Did you know that fitness can go deep into your emotions? Many people who struggle with their weight and eating right have some deep-seated emotional issues to deal with. I have to say that this has been my story for many years. When I do overeat, I know why. I also know why I sometimes lose the drive to exercise. Yet gaining complete victory over those reasons has yet to happen.
You have likely heard the phrase, “Emotional Eating.” This occurs when a person eats, not because they are actually hungry, but because they want to feed a feeling. For some people it is relegated to just one type of emotion. It may be that when a person is sad, they eat. For others it may be when they are angry.
Then there are people who eat when they experience all kinds of emotions. Whether they are excited, bored or upset they go through emotional eating. Obviously, this is not healthy at all.
Mixed in with this many emotional eaters also enjoy what we call “comfort foods.” These are foods that bring a sense of comfort. It’s a particular type of food that we may turn to.
I recently read on Web MD that people who are in positive moods tend to turn to foods like pizza for comfort. People who are sad turn to foods like cookies and ice cream, and those who are bored turn to potato chips.
Dealing with emotional eating is not easy. Believe me, I know from experience. It isn’t something we can overcome in a day, a week or even a month. For some people it takes months or even years.
However the first step is to recognize if this is an issue for you. Fit living will never happen unless you get honest with yourself so it must begin here. Are you an emotional eater? Once you come to understand that you may be, you should begin to keep track of when that happens.
You will likely notice a pattern. You will be able to see certain moods that bring about eating even though you aren’t hungry. Once you recognize this, the next step is to determine if you have comfort foods that you turn to.
With this blog, we are going to stop here. I will continue to address the issue of emotional eating in future blogs but I just want to leave you with this “assignment.” Spend time thinking about your eating habits. Get honest with yourself and take the time to recognize if emotional eating is an issue for you and what your comfort foods may be.
Meanwhile, keep pressing on. I have been experiencing a wide range of emotions in my life lately and I have struggled to keep on exercising and eating right. It would be easy to completely give up. But even though I have had some unsuccessful days, I am going to get back up and try again.
Related Articles:
The Benefits of a Food Journal
Satisfaction in Eating and Fitness