What’s the Word for “Breaking Free From Emotional Eating”?

What’s the benefit of ta break free and stop emotional eating 250x165 What’s the Word for “Breaking Free From Emotional Eating”? king control of emotional eating?

There’s a rule in marketing that if you want people to buy, you need to be crystal clear about the benefit of doing so. If you want to sell a widget, you won’t if you can’t convey the reason anyone would want it. We value benefits and results. When we invest our energy or our money in something, we want to know what’s in it for us.

I’ve thought a lot about this truth in terms of emotional eating and overeating. When it comes to taking control and moving beyond, I’m surprised sometimes at how murky the benefits can seem—and how difficult they can be to fully grasp if you haven’t already achieved them. In fact, many women I talk with seem to believe that taking control of their eating will only mean a struggle with willpower and a lot of hard work.

I don’t believe this to be true. Breaking free doesn’t mean winning an ongoing tug of war, it means figuring out a way to put the rope down and walk away from the game.

So what’s the word for this?

Why is it so much easier to describe problems like emotional eating and overeating than it is to describe the benefit or outcome associated with overcoming them?

What is the word or phrase that describes the dazzling opposite of emotional eating? Of overeating? Of stress or comfort or boredom eating? What is it called when you break free and end the struggle? I think our vocabulary for describing this goal is lacking and I wonder why this is.

I know, the goal usually includes dropping some weight and feeling better about how you look. But the opposite of emotional eating is not weight loss.  It’s much bigger and broader reaching than that. Ending emotional eating battles means no more struggle. No more wasted energy. No more feeling defeated or out of control.

Learning how NOT to overeat emotionally changes how you feel, how you relate to the world, and how you react to what’s going on. When you stop using food to stuff feelings or make up for other things, you learn how to be more effective in your life, with your emotions, and often, in your relationships. Yep, it’s big. Learning how to replace emotional eating and move beyond it changes how you treat yourself and this has the potential to change just about everything.

I’ve coined the term “peace with food” to describe the opposite of emotional overeating and struggles with food. When a client that I am working with hits her peace-with-food-sweet-spot, something major clicks. Her energy changes, and something much bigger than just eating is transformed.

But I wonder if we can do better. Is peace with food really the best term for this? This phrase nails one aspect of breaking free from emotional eating. It is about peace. But it’s about so much more. And since this is something that so many people struggle with, I’m confused about why we don’t have more descriptive phrases that nail the look and feeling of success. Why isn’t there a delicious word or term that easily comes to mind when we conjure up images of moving beyond these struggles?

What do you think?

What IS the opposite of emotional eating and overeating? How come so many of the potential answers sound boring and colorless—not at all like the juicy, delightful feeling that so many long for—and that is totally and completely achievable? What’s going on here?

I’d love to hear what you think.

Take good care,

Melissa1 What’s the Word for “Breaking Free From Emotional Eating”?

 

 

PS: Here’s another question that I find myself wondering about. What’s the opposite of Too Much on Her Plate?

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Comments

  1. Kathy says:
    July 6, 2012 at 11:40 am

    Hi Melissa: Putting down the ‘tug of war’ emotional struggle rope & walking away is a vivid illustration to me. Thank you.
    Defining the opposite of emotional eating is an intriguing question”:
    Here is my brain storm:
    Magical food no more
    Living with food in perspective
    Life with food in context
    Food freedom
    Inner freedom in the face of food
    freedom with food
    Emotional living with food in its place
    Life without the magic of food
    Trusting life not food
    Trusting me not food
    Loving life not food
    Excitement without food
    Energy without food
    Letting go of food and grabbing onto life
    Turning my back on food to solve my problems
    problem solving without food

    But really your “peace with food” is still the best I think

  2. Melissa McCreery says:
    July 6, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Thanks Kathy–these provide a lot of dimension. I love it! I find it interesting that there is no obvious, easy phrase for this one. And yes, I like peace with food too. :-)

  3. Kathy says:
    July 6, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    I believe the opposite of emotional eating is mindful eating. When I emotionally eat, I’m not focused on the action, feelings, or ramifications. I’m mindlessly putting calories in my mouth and swallowing.

  4. Melissa McCreery says:
    July 6, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    Hi Kathy – thanks for joining the conversation. Mindful, freedom, peace, release (which was suggested to me via email). These words all just feel good, don’t they?

  5. Kimberly says:
    July 6, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    I see it as developing a sustainable relationship with nutritious foods.

    I ABSOLUTELY love the mental image of dropping the rope and walking away from the game.

  6. Kathy says:
    July 7, 2012 at 5:26 am

    ‘ developing a sustainable relationship with food’ is helpful because this suggests a long view, a bigger view of our life with food. When I am emotionally eating its like a spasm of sorts..a very narrow focus in on food I think will provide release or comfort. There’s that word ‘release’ that came up before…..hummm

  7. Pia says:
    December 4, 2012 at 12:17 pm

    I think mindful eating is key. I emotionally *don’t* eat. I don’t have an eating disorder, but in times of extreme stress I have no appetite. My mom is dying of cancer and so I am trying on a mindfulness practice, being present to how food is nourishment. My state of *high alert* leaves me nauseous most of the time these days. My sister is the opposite and has been overeating. Two sides of the same coin and that’s why “mindful eating” resonates. My guru (teacher) used to say: “eat your drink and drink your food.” Be so present eating it becomes a meditation practice in and of itself…you no longer just mindlessly gulp food down.