Are You An Emotional Overeater?

Ask Yourself Before You Have That Next Bite.

• You are finishing a meal at a restaurant with business colleagues. You're full, but now everyone's is ordering dessert. You:
1. Decide you've eaten enough opt for coffee only.
2. Ask the person next to you to split a dessert so you won't finish one off yourself
3. Order cheesecake because everyone else is splurging.
• You just had an argument with your boss. You:
1. Take a walk and cool off.
2. Call a sympathetic friend
3. Reach for a candy bar
• You recently joined a gym and planned to work out every day, but this week you were too tired or busy to go. You:
1. Realize your initial expectations were too high
2. Get a friend to join and make plans to work out together
3. Figure you've blown your health regiment already so you might as well gorge on junk food
• You see a fat person in a store and then realize the image is your own reflection. You:
1. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that a few extra pounds aren't so important
2. Decide to go shopping with a friend and buy yourself a flattering outfit
3. duck into a movie and order a large buttered popcorn
• A first date goes badly and you fear you'll never love again. When you go home You:
1. Luxuriate in along bath and go to bed with a book.
2. Call your best friend to share your latest misadventure
3. Sit in the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream for company

Answers

If you chose mostly A's- you usually deal with stress internally. You take the time to figure out what's bothering you and you're able to manage it on your own. But try reaching out to a friend for help from time to time.

If most of your answers were B's you primarily rely on others to get you through difficult situations and you probably have a solid network of people to rely on. Learning to nurture yourself can help you cope better at those times when no one else is available

If you chose two or more C's you often use food to buffer you from stress. For 6 weeks follow the Ten Steps to a Healthy Weight Then take the follow-up quiz..

Donna Tinnerello, MS, RD, CD/N is a registered dietitian, living in Manhattan, with more than 10 years experience in HIV and nutrition. Her subspecialties are cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal disease, diabetes and weight management.
Donna is available for private consultation by referral only. Ms.Tinnerello has donated time and articles to our web site at always your choice and we sincerely appreciate her contributions.