Why Can’t I Stop Compulsive Eating?

Compulsive eating is an issue for many people. It is a coping mechanism that can be difficult to stop, mainly because we may not realize why we eat when we feel an urge, even when not hungry. The urge is consuming, and our emotions dictate when and how much we eat instead of physical hunger.

While overcoming compulsive eating may seem insurmountable, it is indeed possible. It’s not just about willpower but about fostering a new mindset more attuned to your body’s actual hunger signals and less influenced by emotional triggers.

This shift in perspective can be a potent tool in your journey to conquer compulsive eating. As you lean more into your faith and allow it to guide you in reconnecting to your body’s signals, you will find yourself on a path to recovery.

The Habit Factor and How to Stop Compulsive Eating

Compulsive eating comes down to thoughts, emotions, and actions that create habits. For example, while stressed at work, we have the urge to eat the candy in the dish in the break room. We know we are not hungry, but the urge is strong, and we give in. We have temporary relief from the stress. But then the anxiety, guilt, and shame return. We might even feel physically ill.

If we reverse engineer the routine, we might discover that this habit begins with a thought before we recognize an emotion. Our brains also recognize this habit, and knowing it brings us temporary relief, it engrains the habit so that it can reward us with an increase in chemicals that will make us feel better.

The key is to analyze the thoughts and emotions before you take a bite and learn to reframe these into positive and healthy thoughts. Next, behavioral change ensures that we are less likely to eat based on emotions.

The following are the steps to take to tackle compulsive eating.

Identify the triggers

You may not be able to avoid your compulsive eating triggers totally, but if you know what they are, you may be able to take action. For example, if your commute triggers you to drive through the nearest fast-food place on the way home, consider taking a different route home or packing a protein-rich snack and water for when the urge hits.

Realize there is an underlying emotion

The urge to eat is based on an emotion that more than likely makes you feel uncomfortable. Perhaps you are worried, anxious, afraid, angry, or sad. Identify the underlying emotion and analyze why you feel this way.

How can you tackle this head-on instead of eating? Do you need to express your feelings to someone else instead of hiding behind them? Do you need to complete a task, and is the procrastination making you anxious or fearful? Keep asking yourself why you feel this emotion until you can clearly sum it up.

Define the thoughts

A thought precedes an emotion, but those can be trickier to navigate. You may be so used to the thoughts that you miss the ones causing you to feel out of sorts. God gave us emotions, even the uncomfortable ones. They are there to signal that we may need to see what is really going on. Define the negative thoughts by journaling when you have the urge to eat.

Prepare for a different action

You know that you are triggered to eat when you experience a specific emotion. Consider working with a counselor to compile a list of strategies. Taking different actions will lead to different results. This will take practice, and you will mess up occasionally (probably more initially), but you can do it. To start your list, consider doing something that will keep your mind and hands busy, such as cleaning, washing dishes, gardening, or knitting.

Change your mindset with Christian counseling in Vancouver, Washington

Our thoughts are not always truthful; these untruths can become beliefs when we repeat words for months or years. Changing your internal dialogue takes practice. You may not believe every positive statement you have to combat the negative thoughts because they do not feel true yet.

A Christian counselor in Vancouver, Washington can help you start with neutral statements until you feel ready to believe the positive ones. For example, you may think, “I’m stressed now and feel helpless. I’m never good enough.” The truth you could use to combat this might be, “I am enough because God says I am, and He created me.”

However, after years of negative thinking, you might not be able to honestly believe that you are good enough. Your counselor in Vancouver might suggest a neutral statement initially, such as, “I am learning that God made me in His image, and I am working on accepting that I am enough the way I am right now. I’m a work in progress.”

The Christian counselors in Vancouver, Washington are equipped with proven psychological techniques using Bible-based principles to help clients overcome compulsive eating. Contact our office today at Vancouver Christian Counseling in Washington to schedule a session.