Do emotions control your weight?

It has always been my belief that weight problems
have much to do with emotions, as well as genetics.
All my years of weight fluctuations have taught me that
once I motivate myself to lose weight, the rest is easy.
Doesn't matter what method I use to lose weight, it works
once I have talked myself into it.


I found the following article very insightful based
on my experience with restlessness, anxiety and
controlling weight problems.

Interesting correlation . . .
it works the same way for quitting smoking.

Been there . . . done that too.

It is all mind over matter, isn't it?





Overweight?
Your Brain May not Know When to Stop

by Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. Updated: Jul 15th 2010

"Most of us have experienced the kind of mindless eating where we're gobbling up handfuls of some snack food or another? However, it may not be because we're hungry. New brain research is finding that activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that is important for orchestrating feelings hunger and satiation, is reduced in healthy weight people versus overweight people. In other words, overweight individuals are not getting the signals from the brain that they are actually full.

This is fascinating and at the same time leaves me wanting more information about what the factors are that carry on that activation in the amygdala even after enough food in ingested.

One thing we also know about the amygdala is that is has been called the "fear circuit." Fear is often the underlying emotion when it comes to anxiety.

So it would make sense that the underlying emotion that keeps the amygdala activated is some sort of fear or anxiety even with fullness present which then inhibits the amygdala from doing its job of sending the signal of satiation.

Then the question comes in, well, for some people being overweight is an issue with metabolism, while for others it may be an anxious behavior. So it may not be so clear cut."

To go to the rest of this article, click here