When most people try to lose weight, they watch one number: the scale. But not all weight loss is...
Emotional Eating 101
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: February 11, 2021
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When we eat, it isn’t always because we’re hungry. When we feel emotions like stress, anger, fatigue, or boredom, we sometimes turn to food for comfort. It usually will soothe a complex emotion temporarily. Unfortunately, this often leaves us feeling worse.
We call this emotional eating. It happens when we eat because of emotions instead of hunger, and it can be caused by overeating. Everyone experiences emotional eating to some degree. But you can learn how to anticipate it, overcome it, and achieve better health and weight loss.
What Causes Emotional Eating?
Emotional eating is caused by any emotion and triggered by everyday issues, like work or major events. Even positive emotions like joy or excitement can lead us to overeat in a misguided attempt to maintain a good mood.
Here are examples of situations in where you might eat emotionally:
- Feeling stressed at work, we may cope by grazing throughout the day.
- Feeling fatigued after a long day, we may head to the refrigerator to unwind.
- Feeling angry or frustrated after an argument, we may eat until the tension goes away.
- Feeling anxious about an upcoming project, we may procrastinate by eating instead of working.
- Feeling bored or lonely during a night alone at home, we may seek comfort and enjoyment in eating.
- Feeling excited, we may dine out or use food as a reward to give ourselves something to look forward to.
Among these emotions, stress is one of the most significant contributors to overeating. When we’re unsure of how to deal with the stress in our lives, we may turn to food for lack of other options.
How Does Emotional Eating Affect Us?
Emotional eating can leave us feeling disappointed and frustrated with our actions. Thus leading to more emotional eating. And it doesn’t stop when we’re full. While overeating may briefly make us feel better, the emotional issue that led us to eat remains unresolved. As we continue to eat emotionally, we may not understand why we’re eating. But the continued distress affects our eating habits.
Emotional eating can contribute to weight gain, especially as the problem continues over time.
How Do You Prevent Emotional Eating?
Avoid emotional eating by developing a lifestyle that supports weight loss. This can be accomplished by:
- Managing stress
- Identifying emotional triggers
- Changing your environment and the way you relate to others
Learn to differentiate emotional hunger from physical hunger. Use strategies to cope with your emotions in a constructive way. You can overcome emotional eating and prevent this common problem from affecting your progress.
This is How You Lose the Weight, Once and For All
If you’re ready to say goodbye to quick fixes that never last? And you’re serious about losing the weight for good? We’re the experts you can trust to guide you through a weight loss program that will not only take the weight off but keep it off.
Schedule a consultation with us today.
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
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Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
