We celebrate our country's independence every year. As we celebrate that July 4th Independence Day, celebrate your own. As we have changed our habits and lifestyle, we have also changed our relationship and dependence with food. No longer are we a slave and victim to a life of emotionally eating, we are now independent and free of the limitations of yo-yo dieting and emotional eating. You are free! You are independent!
Reflect back on the times that you've binged and emotionally eaten, did you feel free? Did you feel like you were under the control of the food choices? Stop and think about it - under the influence of a cookie? Now, that's a dreadful thought. Be under the influence and control of your own influence and control. Don't allow a Twinkie to rule your life.
The constraints of emotional eating go beyond weight. Emotional eating results in excess weight. A large body size and excess weight impacts and deteriorates our self-esteem, our self-worth, creates a feeling of victimization, and we settles for less than what we deserve. Breaking free from the bonds of food is similar to giving yourself a second birth. It feels as though you've been reborn. We have become reborn to live the life we've always been meant to life which is full and meaningful, rich and rewarding.
The next time you are at a fork in the emotional eating road, give yourself a moment of pause. How do you feel when you give in to the food temptations and overeat, kicking in the cycle of eating emotionally? Do you want to follow the path of exercising your muscle of controlling your food choices and truly your life? Yes, sometimes it is difficult to stop the cycle of emotionally eating. It is comforting and can allow us to escape an uncomfortable situation. If we do it often enough, it creates a stronger muscle of resistance in succumbing to unhealthy food choices that make us independent of food.
You become more independent and your own person when you move away from emotionally eating. No longer do you need to live to eat but eat to live. You live your life complete with a variety of thoughts, feelings, emotions and you have the coping strategies to overcome the challenges you previously ate over. That is true independence.
I look forward to celebrating Independence Day, our liberties, our freedom, and what it means to me personally. I also look forward to celebrating my own personal Independence Day, my liberty from being a slave to food, my freedom from emotional eating, and what my life today means to me. I encourage you to do the same. Celebrate your own personal Independence Day every single day of the year. You aren't limited to one day per year - celebrate your independence every single day.
However, food also has another role in our lives - a role of comfort and entertainment. Culturally and instinctively we prepare and serve foods to comfort those who have experienced loss, to celebrate joy or to show friendship and love.
So what exactly is emotional eating?
Seeing food as more than just a source of energy and enjoying it simply for the satisfaction it gives is not wrong. In fact science shows that food can promote good feelings by chemical reactions caused in our brains.
What IS a problem is when an individual cannot experience pain, anxiety, joy or even boredom without turning to food as means of dealing with those feelings, or they are obsessed with food, weight and dieting.
Emotional eaters turn to food as a source of distraction from dealing with feelings. However, eating these foods leads to feelings of guilt which can only be soothed with more eating, restrictive dieting, excessive exercise or purging.
Emotional eaters tend to value themselves based on their weight and how closely they've stuck to their 'ideal' diet. Because of this distorted relationship with food, foods are labeled "GOOD" and "BAD". Emotional eating can also lead to serious eating disorders and depression.
- How to tell if you're an emotional eater.
Do you turn to food for reasons other than hunger? Are you obsessed with thoughts of food - whether you plan to eat it or are concentrating on restricting yourself from eating it?
Do you regularly try diets and fail - leading to guilt and further over eating? Do you think about or attempt to purge excess food by throwing up or using laxatives? Do you exercise compulsively when you think you've eaten too much?
If you can answer "YES" to any of the above questions then you may in fact be engaging in this dangerous habit.
- Overcoming emotional eating.
Since emotional eating is caused by looking to food as a coping strategy for emotional distress dieting can actually create more problems.
When the emotional eater fails to stick to a diet they suffer feelings of guilt that can only be soothed with more food and in turn, more guilt or punishment.
Instead of trying to focus on what they are eating, the emotional eater needs to learn new skills for coping with stressful emotions. Often this requires the help of a Personal Coach or Therapist who deals with emotional eating.
It is only by finding replacements for the comfort food provided that the individual can put food into its rightful place and learn healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.
Both Cathy Wilson & P. Wolbers are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Cathy Wilson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Lose Weight and Fitness. Cathy Wilson is a certified life coach specializing in weight loss. Cathy lost 147 pounds seven years ago. Her passion is to help clients achieve weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with clients to create a weight loss life plan custom to each client.. Cathy Wilson's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
P. Wolbers has sinced written about articles on various topics from Whey Protein, Fitness and Nutrition. Paul Wolbers is a Fitness Enthusiast dedicated to helping others achieve physical fitness, longer life, and better overall health. You can visit his website and discover more at:. P. Wolbers's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.