OVEREATING – WHY WE DO IT & HOW TO STOP

You sit down to eat a delicious meal and you find yourself eating way more then the one serving you planned on having. This would not be such a big deal if it happened on occasion, once in a while, on your cheat day perhaps?  But if it is  happening more then once a week at your cheat or reward meal, something is wrong!  And there are things you may be doing that are triggering you to eat and eat and eat some more!

Do you eat in front of the TV?  Studies show that you are very likely to overeat if you like to chow while watching your favorite sitcom or detective show.  Why?  Well, when your brain is not connected to the act of eating, it does not quite register when you are full or have had enough.  The chemical transmission that takes place between your brain and your belly letting your brain know that your belly is satisfied and does not need anything else to eat is interrupted, therefore leading to over eating.  What can you do?  When you eat, eat. Simply eat.  Do not watch TV, do not read a book, just eat and focus on the act of eating.  By allowing your brain to have a connection to the act of eating, you will be more in tune with your satiety.

Have you ever thought you were absolutely starving and even after eating you find that you still are not satisfied?  Often times people confuse hunger with thirst.  That is right!  You could be dehydrating or just severely thirsty and be confusing that for huger which leads you to over eat.  What’s a way to prevent this?  Drink a full glass of water before each meal.  Wait five minutes and see if you are still hungry.  You may be surprised to find out that more then half of the time you are just thirsty.

So next time you go to reach for seconds, thirds, (or fourths, you know we’ve all done it), stop and really pay attention to your body to see if you’re actually hungry or eating for the wrong reasons.  Tune in next time to find out some of the other bad habits that may be causing you to over do it at meal time!