Emotional' Eaters Most Likely To Regain Lost Weight

new study led by researchers at The Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center finds that dieters who have the tendency to eat in response to external factors, such as at festive celebrations, have fewer problems with their weight loss than those who eat in response to internal factors such as emotions. The study also found that emotional eating was associated with weight regain in successful losers.

The study is published in the October 2007 issue of Obesity.

“We found that the more people report eating in response to thoughts and feelings, such as, ‘when I feel lonely, I console myself by eating,’ the less weight they lost in a behavioral weight loss program. In addition, amongst successful weight losers, those who report emotional eating are more likely to regain,” says lead author Heather Niemeier, Ph.D.

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I always find this sort of thing interesting and don't know where I fit. I'm likely to not eat if I am upset, to withdraw and allow myself to sick. I usually overeat because I'm "hungry' . . . feel empty or unsatisfied on some level. I usually lose weight when I'm in a new relationship and then regain it when the relationship gets distant.

Feeding your love hunger

by Joan Dickinson

I'm binge shopping for groceries and cooking up a storm. My daughter is coming home for a visit, so I best be true to our family motto: Food is Love.

Now of course we laugh at that motto, know deep down inside it isn't true. But like many jokes, there is an element of truth. I like to think that my grandmother's and mother's recipes are fun ways of remembering their nourishment of our lives, but is it really necessary to fix the 1,000-calorie caramel cinnamon rolls?

All of this is food for thought.

We're told there is an epidemic of obesity in our nation. Do we eat to nourish our hearts and souls, to nurture and comfort ourselves, to soothe away anxiety? Is this emotional eating, meant to heal our hearts, the wrong cure for the wrong organ? Our stomachs really need small amounts of food. Our hearts and souls need love.

OK. If you buy this idea, how can we feed love to our hearts? Where does nourishing love come from? How can we fill up on high-test love? What's the recipe for just the right amount?

Hmm. There's a lot to ponder here.

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