Obesity is Considered an "Eating Disorder"

Stunkard (1994) has defined Night Eating Syndrome and Binge Eating Disorder as eating disorders that contribute to obesity.  It does not include simple obesity as an eating disorder because it is not consistently associated with a psychological or behavioral syndrome. Labeling obesity as an eating disorder that needs to be "cured" implies a focus on physical or psychological processes and does not include recognition of the social factors that may also have a contributive impact. Weight preoccupation and dieting behaviors will certainly have some aspects of an eating disorder and its psychological implications such as inappropriate eating behaviors or disturbances in body perception. 

Learning to Use Food to Cope With Emotions

Women's experiences with emotional eating have often been neglected, trivialized and misunderstood  contend that dieting often results in distinctive personality traits such as "passivity, anxiety and emotionality." It is interesting to note that these are characteristics often used to describe women in stereotypical ways.

Food is often used to feed or nurture oneself for both physical and psychological hunger. Food is used to literally swallow emotions.  I believe that when people become weight or diet preoccupied, it is often "safer" to focus on food and eating than on underlying emotional issues.