Hunger Versus Emotional Need

“Overeaters rarely feel real hunger and rarely stop eating when they’re full. Physical hunger is feared, as it represents more than just the need for fuel. Hunger feels intolerable, as it represents the emptiness that overeaters feel deep down inside.

Eating isn’t done in response to physical hunger; it’s done in response to emotional need. That’s why overeaters can’t stop when they’re physically full. They only stop when they feel, for a moment, that they’re emotionally satisfied, or when their body can no longer hold any more food.

When an overeater begins to satisfy their cravings for emotional healing and nurturing, their psychological hunger will abate & make room for real physical hunger. When the overeater begins to give themselves what they really need, on an emotional level, they no longer need to overfill themselves with food.” – Emotional Over-Eating: Dr. Marcia Sirota