One of the main reasons that many men attend our clinics is because their doctor has told them to lose weight or they themselves have recognised that they have some sort of weight related health issue.
When we broach the subject of emotional eating – it generally becomes apparent though the mental weight report – it comes as a shock, they don’t want to think about it until they come to understand it.
To put this in context for men: there has been a sea change in how men view their emotions and how amenable they now are to both recognise there is an issue(s) and more importantly, that it’s perfectly ok to open up and talk about it.
This willingness to be open leads to awareness which in turn enables the root causes of the emotional eating to be identified and addressed. Niall Breslin aka Bressie, is an example – when he said to the doctor if had admitted it in that time (2006), how would be have been judged. Today, we have any number of personalities, organisations and events that champion, arrange and mark the importance of men’s mental health.
Traditionally men are told, from early childhood, not to show emotion and to hold it in. As a result, in teenage and early adult years, the response for some men it to use food to cover up when they feel emotional – it could be stress related, relationship turmoil or any number of situations that trigger that emotional reaction.
Stress is now recognised as a significant factor in triggering emotional eating.
For men the ability to actually tell people how they are feeling is lacking – it’s not something that was there during childhood so it’s now an issue. When this challenge / issue is explained to men and when they have that eureka moment, a massive transformation usually takes place.
They now know the ‘why’, the triggers for their emotional eating and most importantly, they understand the changes they need to make.
The ensuing benefits trickle down quite fast to everyone as we find that men (and women) that lose weight on our programme lead happier and more fulfilling lives.
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