Archive for the 'Emotional Eating' Category

Stress and Binging

amy April 11th, 2007

Yesterday was rough.  I picked my son up from daycare and took him to the doctor’s office late in the morning because of a cough.  He has a sinus infection, so I had to stay home with him for the rest of the day while the antibiotics kicked in.  Between trying to work from home and dealing with a very fussy toddler, who did not seem to be happy with anything I tried, I was very stressed out.  I had also forgotten to take my Lexapro for the last few days (I have postpartum depression), which certainly did not help either.

Unfortunately my gut reaction to stress is to binge, so I gorged myself on Easter chocolate, some leftover chicken and stuffing, a large McDonald’s fries when I took James for a drive to calm him down, and finished it off with Taco Bell for dinner.  I am pretty certain (and I have suspected for a long time) that I have binge eating disorder, but like many things in my life I have ignored it instead of getting help (more about this later).  I finished the day by crashing on the couch at 7:30 and falling asleep.

Fortunately I’m well rested today and feel like I am back in control.  I don’t feel guilty about binging.  I know that it’s my natural response to stress and strong emotions, and that I’ve been conditioned to binge instead of respond in a more productive way.  In the past I would be beating myself up and eating badly today as well, so I guess that’s an improvement.  I just need to work on establishing alternative outputs for my frustration.  Going for a walk helps, but there are situations when I can’t do that (yesterday I left my tennis shoes at work).

Are you an emotional eater? Quiz

amy April 5th, 2007

Do you eat for reasons other than hunger? Emotional eating may be affecting your weight. Here’s a quick test I came across that can help you determine if you are an emotional eater. It has been taken from the book Fattitudes by Jeffrey and Norean Wilbert.

Rate the following statements from 0 - 4, then add up your total score.0 = Never, 1 = Rarely, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = Almost Always

  • I try, but fail, to lose weight and keep it off.
  • I feel out of control of my eating.I eat when I’m not physically hungry.
  • I turn to food when stressed or upset.
  • I use food as a source of pleasure or reward.
  • I think a lot about food.
  • I sabotage my weight loss efforts.
  • I binge eat or graze eat.
  • I feel ashamed of myself and my eating.
  • Food helps me deal with feelings.

Results:

0 - 10 No or little emotional eating: Your weight management efforts should be relatively uncomplicated by emotional issues.

11 - 20 Mild emotional eating: You may experience difficulty achieving weight management goals due to emotional obstacles.

21 - 30 Moderate emotional eating: You will probably encounter emotional obstacles to healthy weight management and should consider counseling.

31 - 40 Severe emotional eating: Significant obstacles exist to healthy weight management, and counseling is strongly recommended.

I scored a 31