Emotional Eating

Emotional Eating Q&A

What is emotional eating?

Emotional eating describes the tendency to turn to food to soothe or suppress guilt, shame, and other negative feelings.

People may use food as an emotional support tool because eating can temporarily fill a void and create a feeling of fullness. However, the feelings are usually temporary and can trigger a cycle of more negative emotions that lead to unhealthy eating habits.

When you eat to deal with or hide emotions, your risk for obesity and its related health complications can increase significantly. You may also be at greater risk for long-term psychological issues like anxiety and depression.

Can emotional eating be harmful?

Yes, emotional eating can be harmful.

It often leads to unhealthy eating patterns and can result in overeating or consuming unhealthy foods, which may contribute to weight gain and associated health problems. Furthermore, it doesn’t address the underlying emotional issues and can create a cycle of negative feelings and reliance on food for emotional comfort, potentially impacting mental health. Addressing the root causes of emotional eating and developing healthier coping mechanisms is important for overall well-being.

Expanding further, emotional eating can have broader implications beyond physical health. It may lead to a disordered relationship with food, where eating becomes a primary coping mechanism for managing emotions. This reliance can mask underlying emotional issues like stress, anxiety, or depression, delaying effective treatment or resolution. Over time, it might also lead to feelings of guilt or shame about eating habits, contributing to a negative self-image and potentially impacting mental health. Addressing emotional eating involves understanding its triggers, learning healthy coping strategies, and possibly seeking professional help to break the cycle and improve overall well-being.

When should I seek treatment for emotional eating?

If you know that you use food to comfort yourself, you should schedule a consultation at Vitality Weight Loss and Wellness Institute. If you’re not sure you need help, consider if you have any warning signs of emotional eating, such as:

• Hunger that comes on suddenly
• Immediate need to satisfy hunger
• Cravings for specific comfort food
• Tendency to eat even when you’re full
• Feeling guilt or shame after eating

The team can assess your unhealthy eating habits and help you identify your emotional eating triggers, such as stress and boredom. They create a treatment plan that addresses the emotional, mental, and physical factors emotional eating involves.

How is emotional eating treated?

The Vitality Weight Loss and Wellness Institute team takes a compassionate approach to address emotional eating. The staff includes physicians, personal trainers, counselors, and a mindset coach to support you on your journey to creating healthier eating habits.

You might benefit from counseling and coaching services to better understand your emotions and your emotional eating triggers. They provide you with tools to improve your eating habits and change how you think about your relationship with food.

The personal trainers work with you on a daily exercise plan to improve your fitness and support healthy weight loss. If you need to lose a lot of weight, the physicians offer customized weight loss plans and appetite suppressants to help you reach a healthy body weight.

The guidance you receive to overcome emotional eating can help you make lifelong changes that support your emotional, mental, and physical health. You receive support from the team during online telemedicine appointments.

To schedule a consultation for emotional eating, call Vitality Weight Loss and Wellness Institute or book an appointment online today.