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Does a fight with your mate or an argument with your teenager propel you straight to the bottom of an ice-cream carton? Does an impending job interview send you to the nearest drive-through lane faster than you can say, "Fries with that, please?" Did you have a flat tire on the way home from work and then make a beetline to the fridge? Perhaps you eat when you're tense, lonely, afraid, depressed, or angry - - pretty much any time things go a bit wrong. If so, you may be overeating in response to emotions such as boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, or fear.
       
Take this short quiz to find out if you are an emotional overeater.

1. I turn to food when I'm sad, disappointed, or lonely. Yes ___   No ___
2. I often eat past the point of fullness. Yes ___   No ___ 
3. When I'm upset, I crave sweets or salty snack foods. Yes ___   No ___ 
4. When I go to parties or dine out with friends, I tend to overeat. Yes ___   No ___  
5. If I eat too much, I feel guilty afterwards. Yes ___   No ___ 
6. I eat more than I should when I'm home alone or bored. Yes ___   No ___ 
7. My moods have the biggest influence on when and how I eat. Yes ___   No ___ 
8. I like to nurture family and friends with food. Yes ___   No ___ 
9. I think about food a lot. Yes ___   No ___ 
10. I am unhappy with my weight, but I overeat anyway. Yes ___   No ___ 
11. Eating is my favorite activity. Yes ___   No ___ 
12. I tend to clean my plate; I don't like to waste food. Yes ___   No ___
    
13. I binge habitually. Yes ___   No ___
    
14. The large amount of food I eat embarrasses me. Yes ___   No ___
    
15. Sugary foods tend to calm me down. Yes ___   No ___ 

SCORING
Count up your yeses and your noes.

If you answered yes to eight or more questions:
Your feelings of anger, frustration, loneliness, sadness, boredom, or even happiness might be causing you to overeat. And you are probably an emotional overeater. You may be eating too much or eating chaotically, but what you are really feeding is something in your life: relationship problems, broken dreams, financial worries, or problems at work. Try the strategies in this chapter, but don't be afraid to seek professional help.

If you answered yes to four to seven questions:
You may be struggling with some emotions from time to time. You are a borderline emotional overeater. At this point, it will be easier to get your eating habits under control by applying some of the strategies in this chapter.

If you circled three or fewer yeses:
You probably aren't an emotional overeater. You may occasionally use food to cope, but for the most part, it doesn't interfere with your ability to manage your weight.

The above is an excerpt from the book Naked Fitness: The Proven 28 Day Lifestyle Program for a Slimmer, Fitter, Pain Free Body by Andrea Metcalf. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

© 2010 Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness: The Proven 28 Days Lifestyle Program for a Slimmer, Fitter, Pain Free Body.