LAYERS OF ISSUES FOR WOMEN WHO OVEREAT
By Paula Neall Coleman
“What do you think is the main issue involved in overeating?” Over the years, many people have asked this question.
The answer isn’t a succinct one because there is not just one main issue.
The reasons why women overeat involve three layers of issues with one bedrock factor underlying them. We can
liken these layers of issues to a
body of water that gets deeper and murkier until you hit the earth underneath.
The layer that is closest to the surface, that is most obvious, is one’s relationship with food and dieting.
This is what most women tend to
believe is the “real issue” and where they usually concentrate their greatest efforts to “solve the problem”
of overeating, usually through
dieting.
Next, there is a less obvious layer of issues that’s at a deeper level – the “medicating emotions” layer. Here
food is used to comfort, distract
from, suppress, or calm unpleasant emotions, or it’s used as a pick-me-up or even a punishment.
The deepest, often unseen layer is the need many women feel to stay large or “fat.” This is the layer that most
women have no idea exists,
but most women who overeat have deeply held beliefs about themselves and what it means to be “fat” and “thin”
that serve as tremendous
motivators for their overeating, overriding (though not usually consciously) even the strongest desire to be “thin.”
In addition to these three layers of issues, there is an underlying bedrock factor – a woman’s relationship
with God and her understanding
of his character and intimate, loving involvement with her and her struggles, even her struggles with
overweight and overeating. Seeing
God as a participant in each layer of issues is crucial to experiencing healing and freedom.
No matter how much you try to control your food intake or weight, you will not succeed for any
length of time until you have prayerfully
considered and sought God’s input on the deeper issues involved in overeating.
Look for our upcoming article on God’s alternative to using food as “medication” for emotions.
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