They Went to Portugal Too

by Rose Macaulay

Published 1 November 1993
You are what you eat, but why are you eating so much? Your moods! Why can't you stay with a reasonable exercise programme, and why is obesity at epidemic proportions in our society today? Negative moods hold the explanations. Feeling down? Wish you had more energy and less stress? If this describes you some or most of the time, you are probably among the millions today who respond to increasing stress and low moods with food - a candy bar, or perhaps a cup of coffee and a sweet. Such emotional eating may temporarily boost your spirits, but this effect is a short-lived quick fix that perpetuates chronic overeating and obesity. Moreover, the same negative moods that have grown to substantial proportions in society today, sap your resolve to exercise.