Tag Archives: emotional eating

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think

mindless-eatingHave you ever felt that you were literally beckoned by a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos to buy them? Or if after eating a salad for lunch (dressing on the side, of course) do you reach for a Snickers at 3 p.m. because you were “so healthy” just a few hours ago?

You’re not alone. In fact, most Americans engage in some sort of mindless eating, each meal, every snack, each day.

Author and food psychologist, Brian Wansink Ph.D. talks about how blurry our perception has become in choosing what we eat, how much we eat and when we eat. In his book, Mindless Eating, Wansink helps undue a bit of the guilt that ensues after eating too much. (more…)

Comfort Foods Are Diet Saboteurs

The idea of comfort food, foods that evoke a psychologically pleasurable response when ingested by an individual, is not new. Your idea of which foods are comforting is somewhat individual and based on a variety of factors. The pairing of sustenance with comfort has been said to start as early as the womb. This pairing continues with the bonding created by infant feeding, both physical and emotional needs are met at the same time, and rewarding toddlers and children with food for good behavior.

Many families use food to distract one from or heal negative emotions such as sadness, loneliness, hurt, and even boredom. Many of my family members admit to using food to love and care for each other, trying to meet both physical and emotional needs. How often do we express gratitude and caring during holidays with gifts of food? Is it any wonder that we use food as a drug to effect both our physical and emotional states? (more…)

Healing Feelings from Dr. Phil’s Keys to Weight Loss

As we continue to work through Dr. Phil’s Keys to Weight Loss and keep track of his Ultimate Weight Loss Race, we dig a bit more deeply into the second key. Dr. Phil’s website directs focus using the second key with the following mandate, “Overcome emotional overeating by managing inappropriate reactions to stress; solving problems rather than dwelling on them; changing self-defeating thoughts, since more often than not, feelings follow thoughts; gaining closure on unfinished emotional business; and learning new ways to cope without resorting to food”. Just that statement could be overwhelming with all the difficult things that are included. One issue many have with Dr. Phil is that telling you what to do doesn’t necessarily lead to life change because it leaves you without knowing how to do what he told you to do. So let’s break it down. (more…)

Eat to Live, Don’t Live to Eat

Last week, Dr. Phil told his contestants that we need to eat to live not live to eat. Food is the body’s fuel. It is what keeps our hearts beating, our brains running, and our feet moving. Just like other sources of energy, some are higher quality and give us better results than others. Primarily, food is about nutrition and energy; however, we use food for many other purposes.

The majority of first dates include food. Men buy food on dates to demonstrate that they can provide, and it gives us something to do with our nervous hands, a reason to pause and consider what you will say while your mouth is full, and something to look at to avoid eye contact. The majority of our social contacts include food in some form.  We share food to nurture one another; it is a way to say ‘I care about you, your comfort, and your health’. Also, as we mentioned, food is a powerful drug that can impact us physically and emotionally. The emotional aspects, seem to be Dr. Phil’s primary concern in how food may be misused. It’s when we start using food as a drug or a filler than it becomes a problem; that’s when our calories become empty.

According to Dr. Phil’s quiz Are You An Emotional Eater, I would venture that nearly all of us at least have “room for improvement”. Personally, I think there is a balance and you can still make smart choices without limiting yourself socially or completely ignoring your body’s cravings. Even chocolate has researched benefits on mood, but eating a tub of rocky road is not going to be helpful in the short term or the long term. (more…)

Dr. Phil’s Line in the Sand

Nearly three weeks after the first two episodes of Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Race, we finally get to see episode three. The teams moved into the luxurious Dr. Phil house where they were each given a cell phone so Dr. Phil could call them at any time, and a personalized meal kit using Dr. Phil’s 14-day Rapid Start Plan. According to his website, The Rapid Start Plan is a 14-day, calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified plan that helps the body prepare for weight loss and the palate prepare for a diet shift.

Dr. Phil’s video message reminded the contestants that this is a competition, but they will be required to work together to succeed as he asked them to decide on a “house leader”. The teams determined Tiffany would make a good “house leader” and perhaps a house mother.

beach.jpgThe next day, the teams headed to Malibu for a beach workout. If you’re lucky enough to live near a beach or visit one on vacation, remember that working out in the sand can increase your difficulty. Each trainer used the environment in a different way to workout their team. The contestants were given a Mio heart rate monitor to help them track the intensity level of their workouts. (more…)

Dieting Hardest for Emotional Eaters

When you’re looking to lose weight, what’s the first thing that you think of? How many calories do I need to get down to on a daily basis? Or, should I look to restrict my carb intake?

We usually think about what goes in our mouth. But it may be time to think about your mental health as well.

According to new research, emotional eaters usually lose less and have the hardest time keeping off whatever weight they do lose.

“Our results suggest that we need to pay more attention to eating triggered by emotions or thoughts as they clearly play a significant role in weight loss,” said Heather Niemeier of Brown University, whose study appears in the journal Obesity.

Niemeier and her colleagues focused on people who ate because of external influences (eating too much at parties) and internal influences (loneliness or using food as a reward).