Do you sometimes have a desire to eat one more candy or cutlet, and then another and another? How do you feel after this? Surely, after a while you feel heaviness in your stomach, bloating. And, besides, also reproach yourself for your incontinence.
Many people experience signs of overeating, but often ignore them. Overeating is both self-pity and self-indulgence, as well as a variant of greed. Overeating is one of those bad habits that enslave a person, that is, a person cannot control the eating process and does not control himself. It manifests itself as heaviness in the stomach, loss of performance, and drowsiness. The digestive process slows down and the stomach becomes too stretched. The result is bloating, intoxication, and a feeling of general discomfort.
When there is an excess of food, the body is poisoned; it cannot get rid of processed residues in time, so the liver and kidneys are overexerted when processing these residues. Excess food rots in the intestines, forming putrefactive fluids that are excreted through the skin, respiratory tract, and intestines. When overeating, the acidity of the stomach and duodenum is disrupted.
Food hygiene involves interaction with a healthy product, and it depends not on quantity, but on quality. But when overeating, metabolic processes are constantly under strain, so our body becomes depressed and capricious. When overeating, he experiences overload of the digestive organs, blood poisoning with decay products, and a decrease in the mental and physical potential of the individual.
Fold your palms into a boat and lean them against each other - this is the volume of your stomach. Now remember what you eat during the day - will it all fit in your palms? The stomach has folds, and when it is stretched by food, they are smoothed out, that is, the stomach is stretched. At the same time, its blood supply is disrupted.
So, overeating is characterized by the following signs:
- a person eats everything quickly;
- continues to eat, even when you are already full;
- eats large amounts of food;
- feels hungry regardless of whether he has eaten or not;
- feels guilty after such food;
- Always eats something in small pieces.
Why does this obsessive desire arise?
The first reason is poor nutrition. Consumption of fried, fatty and refined foods. Drinking water during or after meals. Since water quickly leaves the stomach along with food and the beneficial substances are not absorbed. Eating too many spices as they whet your appetite.
The second reason is an unhealthy body. That is, he lacks minerals and vitamins, so the need for food increases. Therefore, watch your diet, perhaps your body is letting you know about some of its desires. For example, an increased love for baked goods indicates a lack of B vitamins, and for chocolate indicates hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). The body needs to be helped, but rationally. That is, do not eat a kilogram of sweets, but prefer honey and dried fruits. Instead of a cake, eat whole grain bread or porridge.
The third reason is psychological. Food distracts from sad thoughts and drowns out stressful conditions. If a person does not receive enough love, he begins to increase his consumption of sweets, since the love center of the brain is fueled by sweets. Often people compensate for their lack of fulfillment by gluttony; a person has some abilities, but he himself does not believe in them too much and does not realize them. As a result, energy accumulates in the body, which is fixed by food and increases body weight. Sometimes a person eats because of emotional dissatisfaction. Without intending to solve the problem that has arisen, he simply seizes it.
Psychologists believe that this obsessive eating behavior indicates secrecy, psychological and physical discomfort, and a long stay in a state of food insufficiency. People with this eating disorder experience low self-esteem and feel helpless because they cannot control what is happening. They are more likely to become depressed, have difficulty sleeping, and are prone to suicidal thoughts. Such cases of gluttony often come at times of irritation, sadness, anger, or excitement.
In addition, we were all taught in childhood that we should not leave food on the plate, we must finish eating. These stereotypes also lead to overeating.
The less food that enters the stomach at one time, the better it will do its job, and accordingly, the more efficiently the food will be absorbed. It is known that the ancient Romans ate once a day and also fasted once a week. And the ancient Greeks ate twice a day. The transition to three meals a day occurred as prosperity grew. That is, the amount of food consumed depended on the economic situation, and not on the person’s need for food. But you should eat food exactly when a person feels hungry, and not when you’re sad, “for company,” while watching a movie, or because it’s a holiday and everyone is eating. All this leads to overeating.
