Emotional eating is a very real problem in America. Our growing obesity rate is scary and alarming. One of the primary reasons why obesity is on such an incline is because we put emotional attachments to the food we eat. This behavior in itself is fine if it can be controlled. However, if you lose control, it can turn into a compulsive disorder that can have horrendous consequences.

What is emotional eating & how do I know if I'm doing it?

An emotional eater has placed strong feelings and sensations with the association of eating. They tend to feel a tremendous amount of comfort and pleasure when they eat. It is possible to feel the opposite and have a significant sense of disgust and self-pity, although it is not as common. The person has a deep psychological conditioned behavior that can only be satisfied by over eating. An emotional eater does not even have to be hungry to trigger their urges to eat. A number of different reasons such as stress or a traumatic situation could trigger their urges.

What can I do to stop being an emotional eater?

The 1st thing to do is to admit that you may have a problem & genuinely want to do something to fix it. You must take a proactive role in trying to figure out what is the cause of this disorder and how do you go about correcting it. It would probably be wise to seek the counsel of a trained professional. With their help they can assist you in breaking down your defensive mechanisms and uncovering the real reason behind your motivation.

What happens if I can't control my emotional eating disorder?

Over eating is an obsessive-compulsive addiction just like any other addiction. If you allow your problem to get out of hand, you face the very real possibility of mental suffering & extremely poor physical health that can lead to death. For the sake of your well-being you must find a way to correct your behavior. If you have tried to stop before only to fail, it is probably because you did not replace your passion for food with another equally great passion. In order to make this massive paradigm shift you have to find a new healthy behavior, hobby or habit & replace it with your old self-destructive habits.

Based upon my experience these are the most common questions asked regarding emotional eating. If you feel like you may show signs of such behavior I hope that this article may have shed some light as to how you can overcome it. Emotional eating can be dealt with, provided, that you are willing to take the 1st step.