peers.

Please email eosg@b-eat.co.uk and we would be happy to provide you with more information.

Sarah- it is really important to remember there are others who may have experienced the same difficulties as you and support is available.

Look forward to hearing from you soon,

Rachel
(Emotional Overeating Support Groups Project Officer)

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Adam Eason
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by Adam Eason on Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:56 am

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Hello Sarah,

In addition tot he great points made already in reply....
talkhealthguestposts wrote:I am overweight because I use food to cope with anxiety, anger and frustration, and I am a very anxious person!
There are other ways to reduce negative emotions than to eat:

1. Mindfulness. A very common, accessible and evidence-based process that requires focus on oneself, and on a moment. You can find basic protocols to engage in by googling, but I recommend books by Jon Kabat-Zinn or Russ Harris to learn more.

2. Progressive relaxation. From very practical methodologies whereby you clench certain muscles one-by-one throughout the body, to imagined colours moving through the body, progressive relaxation is a process by which the more you practice, the more adept you'll become. As you practice relaxing, you'll not just derive the benefits of the relaxation per sé, but you'll learn to relax in a cue-controlled fashion and eventually the relaxation will help to desensitise much of the negative sensations that accompany your anxiety and frustration. The body finds it very difficult to actively harbour two highly contrasting emotions/sensations at the same time, so the more you practice having a relaxed body, the harder it'll be for it to feel anxious.

3. Self-hypnosis. Evidence proves it advances the effects of relaxation, and learning to use hypnosis in a goal-directed fashion can advance self-efficacy greatly. That is, you'll learn how to feel in control of the negative feelings you cite rather than feeling like a passive recipient of them. My own book The Science of Self-Hypnosis is the one I recommend.

4. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. You might like to seek out a book by David Burns called 'Feeling Good' it is a multi-million best seller and has been shown in clinical trials to outperform many anti-depressant drugs. It is a very effective self-help guide to using CBT. It'll show you effective ways of dealing with your problematic thoughts. Otherwise, seek out a professional to help you.

5. Meditation. In similar ways to the afore mentioned mindfulness, relaxation and self-hypnosis, meditation has numerous benefits that help quiet the mind and aid relaxation. With it being more popular, there are also often groups you can find locally that can help offer additional support.

Regular practice of any or all of these methodologies helps you to innoculate against the anxiety, worry, frustration and stress you cite. Thus, allowing you to use them instead of food to feel better and stay on a problematic cycle of behaviours.

I wish you the very best going forward, do ask any further questions here, or send me a PM if you have anything else you believe I can help with. :D
Adam Eason
Clinical & Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... _eason.php

lilicauk
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by lilicauk on Sat Jan 17, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Adam Eason wrote:
2. Progressive relaxation. From very practical methodologies whereby you clench certain muscles one-by-one throughout the body, to imagined colours moving through the body, progressive relaxation is a process by which the more you practice, the more adept you'll become. As you practice relaxing, you'll not just derive the benefits of the relaxation per sé, but you'll learn to relax in a cue-controlled fashion and eventually the relaxation will help to desensitise much of the negative sensations that accompany your anxiety and frustration. The body finds it very difficult to actively harbour two highly contrasting emotions/sensations at the same time, so the more you practice having a relaxed body, the harder it'll be for it to feel anxious.

Hi Adam, as Sarah I'm an emotional eater, can you recommend literature or websites for progressive relaxation? It immediately resonated with me as it seems like something you can do anywhere during various amounts of time and doesn't require any tools (as in my case I'm never quite sure what triggers the stress, or I should say it varies, what stresses me today, turns to I couldn't care less about tomorrow...). Thanks

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Adam Eason
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by Adam Eason on Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:41 am

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Hello lilicauk
lilicauk wrote: can you recommend literature or websites for progressive relaxation?
I often refer to and recommend 'The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook', now in it's sixth edition, to those wishing to learn a variety of tools for this purpose - progressive relaxation methods are covered well in this volume. It does have a number of other strategies and techniques in it too.

If you google the terms 'progressive relaxation processes' - you'll be spoilt for choice on actual protocols to use for practicing. I would add, the simple act of making time for yourself and practicing relaxation skills will serve you very well indeed. Be patient with it; a bit like trying to force yourself to go to sleep if you wake in the night, being patient, at ease and gentle in your approach will help, as will continued practice and application.

Good luck with it :D
Adam Eason
Clinical & Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... _eason.php

flatbattery
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by flatbattery on Mon Jan 19, 2015 2:03 pm

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

I am also an emotional eater. I have tried every diet sensible and stupid which has resulted in me losing the same 3 stone several times, but not the other weight that makes me feel so bad.
My skin condition is bad, I have scaly patches on my elbows and a particularly sore bit on my hand, my hair is falling out and I have bags under my eyes. I don't feel at all attractive!
My parents both died within the past 3 years they had age related illnesses which I believe has triggered the latest bout of emotional eating. I know I can control this, but my weight is piling on again.
:?

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Jenny Radcliffe
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by Jenny Radcliffe on Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:22 pm

Re: I am an emotional eater.....

Adam Eason wrote:Hello lilicauk
lilicauk wrote: can you recommend literature or websites for progressive relaxation?
I often refer to and recommend 'The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook', now in it's sixth edition, to those wishing to learn a variety of tools for this purpose - progressive relaxation methods are covered well in this volume. It does have a number of other strategies and techniques in it too.
D
You may also want to look at "The Compassionate Mind Approach to Beating Overeating" by Ken Goss which looks at other ways (including mindfulness) to manage your emotional experience instead of turning to food... Also, to reiterate the comments above, it may be helpful to work with a psychologist or counsellor on this issue.
Jenny Radcliffe
Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist

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