And although the results of overeating are masked, in the end it is always dangerous for health and longevity. But moderation in food is the norm of our behavior, as well as an alternative to diets.
To become moderate in food, you need to learn to feel your real desires.
So, first of all, you need to learn to distinguish psychological hunger from physical hunger. Don't forget that with the help of food we simply restore the body's need for energy.
If a person eats because of physical hunger, then one can expect physical satiation, and if he eats his emotions, then expect psychological peace. It is necessary to feel the difference between these types of hunger.
So, don't eat for 24 hours; you should feel when you're really hungry. Physical hunger is signals from the stomach, weakness, slight headache, remember this feeling. Of course, this is already an acute sign; every time it is not at all necessary (and even harmful) to bring yourself to such a state. But you need to know it in order to compare it in order to distinguish between the capricious “wants” of your stomach and the real need for food.
Then you need to determine the saturation threshold - for this, eat on a schedule, your hunger will get used to the regime, and it is important to catch the feeling of fullness and not eat more food. Remember this feeling and be guided by it in the future. Well, and of course, do not forget that the signal of saturation arrives only after fifteen to thirty minutes, so eat slowly, get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger. Then after some time you will feel full.
You can try to get rid of overeating on your own, or you can turn to specialists - psychologists, psychotherapists.
If you decide to deal with this problem yourself, then follow these rules: m:
- drink water in small sips throughout the day;
- do not eat “for company”;
- eat slowly, chew everything thoroughly;
- avoid fast food;
- start eating only when you feel hungry;
- concentrate on food, don’t get distracted. Don't read, turn off the TV;
- eat only while sitting;
- when you are tired or hungry, do not eat food for the first fifteen minutes;
- do not turn food into a reward;
- eat small pieces, enjoy your food;
- Do not eat until you are completely full.
And also, if you feel like you want to eat again, take a break - talk on the phone, watch a movie.
You can try slowing down your food intake. After every third bite, you must put the cutlery down until the piece is swallowed; the pauses must gradually be lengthened. It is better to start lengthening them at the end of the meal.
Start your food with a raw product, consume more honey, vegetables and fruits, nuts - energy foods. If you feel very hungry, then divide your meals into two stages so that the interval between them is thirty minutes. After eating the first portion, wait, if the hunger has not gone away, eat the rest.
Find something interesting to do, then your emotional sphere will be filled, and this will help you not to think about food all the time. For example, start running or sign up for a dance class, knit, embroider, do yoga, draw, or just read books. Be sure to move more, walk in nature. Try to solve your problems, don't run away from them. Remember that food, no matter how tasty it is, will not help improve self-esteem or get rid of a problem. But if you get rid of this obsessive desire, you will actually be able to praise yourself.
Love yourself, your body. After all, you don’t want to harm him, and overeating, as you can see, destroys our body. If you love it, you will eat healthy food, in small quantities, only when you feel real hunger. Try it and you will see that you will feel great both physically and psychologically.
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The content of the article:
Surely many of you remember how your grandmother persuaded you to eat another piece, often remembering your relatives. Today we can safely say that this is not correct, because overeating is a disease that leads to obesity. Often those parents who try to force their offspring to eat a lot have problems with excess weight since childhood. It is quite obvious that if you don’t pull yourself together in such a situation, then the situation will only get worse with age. Today we will tell you how to deal with overeating as effectively as possible.
The main reasons for overeating
Eating too much food is now considered an eating disorder. He has been viewed negatively since time immemorial. For example, in Ancient Greece, people were sure that intemperance in food causes not only physical, but also spiritual damage. In Orthodoxy, gluttony is considered one of the deadly sins. As you can see, people have long understood the dangers of gluttony, although scientific confirmation of this fact was received only in our time. To feel good, you need to clearly understand how to deal with overeating.
However, not every person who overeats admits to being a glutton and will find a lot of explanations for their eating behavior. Here are the main symptoms of this disease:
- Frequent overeating while eating.
