Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Why do I eat so much?

 
Why do I eat so much?
By Healthy-Diet-Newsletter
 
Often we ask...What is wrong with me?
Why can't I control myself?....
 
Does our answer just scratch the surface?
Or does it go deep..into our subconscious....
Do you have the answers why?
 
Maybe we shouldn't just jump into a diet...
Maybe we should explore ourselves and see why we do what we do..
and decide what changes we want to make....to stop eating the way we do...
 
There are many people who must lose weight. They are told to do so, by the Doctor.
Or they just know if they don't...it may lead to some poor health issues later on in life...
 
There are also many people who want to lose weight to look better...
and to feel better about themselves...
 
An abundance of excess pounds can affect a person's self-esteem about themselves.
 
Being overweight can also lead to mental stress....even self anger, and depression.
 
Many overweight individuals end up believing that it is totally impossible to lose the weight they want, even need to lose. They wonder why they can not get control over food...and dieting.
 
It can be a vicious cycle...We get depressed because we are over weight and then we eat because we are depressed...which depresses us even further...
Not only does food taste good...it often comforts....
Some people even think food is better than sex...
Have you ever said that about a certain piece of food...maybe a piece of cake...etc....??
 
Do you eat for any of these reasons?
 
anger,
anxiety, 
hurt,
stress,
sad, depressed, lonely
 
Some of us eat when we are happy....Let's celebrate!!
 
Here is problary the most common reason.....Boredom!!
 
How many of us eat just cause we are bored??
 
A lot of people are not aware that they use food to deal with a number of emotional issues.
 
If you know that you do use food for any of those reasons....you are a step ahead...
 
For those who do not know why you overeat...
The next time you go on a food binge...see if there is a reason that triggered it...
Where you mad, sad....nervous?? Just plain bored?
 
Start a food diary for a few weeks...
See if there is any patterns...
Do not just write the food you eat down....Write about your emotions also...
 
Example...
 
5.pm
I had a fight with Larry today...He hurt my feelings and I am so angry with him...
I came home and ate straight from my ice cream container...
We canceled our plans to go to the movies...because of the fight we had.
 
8.pm
I am so bored...I wish I went out with Larry to the movies, so I made a sandwich and ate.
 
9:30 pm
I just saw a commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken..
I just got in the mood for chicken..
I know I have frozen chicken fingers in the freezer...I think I will make those...
 
Ok now...
Do you see any patterns?
 
We just have to learn to substitute something else other than food, when we are dealing with emotions...such as anger, hurt, boredom...etc...etc....
 
Maybe journaling in a diary will become a favorite pastime instead...
 
Making these changes takes time.
It desn't happen overnight.
You may fail...
You will lose some and win some...
You have to keep trying to make the changes...until it becomes a way of life...
Have patience. 
 
Pay attention to your moods and situations around you...
Self-monitor your behavior....
 
It doesn't stop with emotional eating...
 
There are other reasons why we may have added on the pounds...such as...
 
Poor Habits...
 
Do you mindlessly eat?
Pick as you cook??
Grab 1 cookie as you pass through the kitchen, to leave out the kitchen's side door?
Those calories don't count...right?
Those calories all add up...
Take notice if you grab just a bit here and there...and then don't count it when you
recall what you eat all day long...
A food diary may help here again....
It will help you learn what your downfalls are when it comes to overeating...
 
Do you reward yourself with food?
Got a raise...so went out to eat...
Won lotto...so went out to eat....
Found a 20 dollar bill...so went out to eat...
Lost 10 pounds...so went and got a sundae??
 
How about holidays? Parties? Family and Friends Get togethers...
Is the main focus the food??
Do you get eager about all the yummies there might be to eat...before going?
Is that your center focus?
I know I am guilty of that...
Barbecues...weddings....all those celebrations and the food...
What about the people you will see?
How about mingling being the center focus instead?
 
Just like eating the wrong foods can become a habit...
Eating extra large portions at meals and large snack portions can become a habit you had for a long time...
Maybe you will want to change your serving size at mealtime..
 
Don't try to change yourself all at once...
Make changes one at a time...
 
