Emotional eating habits that keep us overweight with the subconscious programming that causes us to stuff our feelings with food. In this article, we will explore another common pattern among overweight people: the use of food to substitute for creative expression. Abraham Maslow, one of the founders of humanistic psychology, is often credited with describing creativity as a basic human need comparable to the needs for food and shelter, in his theory of the hierarchy of needs. Although his theory remains controversial, I have experienced with many clients that this need appears to be very real. Children, we notice, are constantly involved, if given the opportunity, in creative play. We adults, however, have frequently learned to suppress our creative instincts, and all too often, to substitute eating for creativity. Here