- Inability to control the amount of food eaten.
- Continuation of the meal until the feeling of “fullness to satiety” appears.
- Heaviness in the stomach after eating.
If you don't want to have serious health problems from eating too much food, here are a few symptoms that should make you think about your eating behavior:
- While eating, you watch TV and this makes it difficult to control the amount of food.
- Throughout the day you do not stop chewing something, and there is always food on your plate.
- Without snacks, you can't work intellectually or watch a movie.
- You often eat at night.
Let's start with genetics, since the passion for overeating can be inherited. If many members of your family tend to be overweight, then there is a high risk of gluttony. Family life is no less important, because if your household makes a cult out of food, then gluttony is literally a stone's throw away.
If we talk about the psychological side of the issue, then most often this is due to the desire to improve mood. Very often, people who quit smoking gain weight. The thing is that they try to eat away the stress that occurs when giving up cigarettes. This applies to any stressful situations, and if there are a lot of them in your life, then unbeknownst to yourself you may begin to overeat and turn into a glutton.
A sedentary lifestyle can also cause the development of this disease. You have nothing to do in your free time and all you can do is chew something. Scientists believe that after the age of fifty, the risk of developing overeating increases sharply. During this period of time, people spend more time at home, and food becomes as accessible as possible.
If you do not want to look for an answer to the question of how to deal with overeating in the future, then at this age you need to forget about a possible measured life. Try to move more. If you don’t want to exercise, then take daily walks. This will improve your health and maintain the required body weight.
Another factor that can increase the risk of developing this disease is sleep. You've probably heard the statement that you need to think or eat in order to stay awake. To summarize, we can safely say that any person who experiences frequent stress and is surrounded by various devices is potentially at risk.
How to deal with overeating: nutrition management
You must fully concentrate on this process while eating. This is why you should not watch TV, as you will be distracted and will definitely eat more than your body needs. About half an hour before a full meal, you should eat a product containing protein compounds. It could be a piece of chicken or a nut.
No matter how busy you were during the day, you need to eat five times. In this case, the duration of pauses between meals should not exceed two and a half or a maximum of three hours.
It is also very important to get enough sleep. We have already said that lack of sleep can be one of the reasons for the development of the disease overeating. You need to sleep at least eight hours. This time is enough for the body to recover. If you are still worried about hungry insomnia, then take an evening jog or walk.
We also recommend getting rid of all tempting foods, such as buns and cookies. It is quite obvious that a healthy diet is completely incompatible with fast food. If you love visiting fast food restaurants, then get rid of this habit as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will have to look for the answer to the question of how to deal with overeating.
We figured out the reasons for overeating, and also clarified the issue of proper diet. Now it’s worth giving some tips that will be useful for people who want to know how to deal with overeating.
- Rid yourself of temptations. Get rid of the habit of keeping various foods in your apartment that make you have a strong desire to eat them. If you have a cake in the refrigerator, and sweets and cookies are placed in vases on the table, then it is extremely difficult for anyone to resist in such a situation.
- Instead of high-calorie foods, eat healthy ones. In situations where you eat a lot of food after returning home from work, you should have foods ready that can benefit the body and do not have a high energy value. They can be used as a light snack while cooking. By and large, you should gradually replace all harmful foods with healthy ones. This applies not only at home, but also when you go on a visit.
- Drink water before meals. This is an extremely useful habit that few people have. Try to develop it in yourself, although at first it will be difficult, and we are aware of this. Before each main meal you should drink a glass of water. This is not only beneficial for digestion, but also for the entire body as a whole. Remember that according to the recommendations of nutritionists, a person should drink from one and a half to two liters of water throughout the day.
- Don't eat stress. The problem of stress eating is common to many people, and we have already talked about it briefly. If you always start eating in a stressful situation, then you urgently need to find an alternative way to relax. We cannot give you exact recommendations in this matter, since everything here is individual. For example, you can take a warm bath with aromatic oils or remember pleasant moments from your life.
