Women with Mother Hunger are conflicted about eating because maternal deprivation required substitute comfort. Some avoid meals and restrict calories to feel strong, visible, or safe. Starving is one of the most basic ways to compensate for feeling helpless. Others are more inclined to overindulge, following the inner voice promising that pizza will make everything okay. Overeating and undereating are effective ways to mask internal distress and numb the void where maternal nurturance fell short.
