Do you have a craving sometimes for a particular food but do not know why ? Can you recognize the hidden emotions associated with eating food even when you think you feel good ?
“ We cannot change what we are not aware of , and once we are aware , we cannot help but change .”
–– Sheryl Sandberg
Our relationship with food
The words involved in our relationships can be also used for our relationship with food . Words such as intimacy , learning , love , growth , compassion , empathy , trust , uncertainty , pain , hurt , pleasure , communication , etc . We need to
By Julie Alvira , MD , MBA
treat our relationship with food like any other . We will have ups and downs , learning experiences , setbacks , moments of fun , and opportunities for growth . Overall , we want to do it in a healthy way . For some , their relationship with food might not be like this . It starts to progress in another direction and gets in the way of their personal and social lives . Their relationship with food starts to have a behavioral component that can lead to overeating , binging , purging or very restrictive eating .
Emotional aspect of eating
In moments of stress , the body releases the hormone epinephrine , which suppresses the appetite . When the stress continues , cortisol is released , which has the opposite effect . After the stress passes , cortisol levels decline but in many people stress situations are triggered frequently . As a way of soothing that effect , these individuals turn to “ comfort ” ( fat and sugar filled ) foods . Research has found that 75 % of overeating is caused by emotions . The problem is never food . It ’ s being unaware of the emotional triggers that lead to the behavior component that we cannot control . When overeating happens , it can lead to health problems like obesity , diabetes and even food addiction . HALT ( hungry , angry , lonely , tired ) is an acronym used to describe emotional situations that lead to overeating . With time , it can turn into a pattern that can be difficult to break .
Emotional Eating
We all feel bad at times and turn to food , of course we do . Who hasn ’ t watched a chick flick with a pint of ice cream after a break up ? We all have done it ! Emotional eating becomes a problem when it ’ s a person ’ s strategy for regulating mood . It ’ s their go-to solution all the time . After overeating , a person may feel shame and guilt . It ’ s not until we become aware as to why we ’ re choosing that habit that we can feel empowered again . At some point , we might think we don ’ t have a choice , but we do . The idea is to choose life force and find something you love enough to make the change and break the pattern . That something , in this case , is you .
A technique
There are several techniques but for now I ’ m going to focus on a self check exercise I learned at a workshop . Make a timeline from birth to your actual age . List every moment that has happened to you that made an impression on your life . ( ex : bullying at school at 8 , change of schools at 10 , parents divorce at 13 , puberty , etc .). Next to each incident on your timeline , note how each one made you feel such as sadness or anger . Attach the negative emotions to that episode . You are looking for that a-ha moment . That key moment which changed you and made a slow progress in your life to the point you started to self sabotage with food and using it as a survival strategy . That incident that disrupted the balance in your body and your eating and made you to start making conclusions and judgments about yourself which led to a self destructive pattern . Is there any moment in the present that has made you feel unbalanced about your body and eating that triggers the same negative emotions related to the incident in your past ? The idea is to look for self awareness and bring clarity to this and start to intervene and decide . Do you want your power back and to make changes ?
Another aspect ... In your timeline , have you ever reached your weight goal to then alter it again after a while ? If so , what happened around that time that altered the balance ?
* It ’ s always recommended to consult with your physician before you start any eating or exercise plan .
Julie Alvira MD , MBA is the owner of Coach Dr . Julie , LLC . www . coachdrjulie . com . Julie helps clients in recovery get unstuck in their eating and physical exercise habits . She ’ s a certified master health and wellness coach , certified addictions recovery coach , and a certified advanced clinical interventionist . Contact : julie @ coachdrjulie . com for a virtual or face-to-face session at her office .
18 DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018