What Does My Eating Mean?

Question:

I'm a 17 year old female and i weigh 302 i was 395 i have lost alot of weight but now it's getting harder for me to lose it. Sometimes i just get really upset and i start to feel like no one likes me so i'll eat everything and anything in sight. What does it mean when i eat like that?


Thank you for your help,

Someone With A Problem

Answer:

I am sorry to hear about your painful feelings. It must be terrible to feel that no one likes you. Perhaps you find some comfort in eating when you feel like that.

I imagine that there is a lot going on for you right now in your relationships with yourself, your body, food and other people. You may want to explore these issues with a psychotherapist. Another resource that you may find helpful in discovering the meanings of your eating and other ways to deal with some of the issues in your life is a book called Overcoming Overeating by Jane R. Hirschmann, M.S.W. and Carol H. Munter. (You can order this book online through Gurze Books). If you like the book, there is also an internet mailing list based on this approach (send an email to oo-group-request@columbia.edu, with no subject and the message: subscribe). It can really help to know that you are not the only one dealing with these issues.

I hope you find the support you need to continue trying to understand yourself. You are worth the effort.