Break your emotional connection to food
Of the millions of Americans who try to lose weight every year, only 8% actually succeed, with even less keeping off the weight long term. Two out of 3 who lose 5% of their body weight will eventually gain it back, and the more weight you lose, the more likely this is to happen. So where are we going wrong? To look into the problem further, Orlando Health commissioned a national survey of over 1000 participants, which showed that only 1 in 10 thought that an emotional connection to food was a factor in losing weight.
Neuropsychologist and program director of Integrative Medicine at Orlando Health, Diane Robinson, believes this is why so many Americans are struggling with weight loss, and also weight gain. “Most people focus almost entirely on the physical aspects of weight loss, like diet and exercise. But there is an emotional component to food that the vast majority of people simply overlook and it can quickly sabotage their efforts. In order to lose weight and keep it off long term, we need to do more than just think about what we eat, we also need to understand why we’re eating,” she says.
Keep a daily diary recording your food and your mood to try and recognise any unhealthy patterns.
Identify food items that make you feel good and write down why you eat them. Try to find out if they evoke a happy memory, or help you feel calmer when stressed?
Before you have any snack or meal, ask yourself: Am I eating this because I’m hungry? If the answer is no, look for the root of your motive.
Robinson believes that from an early age, we are conditioned to use food not only for nourishment, but also for comfort. When we eat something pleasurable, the brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine as a response, making us feel good and strengthening the emotional connection. “We feel good whenever that process is activated, but when we start to put food into that equation and it becomes our reward, it can have negative consequences,” said Robinson.
To support Robinson’s theory, previous research has already found that a higher body mass index (BMI) is linked to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which can lead to classic ‘comfort eating’ as a coping mechanism.