You CAN change.

Are our food choices and emotional eating behaviours evidence of significant, deep-seated issues that require extensive analysis or are they simply bad habits?  Yes, I know, a bit of a black and white argument (and those of you who are my clients will know that I HATE black and white thinking).  However, please forgive me this gross generalisation.  As I say to people, the only habit we were born with was to seek out mother's milk, every other habit has been adopted.  If we can create one habit, we can create another one to override it.

Its not a walk in the park.  Its not even a run around the 'Tan (Melburnians will know what I mean).  So it may cause discomfort....well so does being significantly overweight or bingeing and purging.  Have a no-calorie look at this interesting article based on scientific information about habit formation and re-formation.  Here's an excerpt.

The good news is, humans are not simply creatures of habit. We have many more brain regions to help us do what’s best for our health.

“Humans are much better than any other animal at changing and orienting our behavior toward long-term goals, or long-term benefits,” says Dr. Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University. His studies on decision-making and willpower have led him to conclude that “self-control is like a muscle. Once you’ve exerted some self-control, like a muscle it gets tired.”

After successfully resisting a temptation, Baumeister’s research shows, willpower can be temporarily drained, which can make it harder to stand firm the next time around. In recent years, though, he’s found evidence that regularly practicing different types of self-control—such as sitting up straight or keeping a food diary—can strengthen your resolve.

You CAN change, it is physically and psychologically and chemically possible.  Persistence is a significant part of the process, getting support helps too.  But believing that it is possible for you to change is key.  Yes, we are all addicted to food (otherwise we'd die) but we're NOT addicted to Krispy Kreme donuts...we just HABITUALLY CONSUME them.  Do your bit to put good old Krispy Kreme out of business by working on your habits.  Your body and mind will thank you.

http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/jan2012/feature1