eating due to trauma when it can't help

[bluecatlady]

I've posted a longer version of this in my diary explaining the background but my question is...

why do we turn to food when the last thing that will help is getting fatter!?

Big family trauma, so take away and chocolate. Now I feel rubbish.

Has it helped...no.

Do I feel stupid... Yup

What stupid part of the brain tells us 'you're emotionally devastated...eat some chips, that'll help' and how do we turn it off!

 

[Rhyannasmum]

Sorry to hear about your big family trauma. Your question is exactly the reason why I joined Lighterlife to lose the bulk of my weight before moving onto a Atkins way of eating for life.

The LL plan includes an hour of group counselling each week to get to the bottom of why we eat like we do. The quality of the counselling seems to vary, but I've been fortunate and had a great counsellor at my local group. Some weeks the counselliing session doesn't seem very relevant, but other weeks it has blown my mind with the things I have discovered about myself.

I couldn't possibly encapsulate it all here and your reasons for over eating will probably be very different to mine. If you're interested have a look at the website. If you have a local counsellor she probably does a weekly introductory session for people just to go and find out more about how it works.

Hope I don't come across as pushy, it's just having found something that's worked for me, I want to tell the whole world about it. I want everyone to feel as good as I do.

 

[bluecatlady]

Not pushy at all thank you.
I just wonder about other peoples reasons.

Finding out someone is nearly dead made me not feel like cooking, so take away covered but why did I want chocolate and milk, the thing it took me so long to stop craving, that frankly did not even taste very good and certainly didn't help.

Bah stupid brain!

I know why I over ate and got heavy and I am not actually a comfort eater, so I wonder why I think food will comfort me now Very strange.

 

[Rhyannasmum]

Me again Bluecatlady. I've just been reading a post on another board and I thought of you. Have a look on the 'Bring your head inside and your body will follow' board at a thread titled Gilian Riley - Beating overeating, I think you might find it helpful.

 

[AnnieAnnie]

I had counselling for binge eating & discovered a lot. Obviously this is personal to me but may be relevant. When I want to change the way I feel, for whatever reason, I eat. So, my sister died unexpectedly recently. It was very traumatic & she was young. So I ate loads. It has nothing to do with me wanting to be thinner (weight is a by product of overeating) and everything to do with not wanting to feel the feelings of grief. The physical reaction to eating carbs (i never overeat on salad despite loving it) has a physical effect that 'takes the edge off' and makes me sleepy. That's why I do it. It is my version of alcohol or drugs & serves the same purpose - altering your feelings. Hope this helps.