Eating to Please

A couple of things have happened to me over the past week that make me wonder about why I choose to eat what I eat. I am trying to be more conscious about what I'm eating, and to make healthier choices, but that is so hard for so many reasons.
  On Saturday, I had supper with my Grandma, and ate entirely more than I would under most circumstances. The food was good, but I wasn't just eating for myself. In the first place, my Grandma always teases me for not eating enough, so I was trying to avoid that comment. Also, and more importantly, my Grandma expresses her love to me by cooking, and my way of saying that I love her back is by (over)eating. I topped off the big dinner with a slice of cake, so I must really love her a lot.
 What's more surprising is the cake I ate last night. I have recently started working at a new hospital, and one of the staff members brought in a carrot cake. I polished off a piece, and I don't even like carrot cake. And it had nuts. And I don't like nuts. I think on some level I wanted to be accepted by my new group of coworkers. And there's nothing wrong with healthy eating, but part of me never wants to admit to people that I'm watching my weight. Also, it's hard to turn down food that someone baked, and was so kind to offer to me. Like I want to be able to accept their gift, even if I don't really want the gift they're giving.
 So forget the cravings I get for sweets, and fatty foods, etc., that's the easy part. I have to try to overcome eating to please.

Some food for thought (see what I did there?)
~Adrienne