askthetherapist Stress and Eating Habits
Q: A:
Dear Karen Kaye, I am under a lot of stress and pressure lately and I am putting on a number of pounds, but can’t seem to stop eating. Please tell me why, and how to stop.
Thanks, Joe
Dear Joe, There are numerous reasons why people gain weight, but I can give you some theories based on your situation and in general, then you can decide
which one fits. Since you mentioned stress and pressure, anxiety is prob-
ably a factor. The first step is to begin to identify if you are over- eating when you are nervous or anxious. Persons with anxiety either think about eating most of the time or go unconscious around food. Many times I ask my clients to keep a food diary of what they have eaten in a given day and then look back at what feeling was present before, during and after eating. The more difficult step would be to define the underlying
cause for your over-eating and stress. It is okay if you can’t do this on your own; sometimes we are too close to a problem to see it clearly and objectively. It may be necessary to seek professional guidance. With the constant bombardment of bad news recently, it is
difficult to avoid stress. With the onset of long periods of stress that we feel as individuals and as a culture, food is being used as a form of comfort. The presence of stress can leave you feel-
ing a sense of powerlessness. Therefore, food can be utilized as a form of avoidance and a replacement for something else that is missing in your life or your self. Joe, when you eat to avoid or to replace or to forget, this
is called ‘living to eat’, also known as a pre-occupation with food. Learning to be a person who ‘eats to live’ involves only eating when you are actually hungry. You would then regard food as sustenance and nutrition. Even though genetics have some bearing on your pre-disposition with food, habits are the true indicator of which lifestyle you will belong to. Be aware that some weight gain is normal as you age, based on hormones and metabolism slowing, but this would be a few pounds over many years. If you have had a sudden weight increase beyond a few pounds, consult your physician for any possible underlying physical reasons.
Many thanks, Karen L. Kaye
Karen L. Kaye has been in private practice for 27 years; call her at 954.384.217. See ad page 51.
July 2010
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