Thursday, February 10, 2011

The problem? Emotional Eating

I think we've all heard this before. Oprah kinda led the way in talking about it. People eat when they're not hungry because they are trying not to deal with whatever feelings they are having at that moment. I always knew I was an emotional eater. But I kept doing it. I knew I should be asking myself if I was hungry before I ate a whole bag of chips, but I just didn't care enough or I wasn't aware of what I was doing enough. But for some reason, this book really got thru to me. (Not to insinuate that I am magically "cured" or anything, but there has been a definitive change and I really don't turn to food when I'm feeling bad anymore.)

The book is Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth, which talks about emotional eating in a way that has made me really realize why I overeat. It explains just how much compulsive eating is a way to self-medicate and numb bad feelings. Food can be just as much of a drug as alcohol or cocaine.

I first heard about this book on Oprah, and she was going on about how it changed her life. I kinda thought, yeah, yeah, how life changing could it be? But it got to me too!

Since I have really gotten something out of it, I am going to share my favorite quotes from the book with you in hopes that you might get something out of it too.

  • Women turn to food when they are not hungry because they are hungry for something they can't name.
  • Compulsive eating is an attempt to avoid the absence (of love, comfort, knowing what to do) when we find ourselves in the desert of a particular moment, feeling, situation.
  • Weight is what happens when you use food to flatten your life. It's giving up without saying so.
  • Staying where you are with what you are feeling or seeing or sensing is the first step in ending the obsession with food.
  • If you don't allow a feeling to begin, you also don't allow it to end.
  • The shape of your body obeys the shape of your beliefs about love, value and possibility.
  • Change happens when you understand what you want so deeply that there is no reason to do anything but act in your own best interest.
  • When you believe in yourself more than you believe in food, you will stop using food as if it were your only chance at not falling apart.
The book does more than a few quotes can, so I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they are an emotional eater.

10 comments:

Devon said...

I LOVE these quotes!!! This one really gets to me:
"Weight is what happens when you use food to flatten your life. It's giving up without saying so."

I have been emotionally eating my entire life. I wonder how much more full my life will be when I stop doing it.

I have to get this book!

Diet Starts Tomorrow said...

You should read the book, "good enough to eat". It's funny, smart and entertaining. one of my favorite quotes is from the book check it out here: http://www.dietstarts2mrw.com/2010/12/good-enough-to-eat.html

Baby Weight and Beyond said...

I have been looking at that book for a while now....maybe I should pick it up!

Diandra said...

I read the book and really liked it, although I find that a lot of the author's thoughts do not apply to me. However, her idea on allowing yourself to BE instead of muting everything with food is plain beautiful.

Duckys said...

Thanks for the post! I think I just might have to try looking for this book. I know all to well I am an emotional eater, so it might give me some good insight. And thank you for the quotes from the book, gives one a little to think about.

Ann said...

That book taught me the single most important lesson in my emotional weight loss journey: to fel me feelings. I love love love the insight this book provides!!!

Ann said...

*feel my feelings. Lol.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review. Awareness is the key, right?

Ak said...

I'm such an emotional eater, I should really look into reading that book!

Kelly said...

Glad you posted on my site, I was glad to find another soul-mate in the weight loss journey. Added your blog to my blog list so I can follow along. Best of Luck!