Emotional Eating or Anorexia: The Mood-Food Connection

Emotions are not only a factor in overeating; they contribute to undereating, too. People who suffer from anorexia nervosa have emotional distress that prevents them from eating anything, healthy or not.

Anorexia is considered by mental health professionals to be a distinct mental health condition. Symptoms of anorexia include an obsession with food and with being thin, and people with anorexia maintain a weight that is noticeably below normal for their ages and heights. Although it centers around food, people with anorexia are often trying to cope with emotional problems, perfectionism and a need for control, and their self-esteem becomes linked to how thin they can get.

In addition to extreme thinness, physical symptoms of anorexia include:

-Abnormal blood counts

-Dizziness or fainting spells

-Brittle nails and hair

-Dry skin

-Absence of menstruation in girls or women

-Irregular heartbeat

-Intolerance of cold

-Osteoporosis

In addition, behavioral symptoms of anorexia include refusing to eat and denying hunger, despite being preoccupied with food. Ironically, many people with anorexia try to hide their condition by wearing baggy clothes, making excuses for not eating, and cooking elaborate meals for others without eating anything themselves.

Note: Although anorexia is often associated with teenage girls, it occurs in young girls prior to puberty and in older women, as well as boys and men.

If you (or someone you know) struggles from an obsession with food and thinness and exhibits several of these physical symptoms, see a doctor or therapist. Anorexia is difficult to treat effectively, but people can regain a healthier sense of self-esteem and develop healthier meal plans and eating habits that can reverse some of the potentially life-threatening complications of this condition.

Weight gain is an unfortunate side effect of several medications, such as clozapine, that are used to treat mood disorders. Patients may get stuck in a spiral; they feel bad, so they eat, and they attempt to seek help, but medications promote weight gain even as they try to control their emotional eating.

Some ways to mitigate this problem include portion-controlled meals and keeping a food diary. But talk to your doctor if you find yourself gaining weight after starting a medication if you have not made any other changes in your diet or lifestyle. As a last resort, some physicians may prescribe weight-loss drugs in conjunction with antidepressants.

While buffets sound like a great time, they can be a challenge to the most sensible eaters, but they can be especially daunting if you are trying to lose weight or follow a particular diet and you are susceptible to mindless eating or emotional eating.

One way to beat the post-buffet blues is to try to treat a buffet like a standard restaurant meal. Pick two or three items to go on your plate. Also, eat slowly. If that is difficult for you, find a slow eater, sit next to that person, and keep pace with them. If you are halfway through the food on your plate and the slow eater isn’t, slow down and give them time to catch up. This gives your body time to catch up, too, and realize that you are full.

In contrast to anorexia nervosa, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa will binge on food and then make themselves vomit out of guilt about overeating. Alternatively, people who suffer from bulimia may binge on food and then undergo a period of extreme fasting or excessive exercise to purge themselves of the excess calories.

Both anorexia and bulimia, and other eating disorder patterns that don’t quite meet the official diagnostic criteria for anorexia or bulimia, are driven by emotional attitudes towards food and weight. In some cases, patients can recognize their problem and see counseling, in extreme cases patients may need to be hospitalized and work with a therapist to manage their eating.

Physical symptoms associated with bulimia include:

-Abnormal bowel function

-Damage to teeth and gums

-Fatigue

-Bloating

-Dry skin

-Irregular menstruation in girls or women.

In contrast to people with anorexia, most people who suffer from bulimia are normal weight or overweight, neither thin nor obese.

Behavioral symptoms include hoarding food, frequent attempts at dieting, feelings of lack of control around food and depression or anxiety.

Bulimia, like anorexia, is linked to self-image and both conditions are hard to overcome without help from a doctor or therapist. But people with bulimia can respond to treatment and feel better about themselves as they adopt healthier eating patterns and follow a sensible and balanced meal plan.

