It’s so easy to run to the refrigerator to grab that one delicious snack that makes you forget all of your cares. Who wouldn’t want a warm glazed donut that’s been heated in the microwave for 10 seconds to satiate that inner pain of the workday? Or who can forget those cherry-flavored licorice sticks that you chomp down on while typing at the computer? Guilty? Emotional overeating is a problem and it comes in many forms. It can be provoked by stress, boredom, anger and even happiness. BlackDoctor.org spoke with Dr. Oluseun A. Sowemimo (better known as Dr. Seun) to get a better understanding of emotional overeating.
READ: Is Your Love For Food Actually A Binge-Eating Disorder?
Dr. Seun is a board-certified and fellowship-trained laparoscopic, bariatric and general surgeon. He is Medical Director at Prime Surgicare and Co-Medical Director at Central Jersey Bariatrics, located in Freehold, NJ. Dr. Seun has received national attention for his work in the field of obesity and weight loss.
BlackDoctor.org: What causes emotional overeating?
Dr. Seun: Emotional overeating is eating in response to an emotion. People overeat when they’re stressed, angry, bored, or happy and for some, it’s a social thing.
Emotional overeating causes people to lose the distinction of eating when you’re hungry as opposed to eating for the sake of eating.
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Being around other people who overeat can cause overeating as well. Overeating makes people eat too much of the wrong thing or just eat too much in general.
BlackDoctor.org: What are four things that people can do to overcome emotional overeating?
Dr. Seun: Recognizing that you’re prone to emotional overeating is the first step. Learn to be aware of the emotions that lead you to overeat.
Secondly, remove yourself from the situation that will cause you to overeat.
The next step is to plan what you’re going to do when encountered with the temptation to overeat. My suggestion is exercise, exercise, exercise.
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When you exercise, it releases endorphins in your body. Endorphins are the feel-good mechanisms in our body that
make us feel great. Exercise is key.
Avoid mindless eating at all costs. Mindless eating comes in various forms. Eating in front of the television or just typing at the computer while eating is emotional overeating. Learn to eat when you’re full and stop.
Lastly, setting definite meal times will help out a lot. Have a set time that you’re going to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you’re going to eat breakfast at 8am, do it every day and be consistent. Lunch at 11 am and so forth. Set a time and stick to it to avoid overeating.
Take heed of this great advice from Dr. Seun. The Black community suffers from a variety of diet-related issues that we can remedy by eating the right type of foods and the right amount of food.
It’s about being aware of your habits and developing an action plan to circumvent the problem. It’s going to be hard for me not to smash a bag of Twizzlers while watching Game of Thrones, but my health depends on it greatly.
