Visualization for Weight Loss -The Gabriel Method

4

Emotional Obesity

W hen you have emotional obesity, you’ve drawn the con- clusion, either consciously or unconsciously, that being fat makes you feel safer. When this happens, you’re sending the message to your body that being fatter is the best way to protect you from emotional stresses in your life. Emotional Obesity Versus Emotional Eating Emotional obesity is different from emotional eating. Emotional eating happens when you’ve formed an association between food and some positive emotional state, such as love, joy, happi- ness, security, or safety. It’s the classic “comfort food” scenario when we use eating as emotional support, as fun and entertain- ment, or simply for the pleasure of it all. Emotional eating is something everyone does to some degree, especially in cultures where people value the prepara- tion and sharing of food. Emotional eating might, at first glance, explain why some people are fat, but I know a lot of emotional eaters who enjoy food, associate it with love and comfort, eat whatever they want, and aren’t overweight. Simply put, their bodies don’t want to be fat. In general, eating for any reason other than nutrition is a form of emotional eating.

29