Hypnotherapy for Emotional Eating

Why Do We Eat Unhealthily?

We are what we eat.   What a person eats and drinks is essential to their diet. The modern world has left many people struggling with unhealthy eating habits, illnesses and obesity. Yet, increasingly scientists show that our health problems may arise due to a disruption in the way we eat instead of simply being unable to resist temptation or consume too much.

So why do people binge eat?  Why do some of us consume too much and struggle to lose weight – and keep it off. Many struggle to answer this question for a long time. We’ve all heard the expression “comfort eating”, but is this an accurate description?

We all know by now that in order to lose weight, we need to consume fewer calories than we use. It’s simple logic, yet it seems almost impossible for some of us. Some of us can resist the temptation to eat a doughnut, yet we cannot control our long-term consumption. Some of us feel that our intake is not excessively large and yet still struggle to shift fat; some of us think we are fine eating what we like, but it seems as though the weight will not come off.   Why?

Why do we Struggle to Maintain Healthy Eating?

Some research has been done into this topic, and it could be down to an ancient part of our brain called the amygdala, which helped us survive hundreds of thousands of years ago when food was scarce, and danger was imminent.

The amygdala is an area of the brain that responds to both positive and negative stimuli. It plays a crucial role in the processing of memory and emotions, particularly fear. A study by researchers at Emory University has shown that our tummy-brain link when it comes to food is something we are born with.

The amygdala is very quick at decision making it doesn’t factor in logic. If we see a piece of cake, it reacts before the rest of our brain has even processed what it is. The amygdala’s main message to us is: eat because you don’t know when your next meal will be.

It’s an emotional response rather than a logical one. So even when we know better than to sit and consume thousands of calories in one sitting, we are seemingly rewarded for it with a dopamine hit which makes us feel good for a short while.

Of course, this rush of dopamine doesn’t last long, and we end up feeling disgusted at ourselves or guilty, which often results in us eating more sugary snacks.

The researchers have also found that the amount of food we consume is linked to our body mass index (BMI). So if you are already overweight, then your amygdala and tummy-brain will constantly be battling. This explains why some people can maintain a lower weight but eat healthily, whilst others in the same situation see no change in weight despite eating the same balanced meals.

So, it’s easy to see that anyone who has struggled with their weight or eaten for comfort will have a powerful connection between food and feelings of pleasure (dopamine) or guilt (serotonin).