Why Do I Overeat?

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Many of my clients ask me this question, “why do I overeat?” The answer to this question is simple, yet also so complicated on an individual level. In this post I’m going to discuss some of the reasons why we overeat, binge eat, or engage in other unhelpful eating behaviours.

Typically overeating is a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions. Not all overeating is a coping mechanism, but it generally is if it occurs regularly and comes with a feeling of lack of control. In a book I love and routinely recommend, ‘Eating in the light of the moon’ by Dr. Anita Johnson, she uses the analogy of how overeating (or any disordered eating behaviour) is like a log that helps to keep us afloat in tumultuous waters. She also discusses that while these disorder eating practices are problematic, they served a very important purpose in our journey, they were there for us when we were not yet strong enough to cope with our realities.

The trouble with any coping mechanism is that eventually we start to suffer the consequences of our behaviours. For those struggling with overeating or binge eating, consequences include, but are not limited to:

  • shame;

  • guilt;

  • hiding your eating;

  • fear of eating;

  • gaining weight;

  • developing medical health issues;

  • weight cycling;

  • fatigue;

  • physical discomfort;

  • avoiding social eating;

  • attempts to compensate by restricting food intake, which also usually leads to intensification of overeating or binge eating;

  • and restrictive mindsets about food. 

While overeating can numb some of the negative emotions we have, it can also block out space for positive feelings. When women I work with start to free themselves from overeating, they have to start facing some of these difficult negative emotions. They also start to experience more positive emotions as well, and this is usually when they start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it is being able to enjoy once feared foods, or even just feeling more present to take in the beauty of simple things such as a sunset, or fresh flowers.

While starting the necessary work to free yourself from overeating or binge eating can feel scary and difficult, the abundance of positive emotion that will come to you through this process will open you up to so much of the beauty life has to offer. Women who go through this process often experience other unexpected personal transformations as well.

If you are interested in having support through your journey, reach out to me to book a call to see if the services I offer are right for you. Also, follow me on instagram or facebook for support and encouragement if you are not yet ready for one-on-one support. Either way, I believe in you and your capacity to have the life you want and deserve. 

As always, you can do anything, you just have to put your mind to it, 

Stephanie, Your Mindful Dietitian

Stephanie Hillovereating, binge eating, emotions1 Comment