To quote Annie Lenox - why?

Here's a real question - something I've been wondering for a while.  I truly wish I knew the answer, but after years of therapy, journalling, weight watchers, weight loss, weight gain, self aware-ness, I still don't.  Ready?

WHY DO WE OVEREAT?  WHY DO WE USE FOOD AS AN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS - WHEN IT NEVER IS?

Why do we self sabatoge with food?  Doesn't it seem like such a simple question?  People without body issues, from my observation, do not do this.  They don't sit and splurge and stuff themselves silly, at least not the people that I know.  My sister, who is TINY (easily the size of an Olsen twin) - eats what she wants.  Plain, simple, that's all.  If she wants a cookie, she'll have one.  She is a Foodie, true and true, and her (equally tiny) husband and her eat out, enjoy food - the way it's meant to be enjoyed.  But - what does she not do?  Eat until she can't breath.  I joke that in her kitchen, there are small, elf sized portions because she saves everything, so she will have 1/2 of 1/2 of a sandwich, than wrap it up, and bring it home.  She neither celebrates with food, nor sabatoges herself with food.  She does not eat when she's bored, depressed, stressed.  She uses food for pleasure and sustainment.  And that is all.

My mother and I are the opposite.  My mother, who has lost significant weight in the past 5 years and actually is quite small now, and I will eat our brains out to celebrate that we're on vacation.  We'll eat until our tits fall out of our bras when we are sad or depressed.  Than we'll feel worse.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Why do some people have this gene, and others just don't?  All of my friends, who struggle with their weight/body image, have this battle, and we are soldiers every single fucking day of our lives.

Why did I eat french fries today at lunch until I felt like I was going to keel over and shit myself?  I knew when "my body sighed" (as we used to say in weight watchers).  I'm aware.  Is it because I'm stressed?  Bored?  Somewhat lonely?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's a healthy way to live to simply eat fruit and vegetables.  I firmly believe that food is pleasure, and should be enjoyed as so.  So why do some people do that, and others seem to struggle with it?

I have equated, at time, good food to good sex.  There is such pleasure in amazing food, as there is in amazing sex.  Do I overeat right now because I'm not having sex (am single and too old to go fuck the bartender like I used to)?  But I know lots of people who have lots of good sex, and they still overeat. 

So - what is the need that we are trying to fulfill?  What is the question that we are trying to answer?  Why are we feeding our emotions, vs. simply enjoying food the way it should be enjoyed?

To quote Annie Lenox - why?