Reasons for Overeating
Some common reasons for being unable to maintain a healthy weight include the following:
- Eat to Reward – Starting in childhood, you have been rewarded with food for your accomplishments
- Eat to lessen or negate an unpleasant experience – The pattern is established when we are very young and food is a comfort when an unfortunate incident happens
- Eat to be noticed or gain authority - You may need to command more attention and feel more important by actually taking up more space than those around you – so provoking attention
- Eat when you need love - Again this starts when very young, now you eat when all you really want is to have someone be kind to you, hug you, touch you
- Eat because you are afraid - Afraid of what? This could be of sex and relationships. It could be the fear of a partner who is encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. Another fear could be related to good health – believing that being plump is healthier than being thin.
Steps to Positive Change...
