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Why do I keep eating when I don't want to?

11 Answers
Last Updated: 10/25/2016 at 6:03am
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Stacey Kiger, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

My belief is that therapy is not about giving advice, but joining you on your journey

Top Rated Answers
Miracle
March 3rd, 2015 3:05pm
Often when we keep eating when we do not want to there is an emotional state underlying it. This can be different for everyone and vary each time you do so ... common examples though include anxiety, sadness, apathy and boredom. Often it helps to identity the emotion you are feeling and act on ways to combat that without eating. It might also be that you are struggling with an eating disorder or attempting to diet (in extreme) in which case the reason might be simply that your bodies physiology makes it very hard to undereat and your eating is a simple reaction to your bodies basic requirements. It might also be that you find impulse control hard for a number of possible reasons. It is worth keeping a food journal to monitor your emotions and food intake and investigate over a few weeks or so how the two correlate for you personally.
Anonymous
April 13th, 2015 4:33pm
it could be your subconscious trying to use food as a way to comfort you against a traumatic experience. or maybe it has to do with a chemical imbalance, period(if female), etc.
RyleighL
August 15th, 2016 9:06am
Sometimes, you get bored, correct? When you get bored, your mind wants to do something. Since your mind thinks of things you do often, it often wanders to eating. Since you need to eat in order to survive, your brain, out of its boredom, compels you to eat. Wheneverit doesthis, mostly it's a sugary, sweet, and unhealthy food. I hope I helped.
Anonymous
May 4th, 2015 6:43pm
It may be that you are "eating" your emotions to rid yourself of them. It's easy to get lost in eating, to lose touch with the world around us, and this works to numb the pain we may feel, or even be unconscious of at the time. Is this your particular case? Maybe not - just something to think about the next time you prepare to have a meal. Ask yourself how you are feeling. When we are aware of how we feel, we are less likely to binge or for that matter, rely on other addictions to medicate our negative feelings. Again, this may not be your case, so I'd suggest seeing a physician and/or a therapist.
SomewhereSky91
August 3rd, 2015 8:37pm
This usually entails a subconscious link between food and a stress or trigger that is causing you to reach for food as a means of coping. By narrowing down the situation and times you eat when you don't want to - you''ll be able to determine what stress/trigger is initiating the "eating when not hungry" response!
Deadlyxrealityx
May 30th, 2016 10:36pm
Sometimes we eat because we are bored or simply because it's a way to deal with your feelings and emotions.
Anonymous
July 5th, 2016 4:05am
This may be due to an emotional state, your body's hunger being triggered, or out of habit.
calmSea76
October 17th, 2016 11:08am
I keep eating when I do not want to to calm down my anxiety and stress levels and keep myself busy from thinking.
oldangelmidnight
June 2nd, 2015 3:55am
I know that when I overate it was because I was incredibly stressed out about a situation. Whether it was in my control or not I found myself eating to try and cope with what was happening.
enigmaticBraveheart19
December 11th, 2015 3:48am
you might be hungrier than you think you are - boredom - habit - stress eating - these are just a few reasons, but there are many others.
sympatheticowll
October 25th, 2016 6:03am
Eating is a way to deal with emotion, try to recognize and understand your emotions better, to help