Suzanne Hope, of Hope Therapies is a hypnotherapist and counsellor in Woodbridge, near Ipswich in Suffolk. She helps many of her clients to lose weight and manage their weight going forward, through her understanding of the link between our emotions and corresponding behaviour.  In this article she explains ways in which our emotions can lead us to overeating.

Why Do Some People Overeat and What Can We Do To Lose Weight? The Link Between Weight and Emotions – by Suzanne Hope of Hope Therapies, Woodbridge, Suffolk

Studies have shown that there is no proof to demonstrate that overweight people are “more neurotic” as a group than those whose weight is average or below.  In most cases, people who are overweight eat more than they need to.

If you are able to make a conscious effort to lose weight and reach your goal but find that once the diet stops you simply pile the weight back on, you may find that your subconscious mind has taken control back. It is in the subconscious mind that these strong eating behaviours are stored and, quite naturally, you eat in the way that you are strongly directed to.  If this is the case then it is only with permanent alterations to that part of your mind, that you will experience the desired changes in your eating habits. If you are able to regard the subconscious as something that can work for you instead of against you, you will be able to take a look at what could be causing the behaviour (i.e. overeating) that is making you unhappy.

The reason you overeat may not be clear to you, but finding that reason may not be as difficult as it sounds, the following are the common reasons people overeat.

Eating as a form of reward

From the very beginning of your life food is used as a reward for good behaviour or accomplishment, however big or small.  Look at how food may have been used throughout your life. When you were small it could have been getting a biscuit for clearing up your toys, saying please and thank you or using your potty for the first time. As a growing child getting dessert only after cleaning your plate or for finishing all of your broccoli! A teacher giving sweets to the highest test scorer, or the group that produces the best piece of work, or even your parents taking you into town and saying “if you’re good you can have a McDonalds”. When you graduate from school or University your parents may have taken you out to the best restaurant they could afford as your reward. Now, when you’ve had a long hard day at work you may treat yourself to a take away. Using food as a reward can serve as justification to yourself that it is ok to have those little treats, because you deserve it.

Eating to cope with negative feelings

Again, it is likely that this pattern of behaviour is established when you are young: being given a teething biscuit when your gums are sore and painful, falling over and grazing your knee and being given a treat to make you feel better and to stop those tears. The pattern continues through your life, you don’t get that job that you were really hoping for so you console yourself with a tub of ice cream in front of the television. You are dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend, so you go out and binge with your friends in order to cheer yourself up. I’m sure that you can add to these examples, you know the types of negative experiences that will make you turn to the fridge for comfort. If you are being honest with yourself you know that the pleasure you get by eating that chocolate doesn’t actually compensate for the negative feelings you felt in the first place. If at the time you were able to look at it objectively then your rational self would take over.

You eat when you need love

This is a really difficult one to admit to yourself. To admit to oneself “I eat when I need love” can leave a person feeling vulnerable and hurt. The more uncomfortable a person is with this one then the more likely it is that this is the cause of your overeating. However, this is a completely logical cause and not something that a person should feel ashamed or embarrassed about. We all as people have the need to be loved, either in the sense of friendships, intimacy or family. As humans we need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, whether it comes from a large social group, family members, intimate partners, mentors, close colleagues or confidants. We need to love and be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others. In the absence of these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness. This need for belonging can often overcome the physiological needs in the form of overeating or in the case of anorexia, in this instance, a person may ignore the need to eat and the security of health for a feeling of control and belonging.  The trouble is that this behaviour can create a cycle that is difficult to break.

You eat because you are afraid

Afraid of what you ask?  Unfortunately, society today still rewards thin and scorns fat. One common fear is the potential of your own sexuality. If you deem yourself as being unattractive to the opposite/same sex, then you do not have to worry about the consequences, problems or opportunities a relationship can bring with it. You can stay in your present situation which demands nothing of you emotionally or physically. That’s not to say there aren’t overweight people who are talented, interesting and have sex appeal. There are also instances where partners may encourage a person to eat, knowing that their resistance is low. Why would they do that? Insecurity on their part. Trying to ensure the security of the relationship by decreasing attention from others and therefore knowledge of other relationship options.

Another fear may also be related to good health. If you have been raised to believe that thin is unhealthy and therefore undesirable, you will believe that if you’re plump you’re healthy.

So what do you do?

Take a step back and look at your eating behaviours, make a note of the when and where and why you eat. Regardless of your cause for overeating the procedure of change will be the same. You will need to replace the emotional satisfaction that food provides with an activity that serves the same purpose, replacing the food with something else (healthy) that you enjoy. These changes can be achieved independently or with the assistance of a therapist, such as a Hypnotherapist, who works directly with the subconscious, a Counsellor, or other alternatives therapists.

For more information on Suzanne Hope from Hope Therapies, please view her profile on The Mind Sanctuary Directory, or visit her website.  You can also connect with her on twitter or Facebook.