Emotional eating and obesity root deeper than what’s easily visible. But because it's always just about the food and weight, the solutions we come up with are typically only focused on the symptoms and not the deep-rooted causes. For those who battle food dependence, this becomes the point to stop and settle. In this episode of The Fit Mess, Tricia Nelson talks about her proven steps to battling emotional eating, the healthy balance between weight loss and body positivity, the purpose of the PEP Test, and the reason why most diets fail.

Can your attitude towards food be hereditary? Find out in this episode of The Fit Mess with Tricia Nelson!

Emotional Eating – Where Does it Come From?

When asked if emotional eating is a learned behavior or something inherited through DNA, Tricia answered it can be both. When Tricia's parents were still kids, they too had a propensity to gain weight fast. They were naturally chubby kids, and they had a really slow metabolism. Because of this, it also became effortless for Tricia to gain weight when she was growing up. As a result, at a very young age, Tricia was considered bigger than her contemporaries.

Tricia's early childhood is just one demonstration of how 60% of emotional eating correlates to heritability or inherited genetic markers, as per one article from VitaGene. This natural trait also gives evidence to her reaction to sweets and alcohol. When Tricia consumes sweets, it's very easy for her to overeat. When she indulges in alcohol, blacking out happens very quickly. If paired with the culture of soothing kids with food, emotional eating becomes a very tricky condition to do away with that can be passed down from one generation to the next.

Find out from Tricia if you're an emotional eater in this episode of The Fit Mess!

About Tricia Nelson:

Tricia Nelson is an internationally acclaimed author, transformational speaker, and emotional eating expert. She has been featured on dozens of radio and television networks, including FOX, NBC, CBS, KTLA, and Discovery Health. Tricia has successfully helped hundreds of people overcome a variety of eating disorders and addictions.

Tricia attended Amherst College and began her career working at the Seattle Art Museum. While in Seattle, she began working with a spiritual healer, Roy Nelson (who would later become her husband), who helped her recognize and heal the root causes of her addictions. By creating a lifestyle steeped in positive self-care, self-love, and improved self-esteem, Tricia was able to stop drinking and overeating. She has maintained a fifty-pound weight loss for close to 30 years now.

Tricia has spent the past three decades studying the addictive personality and shares her findings in workshops and retreats both in-person and online. Many doctors, psychologists, and other health practitioners benefit from her insight about what drives people to overeat and how to stop.

Outline of the Episode:

[01:06] Jeremy and Zach – on experiences with emotional eating

[04:11] Food as a source of comfort

[07:51] Tricia Nelson – I was a miserable yoyo

[11:03] A lot of people think only the obese indulge in emotional eating…

[15:01] Quelling emotions with food can grow into a monster that's hard to stop

[19:29] Our misconceptions about body positivity

[22:30] The acceptance and resignation in dealing with obesity and transformation

[26:42] Tricia's Six (6) Self-care Success Secrets

[30:30] What is the PEP Test?

[33:54] Where can you start in your better path towards fighting emotional eating?

Resources:

Website

Podcast

Are you an emotional eater or a food addict? Find out from Tricia now!

Also, join Tricia and others on The Secret Sauce to End Emotional Eating Facebook Group.

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