The overweight depressed lady

Alternatively, the person who is sensitive about her weight may become a people-pleaser in
the hope of winning the approval and love of others who she hopes won’t notice her weight. She
cares for others and disregards her own needs, thereby gaining the satisfaction in life she craves.
When she feels lonely, she eats; when she feels unappreciated, she resorts to food to fill the void.


If the eater engages in compulsive eating, he or she further
defeats finding a solution. It is necessary for such people to redefine their relationship with food
and exercise (e.g., “this is what I usually eat,” “this is what I rarely eat,” “this is what I do in
terms of physical activity”). Later chapters emphasize this need.


Other psychological factors that can produce emotional eating include how a person
thinks about food and eating. A person may make excuses and rationalizations to give himself
or herself permission to eat in unhealthy ways (“This has been such a stressful day; I deserve
a treat” or “Well I’ve blown it, so why not keep eating?”). If you have difficulties being
assertive, you may resort to food to stuff down painful feelings. Thinking of yourself as someone
who can’t resist food or who has a sweet tooth makes it harder to incorporate changes in
lifestyle that are necessary for weight management success. “I’m a chocoholic” is a self-definition
sure to make it harder to resist temptation. To overcome emotional eating and succeed
in making a lifestyle change that leads to a healthy weight, you must redefine who you are and
how you act in relation to food and exercise.


www.weightloss.about.com/od/emotionaleating1/emotional_eating.htm