WHY EMOTIONAL EATING APPEAR?

Sometimes the strongest longings for food happen when you are at your weakest point emotionally. Many people turn to food for comfort - consciously or unconsciously - when they are facing a difficult problem or looking to keep themselves occupied. But emotionally eating - eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness, and loneliness- can sabotage your weight-loss efforts.
Often, emotional eating leads eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet, salty and fatty foods. The good news is that if you are prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.
Major life events - such as unemployment, health problems and divorce - and daily life hassles - such as stressfull work commute, bad weather and changes in your normal routine - can trigger emotions that lead to overeating.
But why do negative emotions lead to overeating? Some foods may have seemingly addictive qualities. For eaxample, when you eat enticing foods, such as chocolate, your body releases trace amounts of mood - and satisfaction elevating hormones. That "reward" may reinforce a preference for foods that are most closely associated with specific feelings. Related to this is the simple fact that the pleasure of eating offsets negative emotions.
Food can also be a distraction. If you are worried about an upcoming event or rethinking an earlier conflict, eating comfort foods may distract you. But the distraction is only temporary. While you are eating, your thoughts focus on the pleasant taste of your comfort food. Unfortunately, when you done overeating, your attention returns to your worries, and you may now bear the additional burden of guilt about overeating.

If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the effective changes you are making in your eat habits and give yourself credit for making changes that ensure better health.