The Emotional Eater

I'm feeling like a Fat Failure again today.  So I went back to my SparkPeople site to get refocused.  They suggest taking a Diet Personality Profile quiz to see what approach you need to get healthy so you don't just keep beating your head against an immovable wall.  Of the four possible outcomes, I naturally turned out to be overwhelmingly the one I least wanted to be.

I AM NOT AN EMOTIONAL EATER.  

I DO NOT USE FOOD TO DEAL WITH FEELINGS.  

Of course not.  So why is it that their description of the Emotional Eater fits me so well?

The Emotional Eater Personality

The main problem you face is eating when you're not hungry or eating to satisfy something other than hunger. "Food for your mood" can cause your diet to vary a great deal. Too much of your eating is driven by boredom, stress, or dejection - you might even find yourself in the kitchen, open cookie bag in hand, and not know why. Mindless and emotional eating for you can be caused by any number of reasons. It is likely you have more weight to lose than most or have grappled with weight most of your life.

A tendency for this personality type is to yo-yo on dieting and swing through "all-or-nothing" extremes (e.g., I've blown it already this meal so why not have dessert?) A few spoonfuls turn into a snack turns into a binge…especially around the high stress holidays.





What Can You Do?

A diet alone is not the best option for the Emotional Eater. Emotional Eaters can become fixated on what's good and what's bad and grow obsessed about eating. The emotional eater needs to become more conscious of when and what they eat and surround themselves with the support they need to change. You will need to develop new skills for dealing with boredom, stress and/or sadness. You need a conscious connection to your hunger.

A conscious connection to my hunger.  What is that?

A line in the mindful eating book I'm reading during Lent stopped me in my tracks the other day:

Remember, there was a time before you became overweight when your weight was normal.  It is easy to forget that.  (Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, by Thich Nhat Hanh)

 NO THERE WASN'T.

THERE WAS NEVER A TIME WHEN MY WEIGHT WAS NORMAL.

Really?  Can that be true?  Even as a child, when I was small and wiry?  Even in my 20s when I was very physically fit and weighed 125 and wore a size 6?  Apparently I've always believed my body was wrong.  I really don't want to waste the rest of my life feeling that way.  

BEING FAT IS NOT A FAILURE.

BEING THIN IS NOT SUCCESS.

Be healthy.

Be beautiful.

Feel healthy.

Feel beautiful.

Have a conscious connection to my hunger.

Figure out what that means.