Emotional eating is normal behavior.  We don’t need to feel bad about it; find out WHY it happens; or stop doing it.

Here at DietHobby, (See Archives from March 18, 2016 through April 6, 2016 - first one: Here ), I  Scrapbooked a series of silent gif images, mostly film clips with superimposed dialogue about food and eating, in order to illustrate the fact that our bodies are designed to make Eating Food involve our Emotions. 

It isn’t accurate to define our eating behaviors as “emotional”  or  “physical.”  The process of Eating Food, …including our Food Choices…, is BOTH physical and emotional,  in differing degrees and combinations. 

Everything we eat affects us physically AND emotionally.  All food affects our blood sugar and gives us sensual pleasure …makes us feel good.  Like all other body processes that are designed to make us feel good, it’s impossible to separate food from emotion. 

Food is not “just fuel”, just like sex is not “just reproduction”.  The body’s relationship with food, like the body’s relationship with sex, is interwoven, and driven by both physical and emotional desire. Labeling our food choices as motivated by one or the other is neither practical nor realistic.  This type of thinking about food and eating is an inaccurate, oversimplification of a complicated biological process.

“There are about seven people in the world who righteously use food as fuel.
Six of them are professional marathon runners from Kenya... ”

Our physical and emotional hungers work together …including our need and desire for food.  We receive information from all of our feelings of hunger.  Our bodies are designed to make Eating Food emotionally satisfying, as well as physically satisfying.

Eating IS emotional. Food, like sex, has an impact on the way we feel. The effects may be temporary, but they still exist, and we are allowed to utilize food as a coping mechanism if we so choose.

Everything we do in life involves CHOICE. Even refusing to choose is a choice. All of our Behaviors are based on the personal, individual choices we make as we follow our own true life VALUES.  Each of us has the mental power and the physical ability to make and follow through with personal and individual choices about our own Behaviors, despite feelings of physical or emotional hunger, ….including what, when, and how much food we will eat at any particular time.

Some might be thinking…
........“But where do I draw the line? If I let myself eat emotionally I’d NEVER STOP.”
And the answer is
........“Each one of us individually gets to draw the line.”
Where ever we want to draw it.

Every human behavior brings consequences, either positive, negative or both.  Although we have the ability to control our BEHAVIORS, we have NO ability to control our RESULTS, …the eventual outcomes of our Behaviors. 

Human bodies have many genetic differences, including height, skin color, eye color, facial features, muscle development,  placement of fat deposits.  No matter what eating and/or exercise choices we make, our bodies are limited by our genetics, and less than 2% of the population can ever become a slender, shapely model such as we see in advertisements.

Despite our individual differences, specific physical Behaviors will guarantee certain specific physical Results.  If we CONSISTENTLY eat LESS food than our individual body needs, that body will become thin, weak, tired, and hungry.  If we CONSISTENTLY eat MORE food than our individual body can use, we will store it as fat.  This is a Physical Fact of Life that Can’t be Changed.   People, however, do have the ability to choose their own Attitude as well as the positive or negative Values they place on being “Thin” or  “Fat”.

However we do it, …“eating”  …including “overeating” or “undereating”… is not a vile behavior that is supposed to lead to feelings of shame.  Each of us is free to eat however we choose at the time, for whatever reason.  

Bottom Line:   We are adults, and we can do whatever the F*** we want.

Note: Originally posted April 7, 2016 - Bumped up for new viewers

See: Charts of my Maintenance of Weight-Loss, Years Four Through Ten+.

and

The Finish Line.

Here at DietHobby, occasionally I share Updates about my ongoing Maintenance Status.  Here are some Charts that show my Current Records. 

I have been consistently tracking all of my daily food and my daily weight since September 2004.  I recently posted some Charts detailing my weight-loss and calorie history. 

See: Charts of My Weight-Loss & First Three Years of Maintenance; and Charts of my Maintenance of Weight-Loss - Years Four through Ten+.


This chart shows my ongoing Maintenance Weight Plan.

Here are some of my CURRENT RECORDS:
 

This Chart shows my daily weights during the past THREE years of maintenance. October 2013 through July 18, 2016 (the present date).

This Chart shows my daily calories during the past THREE years of maintenance. October 2013 through July 18, 2016 (the present date).

For more calorie detail, see the Three charts below which show my
Total Daily Calorie Averages for the past three years - Beginning 7/19/2013 through 7/18/2016. 

This chart shows that my total daily calorie average was 903 calories per day, during the one-year period from 7/19/2013 through 7/18/2014.

This chart shows that my total daily calorie average was 814 calories per day, during the one-year period from 7/19/2014 through 7/18/2015.  

NOTE: During the above-time-period I experimented with logging my actual food into the online program: "My Fitness Pal", and while doing this, I logged only my Daily Calorie Totals (along with my water & vitamins),  into my personal "DietPower" program, therefore ... Except for the Calorie Count, which is accurate,... the detailed Nutritional Data shown is incorrect.

This chart shows that my total daily calorie average was 903 calories per day, during the one-year period from 7/19/2015 through 7/18/2016.

 For earlier information about my weight & calorie history see: Status Update - Records: My past 8 years (August 2012).

Additional Status Update articles can be found in the DietHobby ARCHIVES.

I have been consistently tracking all of my daily food and my daily weight since September 2004.

Below are some Charts that demonstrate these records.

I previously posted Charts of my Weight-Loss & First Three Years of Maintenance. This article continues on with Years Four through Ten+.

The charts below are of my Weight-Loss Maintenance phase.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year FOUR of maintenance. February 2009 through February 2010.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year FOUR of maintenance. February 2009 through February 2010. (It's best to follow the Blue Line because the Red line is often hidden underneath the Blue line. The Red line is the food eaten, the Blue line is the net of the food eaten - after factoring in additional exercise.)

This Chart shows my daily weights during year FIVE of maintenance. February 2010 through February 2011.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year FIVE of maintenance. February 2010 through February 2011.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year SIX of maintenance. February 2011 through February 2012.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year SIX of maintenance. February 2011 through February 2012.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year SEVEN of maintenance. February 2012 through February 2013.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year SEVEN of maintenance. February 2012 through February 2013.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year EIGHT of maintenance. February 2013 through February 2014.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year EIGHT of maintenance. February 2013 through February 2014.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year NINE of maintenance. February 2014 through February 2015.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year NINE of maintenance. February 2014 through February 2015.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year TEN of maintenance. February 2015 through February 2016.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year TEN of maintenance. February 2015 through February 2016.

This Chart shows my daily weights during year ELEVEN of maintenance. February 2016 through the present time: July 2016.

This Chart shows my daily calories during year ELEVEN of maintenance. February 2016 through the present time: July 2016.


Below is a chart showing my personal Weight Maintenance Plan.

During the past five years here in DietHobby, occasionally I've posted "Status Update" articles which discuss my ongoing personal weight and calorie details.  You can find them stored in the DietHobby ARCHIVES.  Here is a link to one of my more detailed articles: Status Update - Records: My Past 8 Years (August 2012)

For current information, See: Status Update - July 2016.

I plan to write more about some of the details involved in my Weight-Loss and Maintenance in future articles.  When that happens, I expect to refer back to these Charts to illustrate points made in those future comments. If you have questions about points you would like to see me address concerning these charts, or this issue, please let me know.