OVERWEIGHT AND EMOTIONAL EATING

When it comes to weight control and wanting to lose weight, most people don’t realise or understand how significantly our feelings influence our eating habits. Research has shown that dieting and deprivation can actually make you hungrier and create powerful cravings for the very foods you are trying to avoid, leading to overeating, binge eating, and emotional eating.

Research has also shown that overeating and weight gain can be the result of a stress induced response to deeper underlying emotional issues as a result of past negative events. Past traumas resulting in deeper emotional issues, can be the underlying reasons for overeating, binge eating and weight gain. People can be unconscious that they are using overeating and weight gain as a way to feel protected, safe and comforted, hence the term “comfort eating”. They are often unaware that they using overeating and weight gain as a means to cope and protect themselves from past unresolved traumatic events. Some people who overeat are actually subconsciously striving to gain weight, because the extra layer of fat makes them feel insulated or fat protected from others. Their subconscious beliefs are undermining any desires they have or any efforts they are making to lose weight. Others are unaware they are using overeating as a self-soothing method to “nourish” and “feed” their emotions to make up for the emotional neglect or emotional abuse they received as a child. The food serves as a substitute for the love and nurturing they never received as a child.

Large fluctuations in blood glucose as a result of binge eating on sugary foods causes fluctuations in the hormones which regulate and stabilise blood glucose levels. This places a large physiological burden on the body as it has to work to bring the glucose levels back into balance. When blood glucose levels are not regulated appropriately, a person can experience cycles of emotional highs and lows, anxiety, depression, further sugar cravings and subsequent sugar addiction. Fluctuations in blood glucose over a long period of time can also lead to imbalances in other hormones in the body and in extreme cases diabetes.
If emotional eating and binge eating are preventing you from losing weight, and affecting your health, it is therefore important to address the deeper underlying cause. It is important to examine any underlying psychological and emotional patterns and beliefs you have about yourself, including any feelings of low self-worth, and how these may impact on the relationship you have with food.

If your weight gain is caused by emotional eating and binge eating, we can help you understand and identify the connection between your thoughts, emotions and eating habits. We will help you identify and understand the underlying causes and triggers of your emotional eating and help you establish some practical strategies for managing your weight effectively. We will use a variety of techniques including hypnotherapy to help you let go of any negative self-defeating beliefs and mental programming that are preventing you from losing weight and achieving long lasting change.