Decide where to start your changes and after a week or two of one change...
add another change...in time add another...
Change when you are comfortable...Reward yourself now and then...
Be proud of all you have changed!!
 
Remember...
Change takes time...
 
 
Let us continue discovering why we may overeat and what we can do to make changes...
 
Overeating is just 1 reason that we can become overweight...
It may be the #1 reason with many of us...
 
But with some people...they don't overeat....hardly ever...
It can be medications that put the extra weight on them...
 
A sluggish metabolism can be created with constant dieting over the years....
 
Sometimes an overweight person eats way too little...all day...everyday...
and the body thinks it is in starvation...causing a sluggish metabolism...
 
Do you skip meals???
 
Do you consume the wrong foods constantly??
 
You may have a condition that has to be diagnosed by a Doctor...that is the root to your excess pounds...such as Hypothyroidism, Polycystic ovarian syndrome and other numerous conditions that may be the root to your excess weight...
 
For a lot of people....being overweight is because of inactivity...
 
Often a combination of inactivity and overeating...
 
Your eating habits are often learned from other people around you...
Your family life style growing up...
Your friends.....your co-workers...
 
Set small goals...
Make 1 change at a time....
 
Decide where to start...
I start with...drinking more water...and stopping soda and ice teas...
 
After that....I may add fruit....
etc...etc...
 
You will succeed with making permanent changes with small changes....
If you say you will never eat bad foods ever again...in one shot...you will problary
fall sooner than later...
 
Do you lack planning?
Grocery Shopping, Cooking....Daily Menus all take careful planning...
Shop with lists...
Plan what you will eat each day....
If you go grocery shopping once a week..
Sit and plan what you will cook every night before going..
Create Healthy Menus for yourself...
Change recipes...
See Past Blog Post..Making Changes in your Cooking and Eating Style
 
Don't set a huge goal to loose 30 or 40 or more pounds...
Or a goal to get to a Size 5 or 7, from a size 16...
 
Make the goal to make changes eating first...
When the changes have started...
Add the Goal to loose 10 pounds....Only 10 Pounds...
When you lost 10 pounds....
Congratulate yourself...you just succeeded and accomplished something great!!
Reward Yourself...
NO...Do NOT go out and eat....
Buy yourself a DVD movie...a ring...a new shirt...
Put something nice on layaway...
Go to the movies....No popcorn or candy...
Allow yourself one diet soda...if it must be a food reward...
 
Remember that your bodies weight fluctuates daily...
You possibly didn't have a bowel movement for a day..
you ate something salty yesterday...You retain water....
How much food do you have in your system right now...before you weigh yourself?
Are you a week before your period?
There is many reasons why you just added a pound or the scale didn't budge after a few days of eating right...
Weigh yourself....Once a month...right after you finish menstruating...
Weighing yourself constantly will drive you nuts...
Take notice if your clothes fit looser...Don't depend on the scale...
 
But once you get down to the weight you want...
Then I would carefully monitor my weight with the scale..
But don't flip if the scale moves up slightly...
Check again in a few days....
If it is steadily up...Take off the few added pounds right away..before it piles on...
 
Be forgiving...if you add a pound on....
Or if you ate something wrong..
Just get back on track afterwards...
 
Food Addiction?
 
Some people find comfort in a bottle...a widely known addiction...
 
Some people find comfort with food...is it an addiction?
I think so....
 
Food can actually become a psychological addiction!!!
Are you addicted?
If you don't have control...you problary are...
 
If you have total control over food and what you eat...you are clear of that problem...
Wonderful!
 
If you aren't...let's look further into it...
 
Weightloss Tips
 
Trick Yourself..
Looks can be decieving...
Full your plate up like you always did...
Use smaller plates and bowls, this way your smaller portion, doesn't look skimpy...
 
 
When you feel you have to binge on food....and you can't say no...
Have something less harmful....
Perhaps fruit....with some vanilla lowfat yogurt as a topping...
If you know you can't stop eating ice cream once you start...but you can eat a handful of pretzels and stop after a small amount...Then have pretzels....
 
 
IMPORTANT....
Remember that it takes 15 minutes or slightly more for your brain to get the message that you are full....
So eat slower...
Make that a change....the first change...
Posted by Mickey at 18:34:01 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |