Emotional Eating Can Really Pack On The Pounds

Researchers at Temple’s Center for Obesity Research are trying to figure out what causes emotional eating and how it relates to body image and chemical response in the brain. The newly developed treatment teaches skills that address the reason for emotional eating. Then by adding the learned skills to the treatment, plan emotional eaters may be able to recognize and overcome emotional eating.

Comment from Researcher Edie Goldbacher

“The problem that we’re trying to address is that the success rates for long-term weight loss are not as good as we would like them to be,” said Edie Goldbacher, a postdoctoral fellow at CORE. “Emotional eating may be one reason why people don’t do as well in behavioral weight loss groups, because these groups don’t address emotional eating or any of its contributing factors.”

Emotional Eating Program

Williams learned the skills needed and says “ “The program doesn’t just help you identify when you eat,” It helps you recognize triggers that make you eat, to help you break that cycle of reaching for food every time you feel bored, or frustrated, or sad.”

The treatment program teaches several tools and techniques so a person is better able to recognize that they are engaging in emotional eating. The program also teaches them how to avoid this behavior and eventually break the emotional eating cycle.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100504142116.htm