Dear Over 50's:

Last night I went to a movie with a friend who met up with a group in the theatre. They'd planned to go to a restaurant afterward but I didn't want to go.

I went home, then ate, then ate more. I don't know why I did it but I'm still stuffed. I've had a big problem with night eating. I've overcome it but every now and then it comes back with a terrible force.

I saw on TV that there is a part of the brain, a type of pleasure center, which is stimulated by doing things that make you feel good. They showed a rat with an electrical wire attached to his pleasure center.

The animal would touch a metal bar to receive a pleasure stimulation and completely ignored the things which produce pleasure naturally, like sex and food. FOOD???

Wow, I nearly fell off my chair. Yes, I know that food gives pleasure, however fleeting. It's like drinking, shopping, sex, drugs, gambling, and smoking; all those addictive pastimes. Unfortunately, they're all followed by negative consequences.

One of them is guilt, which I'm suffering from right now. And escaping from is guilt the perfect reason to seek out more pleasure, like food.

So around it goes. You eat too much, feel guilty, eat more to sooth the feelings, feel worse, get fat, eat more to forget the guilt, and on it goes.

Chiqui