Q: I always eat when I am upset or stressed. That’s often these days between work and family issues. I feel terrible about it. How can I stop (when I enjoy it so much)? — Shelley P., Indianapolis
A: Emotional eating is a common response to stress, anxiety and feeling blue. And because it has nothing to do with being hungry, it adds extra calories to your day — increasing the risk for obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. The American Psychological Association reports that more than a third of adults say that they’ve overeaten unhealthy foods because of stress in the last month. We think it’s more common than that — a year ago, 37% of Americans rated their mental health as only fair or poor — and many folks say they expect to be more stressed this year.
How can you know if you are engaging in emotional eating? Ask yourself: How often do I eat between meals? How often do I keep eating even if I am not hungry? Do I fixate on the pleasure I get from specific foods? Are there certain times — or people — that trigger emotional eating? Do I feel shame or guilt after I enjoy an extra treat?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you may benefit from talking about your feelings to a close friend (having a posse always improves your health); taking a stress-management class; talking with a therapist; and engaging in exercise and meditation. It’s also important to not judge yourself harshly for emotional eating.
Cleveland Clinic’s psychologist, Dr. David Creel says, “When we’re able to show ourselves a bit of grace and self-compassion, we can say, ‘Hey, although I’m not happy I did this, I [can] look at some of the factors that maybe led to it, and I can change [them] in the future.’
Your self-awareness is a major first step, Shelley. And, by the way, the relatively new GLP-1 and GIP weight-loss drugs may help, too.
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Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global adviser to www.iHerb.com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
