Sage Advice on Emotional Eating

(Editor’s note: SAGE ADVICE is a column that appears in Covenant Health’s Passport newsletter. It is written by Rachel Peterson at the Peninsula Senior Day Hospital. )

SAGE ADVICE

Emotional Eating Can Come with a Heavy Price

Since retiring four years ago, I have gained 20 pounds. I am unhappy with the way I look, but I don’t have the motivation to lose the weight or keep it off. Numerous diets have helped me lose some of the weight, but then I regain it, plus a few more pounds. I don’t want to face another failure!

Sincerely,
Not So Pleasantly Plump

Dear Plump:

First, know that that maintaining an ideal weight is important to helping us age healthily. Being overweight or obese can negatively contribute to existing medical conditions, can cause other medical conditions to develop. Weight gain can also cause loss of self-esteem because of how we perceive our physical appearance.

The reality is, aging affects weight. Changes in hormones, slowing of metabolism and loss of muscle mass all come into play making it harder to lose weight or keep it off. It can be very frustrating.

I have consulted with the Covenant Weight Management Center experts to ensure your question is addressed fully and accurately. These changes result in reduced need for calorie intake. Eating less and exercising more is the key to success, but those of us with weight problems know it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

To be successful in weight loss, experts say you must understand the difference in physical hunger and emotional hunger. Physical hunger develops slowly. It is patient and will wait for food. This type of hunger starts with a small rumble in the stomach and gradually increases to a deliberate choice of food you would like to eat. Physical hunger stops when the stomach is full. You are more likely to choose healthy food choices when you are physically hungry.

Conversely, emotional hunger presents itself suddenly and demands food immediately. When you are emotionally hungry there is little regard for what is eaten and you will continue to eat even when your stomach is full. Our emotional hunger pangs crave our favorite foods (sweets, carbs, etc.). Although emotional eating fills our need for emotional comfort at the moment it often leaves us feeling guilty and ashamed.

Emotional eating is a coping skill that we use to deal with challenges in life. While it may feel good, it has the side effect of weight gain. Diets do not get to the root cause of emotional eating. Until this happens, you will likely fail at keeping the weight off.

What can you do?

• Make an appointment with your physician to ensure that your weight gain isn’t caused by hypothyroidism or side effects of medication.

• Address the emotion underlying your need to comfort yourself with food. If needed, enlist the assistance of a therapist to guide you in this process.

• Review the symptoms of physical and emotional hunger and keep a daily log of events, thoughts and emotions prior to an emotional hunger pain. This will help you identify the cause of the emotional discomfort.

• Contact the Covenant Weight Management Center for assistance at (865) 531-5243. Their staff of experts provide a six-month program that is medically supervised with an individualized plan for healthy eating and healthy living.

• With your doctor’s approval, consider participating in the numerous Fifty Plus Fitness classes available through Covenant Health – they’ll help you lose weight, and you might gain some new friends along the way! To find out more about senior fitness classes in your community, call
(865) 541-4500.

To learn more about Passport, please click here.

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