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Ongoing groups include a weekly drop-in weight loss
group on Mondays from 12:30 to 1:30 pm (led by
Juleeanna Andreoni, MS, RD / cost:$15 per session)
and weekly group psychotherapy for individuals with
binge eating disorder or bulimia on Mondays from 5 to
6:30pm (led by Christine Howard, PsyD / cost: $45
per session). Please call us for additional information.
For up-to-date information about our upcoming
workshops and classes, please check our website or
give us a call. Registration and payment in advance
are required for all ph&w events and space is limited
to
12 (cooking classes are limited to 6). We strongly
encourage early registration.
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If you find yourself eating when you are stressed,
anxious, feeling down, or struggling with other
difficult emotions, this article is for you. Most of us
have had the experience of eating for reasons other
than physical hunger.
But when we frequently turn to food - especially high
calorie food - to soothe our emotions, then emotional
eating may be playing a role. While eating disorders
are considered to be psychiatric conditions,
emotional eating refers to a pattern of eating
behaviors that is not considered to be an actual
disorder. But emotional eating, when it
occurs frequently, can lead to unwanted weight gain
and may
contribute to the development of certain medical
problems. In this article, you will learn to identify
emotional eating and its triggers, and you will find
some suggestions for regaining control of your eating
habits.
The term emotional eating refers to a
pattern of eating, especially calorie-dense, nutrient-
poor foods, in order to soothe or comfort ourselves,
rather than to satisfy physical hunger.
When we engage in emotional eating, we
may consume larger quantities than we would if we
were physically hungry. In fact, emotional eating
can lead to a 'disconnect' between our body and our
mind. Some emotional eaters have little awareness
of how much they are eating when they are in a
state like this. It isn't unusual to feel guilty, angry,
or ashamed
afterwards.
In order to conquer emotional eating (yes, it can be
conquered!!), we must first be aware of what
triggers
us to eat, other than physical hunger. We all have
different triggers. Triggers to eating tend to fall into
5 general categories: 1) emotional, 2) physiological,
3)
social, 4) situational, or 5) cognitive (thoughts).
For
example, an argument with our
spouse, friend, or co-worker may lead us to reach for
for a pint of ice cream (emotional). Or we may eat
because we feel fat and worthless (cognitive). Since
we are all
different, it is very important for you to
identify your own triggers. The best way to do this
is to keep a food/mood diary for a few days. You will
want to keep track of the time of day, location, what
and how much you eat/drink, your hunger level, event
(s) prior to eating, and how you are feeling (before
and after eating). By going over your logs closely,
you will be able to find patterns. Once you are able
to identify these patterns of emotional
eating/overeating, you will be
ready to make positive changes!
Now that you can identify your triggers, how do you
break the habit of emotional eating? Here are some
quick tips for changing your eating habits:
Healthcare professionals such as counselors,
psychologists, psychiatrists, and nutritionists can
play a role in conquering compulsive over-eating. If
you are interested in more detailed information,
check out the links on emotional eating in the quick
links section above.
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copyright 2006 portland health and wellness We are very interested in your comments and suggestions. Please let us know if you have a topic you would like to see covered in future newsletters. We look forward to hearing from you.
Portland Health and Wellness
email:
infoph_w@comcast.net
phone:
503.236.4506
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