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Article: Why We Binge by Roger Gould, M.D.

I know from working with thousands of people that the hidden reasons you binge are all about how you feel. Let me tell you stories about two patients of mine who may be like you.

"Francine", is single and 35 with a needy father.
One day she told me how upset she was because she knew she would have to stop complaining and change her behavior to change her relationship with her father. The next time we met, she told me her remedy for being upset was to run to Starbucks after the session and binge on a Frappucino and two banana muffins, stuffing them down as quickly as she could.

There was no question about what she was doing. By binging, she was stuffing down her feelings by stuffing her stomach. She didn't just binge on just any food, she binged on highly fattening, caloric-rich food--the exact kind that would defeat the weight loss goal she was so eager to achieve.

Why We Binge

"Roxy", is 45 and has three children.
She told me of a frustrating day at the mall with her 16 year old daughter. Her response to the frustration was to binge on a whole box of donuts.

She told me, "I was so mad at her, what else could I do?" Roxy is very smart, but in spite of my prompting and questioning, she could think of no other option but the binge. Her pattern of binging by stuffing down feelings by stuffing in food was so deeply ingrained in her mind that it short-circuited her common sense.

She thought binging was the only way to dial down her anger and frustration and to rid herself of angry thoughts toward her daughter.

The Three Causes of Binges...
Francine and Roxy both exhibited the first of the three major reasons you binge:

* Why We Binge arrow  You binge to cope with your feelings.
* Why We Binge arrow  You binge to create the illusion of feeling good.
* Why We Binge arrow  You binge to assert your "independence" or to "be safe".

All three of these are psychological motives for binging. You binge to satisfy psychological needs rather than biological needs(real hunger). That is what I call Emotional Eating. And if you binge, you engage in Emotional Eating. I can tell you from years of experience that it is virtually impossible to beat the emotional forces behind the binging on your own.

Don't worry if you are not totally sure about this. I am. Understanding these emotions and their interaction is the essence of the MASTERINGFood program. Together we will unravel them so that you can find a way to break free from your entanglement with food, once and for all.

>>Take a FREE TRIAL of MASTERINGFood right now. It takes just 15 minutes.


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Emotional Eating Resources
Join Emotional Eating 101!
Why We Binge
All About Food Addiction
Why Diets Fail
The 12 Types of Emotional Hunger
Essentials of Emotional Eating
The Phantom Hunger of Dieters
Diets & Depression
Why it's so Hard to Stop Binge Eating
The Hidden Causes of Binge Eating
Food Addiction & Food Obsession
What is Food Addiction?
Overeating: a Habit to be Broken
Are You Overdoing Comfort Food?
Feeling Powerless & Hungry

About MASTERINGFood
About Dr. Gould
Dr. Gould's Publications
Report on UCLA Study
Psychology Today Interview
Praise for MASTERINGFood

Online Tools
Get a Free Trial of MASTERINGFood
Get an Emotional Eating Profile
"Are You Fit to Diet?" Quiz
Will Your Motivations Fade?
Identify an Emotional Eating Pattern

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Last updated 4/11/2007