Loneliness and Isolation Feed Overeating
Have you been trying to lose weight and you feel like you’re on a roller coaster with food?
Do you start off strong every morning feeling like today you will not overeat only to find yourself stressed out at the end of the day and turning to food once again for comfort? 
For many folks that struggle with overeating, food has become their best friend. Food is always there for them no matter what their day has been like.
Eating has become many people’s main pleasure in life. Like any bad habit it is hard to shake when you have created a pattern of turning to food for relief from stress, or for entertainment, or for a way to avoid what they really need to do in life.
What tends to happen when you constantly turn to food as your friend is that you steadily gain weight, hurt your health, and become more isolated. Quite often overeaters want to indulge in food in private (with no one around to judge or comment on their behavior) and the more alone time they spend the less comfortable they feel around others.
This becomes a vicious cycle of overeating and staying in isolation — alone at home and steadily gaining weight.
The more weight is gained the less the overeater wants to see people because they feel fat and disgusted with themselves and their clothes are getting tighter or not fitting it all.
This is a hugely destructive cycle. Why?
Because when you’re isolated you feel lonely and the more lonely you feel the more depressed you feel and then you turn to your best friend — food. And when you eat the food it dulls your senses and numbs you out so you don’t feel the pain of the loneliness and isolation — at least for little while. But then the food you overate adds to the pounds on your body and you feel more like you want to stay at home and avoid people. So you end up more lonely and isolated.
For many who struggle with emotional overeating, eating has become their main source of pleasure. So even though it is damaging their self-esteem to continue eating in private they tend to keep doing it — the habit is hard to break.
To break free of that vicious cycle, you have to get out of your house and make some new friends to replace your old best friend — food.
Yes, it will be very uncomfortable to get out — at first. But it has to be done.
You can reconnect with some old friends or make new ones.
Join a class — remember there is nothing to be afraid of in the class because everyone is they are learning something new — you’re all in the same boat.
Take up a new hobby and meet people that way.
You need to do what ever you can to get out of isolation because as you know, if you have struggled with this, is that isolation always leads to going back to overeating.
You already know that isolation is not working in your life. So put yourself out there.
Make an instead list — a list of things to do instead of overeating and then try one or two new things each week.
Sample Instead List:
1) Go for a nightly walk with a neighbor or friend
2) Take a warm bath and read a good book
3) Take an exercise class at your local gym
4) Attend a sporting event at a local high school
5) Go visit seniors at a local rest home and encourage them
6) Volunteer (there are so many opportunities to help others)
7) Take a fun class or try a new hobby
There are so many wonderful things you can do to get yourself out of your isolation and overeating habit.
It will only be uncomfortable at the beginning and then you will strike up some new healthy friendships and you will see the loneliness lift. You truly can replace your overeating with experiences that build you up and bring you joy!
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