Emotional Eating ... What Causes It Any Way?

For as long as I can remember I've heard the expression "I can't help myself, I'm just an emotional eater." What does that mean exactly? Your emotional while your eating? Your eating because your emotional? Or your eating and it makes you emotional?

Well let me put my spin on it. I know from my own personal experience that my times of emotional eating were a direct result of my own failure to address my own problems and disappointments. How could I be successful in so many other areas of my life but when it came to eating healthy and living a healthier lifestyle I coped out. I checked out. I decided it was easier to eat my way to oblivion than to just deal with it.

I would eat because I was sad. I would eat because I was mad. I would eat because I was lonely. I would eat because I was discouraged. I would eat because I had a bad day. I would eat and say "What the hay". I could find any emotion under the rainbow and sit down an have an emotional eating good time. A picnic of sorts filled with all kinds of junk food. You name it, I was eating it. Some times I would find things in my house, in my pantry or in my cabinets that could get me over my feeling of depression. For a moment that is. Then after stuffing my face I would have that "I shouldn't have done that. What was I thinking feeling" But by then it was too late.

I believe for me the emotional eating could have been stopped if I had learned how to better deal with my Emotions. Yes, emotional eating is driven by emotions. Emotions are the fuel that gets the emotional eating engines running, and if you aren't careful you will rev that engine until the fuel of emotion is spent. I beg you, please don't do it. Don't let your emotions get the best of you. Instead of hearing "Gentlemen, start your engines." as the NASCAR drivers do on race day. I say, "People stop your engines of emotional eating, and talk to someone, or journal, or pray, but do something to help you get those emotions and feelings out, instead of fueling your next "Emotional Eating Picnic".