Overeating

What kind of emotional demons are lurking in your closet (or refrigerator)? Not sure? Well, it's time to find out, and to exorcise them once and for all. To succeed where you have failed, sometimes you have to take three steps back to take that first step forward. In terms of reaching your goal weight, "stepping back" means reviewing past and current self-defeating behaviors to identify where you got stuck, discouraged, or overwhelmed.


Here are several of the most common causes of overeating. Grab a journal and list all the excuses that are familiar to you.


Emotion - Do you overeat as a coping mechanism, to numb suffering, allay fears, combat loneliness, and so on?


Reward - Do you indulge in eating to reward yourself when you've done a good job on something?


Seeking acceptance - Do you overeat because you're seeking social acceptance? Do you eat fattening foods at parties so as not to offend the host? If you're out with friends, do you feel the need to have a drink just to fit in? Add to your list any other situations that have derailed your success.


By doing this exercise, you can isolate specific problems and work on finding solutions for them. Find out (and conquer) what has locked you into self-defeating habits, and develop healthy, affirming behaviors instead. Whatever your downfalls might have been in the past, there is a way to deal with them in the present. It's not going to be easy, but if you hang in there, you will succeed!