Tricia Nelson talks to Dr. Justin Trosclair, DC on A Doctor's Perspective Podcast

Emotional eating can create the yo-yo effect of weight loss and weight gain. Many people overeat as a way to ignore pain, escape emotions, and punishment from the day. It's not about will power, you need a community and an action plan. Listen to the podcast episode.

At first a person may just realize they need to lose weight and join a myriad of diet plans. They do the plan, lose the weight but the unfortunate happens. The root cause of why they overate pops back in their life or an emotional stressor happens, gain some weight back and now the Yo-Yo effect of gaining and losing weight begins.

Diet plans can range from ‘traditional diets’, weight loss pills, intense exercise etc coupled with counseling, 12 step programs, over eating groups and the like. Big problem with all these methods is they tend to focus on food and avoidance behaviors instead of finding out WHY it’s happening on an emotional and trauma level.

Emotional Eating vs Boredom Eating

* Boredom eating is habitual eating. It can be triggered by routines and mindlessness. It can also be a way to fill the silence and avoid thinking about stresses of the day or dealing with issues in our life, especially at night by yourself in front of a TV and the business of the day slows down.* Emotional eating can be from stress and avoiding dealing with emotions.

Busy mode keeps us from thinking about life and emotions and stress so when we have a silence part of the day, food can fill us and we don’t have to process those feelings.

When you are eating, overeating for sure, it can numb you out and you don’t think, feel or need to process the drama of the day or what is coming.

Many over-eaters are over feelers and super critical about themselves and about eating to much so it becomes a cycle.

Start your day with a Centering Routine.

Many of our overeating is due to stress. If we can have a list of things that may happen today then we can better plan for those stressful encounters throughout the day. A gratitude journal can be helpful too.

Meditation, music, prayer, or journaling can be a centering routine.

Get grounded and in tune with ourself first before tackling the day. This can be a deeply spiritual 20 minutes and those deposits early in the day can last and help you during those difficult times throughout the day. You can feed on teh truths of the morning instead of coffee, chocolate, chips, alcohol etc. (also taking a quick walk can help).

PEP Test- What does the food do For us?

Is this food going to service one of these functions, and if so don’t eat at that moment.

* P: Pain Killer from emotions or issues w work,* E: Escape from what needs to be dealt with ,* P: Punishment from the day and being critical or guilt

I lost control. I can’t believe i just did it again. This can lead to self hatred and depression and begins the food addiction type of behavior where they can’t course correct.

Are there any foods you can over eat on that are less caloric dense?

Counseling

Counseling has it place when you have trauma and these coping mechanisms to deal with abusive people (parents as a kid for instance) that served you well as a child but are no a hindrance in your adult personality and adult relationships.

Willpower is generally not enough. We need a support group, spiritual guidance and those type of things.