Emotional Eating

This revealing and useful book tells how emotions can cause bad eating habits and provides an effective antidote to radical crash diets. The author uses a cognitive-behavioral approach, and offers an encouraging alternative to current theories on the causes on overeating, such as psychopathology, addiction, or moral weakness. Emotional Eating shows how to identify individual patterns of emotional eating, and then tells readers how to respond to these patterns. Filled with tables charts, and self-assessment tests, Emotional Eating can help you learn self-control by identifying emotional triggers and developing alternative behaviors. Preface vii

1 The Connection Between Emotions and Eating 1

2 Are You an Emotional Eater? 14

3 Why Emotional Eating 32

4 Dieting and Emotions 45

5 Eating and Self-nurturance 58

6 Identifying Emotions 71

7 Depression and Eating 88

8 Anxiety and Eating 106

9 Boredom, Loneliness, and Eating 121

10 Anger and Eating 137

11 Sex, Marriage, and Weight 152

12 The Decision to Diet 168

Notes 182

Index 196

"This pioneering book gives individuals the tools they need to takecharge of their emotions . . . and effectively manage their weight.Highly recommAnded." (John P. Foreyt, Ph.D., director, NutritionResearch Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine)

"Anyone who has struggled with eating and weight will feelempowered by Abramson's emphasis on self-determination. . . .Emotional Eating is a very important addition to the bibliotherapylibrary." (BrAnda L. Wolfe, Ph.D., director, Research/ClientRelations, Jenny Craig, Inc.) EDWARD ABRAMSON is a professor of psychology at California State University, Chico. He also maintains a private practice, specializing in eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and depression.

Read this book before you start your next diet

There is nothing emotionally neutral about eating. Food and feelings are so powerfully intertwined that depression, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness can transform a harmless nosh into an out-of-control binge.

How can you lose weight when your emotions keep getting in the way?

Dr. Edward Abramson has developed a proven plan that can help almost anyone get off the endless roller coaster of emotional eating and learn how to take control. Based on solid scientific studies and clinical research, Emotional Eating reveals how to end destructive eating habits by learning to identify individual emotional triggers and develop healthy alternative behaviors. Written for anyone who has tried to diet and failed, the book is filled with practical techniques and self-scoring assessment tests that will help to end the destructive cycle of emotional eating.

“This pioneering book gives individuals the tools they need to take charge of their emotions…and effectively manage their weight. Highly recommended.”
—JOHN P. FOREYT, PHD, director, Nutrition Research Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine

“Anyone who has struggled with eating and weight will feel empowered by Abramson’s emphasis on self-determination…. Emotional Eating is a very important addition to the bibliotherapy library.”
—BRENDA L. WOLFE, PHD, director, Research/Client Relations, Jenny Craig, Inc.

Emotional Eating was a Book of the Month Club Featured Alternate Selection and has been highlighted in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post.