Although the exact definition of binge-eating disorder remains uncertain, this condition is attracting more attention as a unique condition distinct from the better-known eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia. Unlike anorexia and bulimia, binge-eating disorder is not yet formally classified as a mental health disorder. Mental health experts don’t agree and data are insufficient to determine whether it is a distinct mental condition or a cluster of behavioral symptoms.

The current general definition of binge-eating disorder is when a person regularly eats much more than most people would normally eat at one time. A binge can last for hours or go on for days. People with a binge-eating disorder will continue to eat even though they aren’t hungry, and they may keep eating after they are painfully full.

Other behavioral signs and symptoms associated with binge-eating disorder include:

-Eating much faster during a binge episode than during a normal meal or snack.

-Feeling that eating behaviors are out of control.

-Hoarding food or hiding empty food containers to conceal a binge.

-Feelings of depression or disgust over the amount of food eating during a binge.

-Generalized feelings of depression or anxiety.

-Frequently eating alone.

-Unsuccessful attempts at dieting.

If you (or someone you know) has these behaviors and you know or suspect recurrent episodes of binge eating, see a doctor. Binge-eating disorder is very difficult to overcome on your own. A physical exam and psychological evaluation may be needed to confirm a diagnosis and evaluate any other medical conditions or complications. Because binge eaters don’t purge by vomiting or other means the way people with bulimia do, they are often overweight or obese and thus they need help in developing a healthy diet plan.

Stressful life events — meaning anything from a hard day at work to a major life crisis — can trigger overeating, in part because the pleasure of eating offsets negative emotions.

For some people, eating is a distraction to put off thinking about an upcoming stressful event or dealing with a conflict. And some foods, such as chocolate, simply make us feel better by releasing mood-soothing opiates. But the distraction and mood elevation are temporary, and once they wear off not only do you still have to deal with the work stress or family emergency, you also have the guilt of having overeaten. The connection between stressful life events and food is especially problematic for people who chronically struggle with obesity or overweight, but no matter what your weight, it’s healthier to find an alternative to eating when you feel overwhelmed. Try taking a walk or calling a friend or relative who can provide empathy while keeping you away from the extra snacks.

Emotional eating doesn’t always have to do with bad feelings. Sometimes it’s easy to overeat when you’re rewarding yourself for successfully managing a crisis at work, scoring a promotion, finishing a project, celebrating a birthday or achieving some other goal.

It’s okay to reward yourself with a treat; but the important thing is not to go overboard, especially if you are trying to adhere to a diet for weight loss or other health reasons. So, enjoy one really great dessert or favorite food, but then choose other non-food feel-good alternatives, such as a manicure or pedicure, or a new pair of shoes or really cool jacket or bag, which will last longer than the dessert and might help keep you from going for that third piece of cake.

If you have leftover food after a meal, wrap the extra in foil for the next meal. The old adage about “out of sight, out of mind,” doesn’t always work, but it’s another strategy than may help you cut down on mindless eating. Label the package with a date for when you will eat the rest of it, whether it is the next day’s lunch, dinner, or dessert, to help you avoid eating mindlessly. If not foil, store leftover food in opaque containers, rather than glass.

The point: If you can’t see exactly what’s available when you open the refrigerator, you may be less likely to grab the bag and starting munching. And if you put leftovers away as soon as you are finished eating you avoid the post-meal “grazing” when you have already had a designated serving.

Try keeping a food diary and get a sense of what triggers emotional eating. A weekly deadline? A conversation with the in-laws? It’s not always easy, but try to recognize and write down when you find yourself mid-way through the bag of pretzels without knowing how you got there. If you can recognize what triggers your emotional eating, you can try to be prepared with an alternative activity and stop emotional eating before you start. When you get off the phone with the in-laws, go for a walk, or call someone else. When your deadline is looming, make sure you have mints or gum at your desk to stave off urges to hit the vending machine. If you can identify situations that are likely to cause mindless eating, you can have your defense plan ready.