Do you ever keep eating even though you know you aren’t hungry any more? Does it seem like you have no control over the food? Do you eat till you hurt? This is a very common problem and is usually caused by one of two things. Either you are not hungry and you are just “grazing,” or you are not paying attention to the food because you are focused on something else.
Stop Grazing, You Are Not A Cow
Grazing is usually caused by boredom and has nothing to do with being hungry. Sometimes you may feel a little hunger but usually you go to the refrigerator or cupboard and start looking for something to eat because you are just bored. Most of the time when people graze it has nothing to do with actual hunger.
You know you are grazing when you say, “I don’t know what I want, I just want something.” One way to stop grazing is to have a glass of cold water. It seems strange but often times when we think we want something to eat we are actually thirsty. A glass of water can give us the liquids our body desires without the calories in the food.
Grazing can also be triggered by advertisements on TV. Ad agencies have gotten very devious with the ways they can manipulate us into thinking we need to eat something. By using visual and sound cues and by showing how “fun” food can be, our brains start to think that we well be happy if we eat. If you find yourself going to the kitchen during commercial breaks then you are probably a victim of advertising.
The best way to combat this type of grazing is to only eat at set times during the day. Have a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then have a snack time where you eat a small amount of food. Limit yourself to only eating when you plan to eat. If you plan to have one snack after dinner, then that is fine. Prepare this snack, eat it, and then get out of the kitchen.
Grazing is really just letting food have control over you instead of you controlling what you eat. If you are serious about weight loss then you will need to be in the one who decides what’s crossing your lips and the best way to do this is to have a plan in place before you get the urge to graze. Hopefully you have banned all high carb foods from you home so you won’t be tempted to grab a handful of chips or some cookies. But this is not always possible when you have a family, so be sure you have your healthy. Low carb snacks ready for when your will power may be a little worn down.
Pay Attention To Every Bite You Take
One of my big problems was eating in front of the TV. If I was watching the TV then I usually didn’t even taste the food I ate. I just kept shoveling it in and if the show was interesting I would hurry back for seconds. It is amazing how much food can be consumed when you aren’t paying any attention to what you are eating.
The best way to combat this problem is two fold. First, never eat when you are concentrating on something else. So don’t eat in front of the TV, don’t eat while you are reading a book or magazine, and don’t eat in front of the computer. These situations all lead to overeating and weight gain. Second, pay attention to every bite you take.
Make a commitment to yourself that you will only eat when you are 100% focused on the food and when you have time to sit down and eat at a normal pace. I don’t think that it is only coincidence that are obesity levels have increased during the time that Fast Food sales have skyrocketed. The drive through window has made it very easy to get way to much food, way to cheap and then eat it while driving and not paying attention to what we are doing. This is a recipe for weight gain that is playing out all over America.
If you must get a meal at a fast food restaurant, then either go inside, sit down and spend the time required to pay attention to the food you are eating, or park your car and eat the food without the distraction of driving.
If you pay attention to each bite then two things will happen. First, you will actually taste the food which will go a long way toward helping you feel fuller sooner. And, second, if you slow down your stomach will have time to tell your brain that you are no longer hungry.
If you take the time to concentrate on what you are putting into your mouth and you only eat at your set eating times then it is going to be much harder to keep eating if you are not hungry any more. I mean what is the point? Why not just stop and then you can get back to watching TV, reading, or surfing the web. Or, you can get up and get some more exercise which would be even better.
I find that really I don’t want to spend much time on eating when I don’t have any other distractions. So, set your eating times and then give 100% of your focus to the meal. This is a food first step to wrenching control of your life back from the grip food has over you.