It is clear that food is a basic need indispensable for the lives of all of us, it is even part of the fundamental human rights of every human being. But what happens when the intensity and frequency of eating get out of our control?
In this article we are going to see how we can get involved in a situation of dependence on food and we ask ourselves “why can’t I stop eating?” In addition, we will also examine what are the best treatment methods in this situation.
Let’s look at some of the most common causes why a person might have trouble stopping eating constantly. There are several factors that may be generating this behavior. Let’s see them.
1. Emotional hunger
This cause is the most common of all; is about an irrational appetite motivated by particular moods and has nothing to do with the physiological sensation of being hungry for basic survival reasons.
When emotional hunger becomes present in people’s lives, it does so as an avoidance mechanism in the face of certain situations or sensations that produce a feeling of high anguish and stress.
For example, a person you could binge eat (eating compulsively and quickly) because of unpleasant news that has just been given to you, or when you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from a substance to which you are addicted.
When we ask ourselves the question “why can’t I stop eating?”, many times it is because we realize that, almost without thinking about it, we are already opening the refrigerator. In these cases we eat out of inertia, we do it in a basically involuntary way ; We are not fully aware of the irrational behavior we are maintaining. We eat disorderly, regardless of the time of day.
The amounts of food we eat can vary significantly depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. If it is a busy day we may eat less than we should, on the contrary, if we have a free day at home we may end up overeating without realizing it.
3. Perceiving food as an exacerbated source of pleasure
Some people see food as a source of disproportionate pleasure that allows them immediately satisfy the eating urge In other words, for these individuals the action of eating food represents the ultimate goal of pleasure.
Regardless of whether you are satisfied or not, try to have something to eat frequently, to feel how you satisfy your desire. What is sought in these cases is to obtain satisfaction and not satisfy physiological hunger.
4. Low tolerance for frustration
Having a low tolerance for frustration usually results in seeking satisfaction through food. Given that there are situations that the subject does not control and whose results can frustrate, seek pleasure in something you can control , as is eating food. When faced with these types of problems, it is necessary to develop coping skills.
Dysfunctional or maladaptive lifestyles generally result in the person being affected in various areas of their daily lives, including diet, which tends to be excessive.
When the subject has an atypical routine in relation to his basic needs, all of these are altered, and Although it may be a normal situation for him, it is still harmful to his health
6. Body dysmorphia
This disorder is characterized because the person who suffers from it has an excessive and irrational hatred towards one’s own body and tends to desperately look for ways to change it. It is a disorder with a greater prevalence in the female gender.
When this disorder occurs, some people tend to stop eating to change the shape of their body; Others, on the contrary, eat food compulsively with the same objective, only the change would be oriented towards weight gain.
How to resolve this situation?
The first thing is to accept that the behavior represents a problem for our life in terms of physical and emotional health. Once we have accepted that fact, we are ready to start looking for the best alternative solution.
1. Establish new routines
Replacing our dysfunctional routine with one with healthy habits is within everyone’s reach we just need to start organizing our new expectations with a personal strategic planning method and then put them into practice.
Establishing a number of meals a day, which we should not exceed, accompanied by a schedule for each of said meals, will eventually make us have the habit of eating at the right times and in a structured way without the inertia of the eating disorder.
There are various effective therapeutic methods for this type of situation. Some of the ones that provide the best results are cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy
All of these are aimed at changing the patient’s maladaptive and irrational thoughts, replacing them with more appropriate ones, which will allow them to conduct themselves in a better way in their daily life. In this way, through a process of psychotherapeutic intervention that lasts between several weeks and a few months, one learns to better manage emotions and adopt healthy eating habits based on the true needs of the body.