- Reduce portion sizes. If you absolutely cannot do without a cake or candy, then you need to start preparing yourself for this psychologically. Self-hypnosis is a very effective means of combating many problems. If you want to know how to deal with overeating, then one of the ways to achieve this goal is auto-training. In addition, when eating food, use smaller plates, because a small portion in them will visually look larger.
- Do not engage in other activities while eating. And we have already mentioned this problem today. Many people cannot watch TV or surf their favorite sites without eating. As we said above, if you don't concentrate on the process of eating, you will definitely eat too much.
- Eat food slowly. You should not try to swallow food as quickly as possible; you must chew it thoroughly. This will allow the body to process it faster, and the brain will also receive a signal from the corresponding receptors about saturation a little earlier.
- Food is pleasure. The quality of food is worth enjoying, but there is no need to make a cult out of it. The tongue contains receptors that are very sensitive to changes in taste. During the first seconds of eating food, you can enjoy the taste and, as a result, feel full faster.
- The food should be satisfying. Nourishing and high-calorie are different concepts and it’s worth remembering. For example, chips are a very high-calorie product, but they are not very filling. Eat only those foods that your stomach signals that you are full in time.
Chocolate cake, melt-in-your-mouth pastries, delicious grilled chicken, sandwiches with pate - each of us has our own “sworn friends”!
It is almost impossible to resist eating an extra portion. And then, sadly looking at the new folds of fat in the mirror, we fall into depression and make another forced march towards the refrigerator... A vicious circle?
I eat, but I still can’t get enough...
Psychologists have long explained to us that in 9 cases out of 10 the causes of overeating are emotional and psychological. The frantic rhythm of life in a metropolis, tense relationships with a loved one, family members, colleagues, constant anxiety... And now food becomes our only “bomb shelter”. It relaxes and calms, especially sweets and other high-calorie foods. It even lifts your mood and makes you feel better for a while. And your favorite food is double pleasure!
To find an effective way to deal with overeating, first try to determine the cause of overeating or the situation in which you regularly “fall” into gluttony. Remember the last time this happened and what preceded it.
You got yelled at by your boss, went to lunch in tears, and had a double dessert to calm down? Or, after a long and difficult day, you finally relaxed in front of the TV and didn’t even notice how you ate a cake and a half? This means that you have fallen victim to “emotional” eating.
Tip #1: Remove temptations
Try not to keep large quantities of foods at home that make you want to overeat. If there is an abundance of confectionery in the kitchen - cakes and pastries in the refrigerator, a package of ice cream in the freezer, sweets in a vase on the table, admit it - you need to have iron willpower to resist.
If binge eating tends to strike you when you get home from work, have some low-calorie, healthy snack options ready. In general, if you often think about how to deal with overeating, you should adhere to the strategy of replacing high-calorie foods with healthy and light analogues everywhere - in the kitchen, in the store, and at a party. Eat a small apple or cucumber before dinner, this will help you suppress the feeling of hunger a little and fill your stomach.
Tip #3: Drink water before meals
From the same series, a very useful habit of drinking before meals. Train yourself to drink a glass of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner. This makes it easier to meet the norm recommended by all nutritionists and cosmetologists - 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day :)
If you overeat after quarrels or tense situations, and food is stress-eating for you, try to replace it with other ways to relax. For some, training helps to throw out negative energy, for others, a bath with aromatic oils relieves psychological stress... Remember some pleasant activity not related to food, which always has a calming effect on you.
Tip #5: Reduce your portions!
If you cannot live without your favorite cakes, set yourself a condition: “I will not completely give up my favorite treat. But I have to take care of my health and think about how to deal with overeating. Therefore, from today I eat not three, but two cakes and enjoy every bite!” Auto-training is a great thing, the main thing is to set yourself up correctly.
If you eat and at the same time look at the TV screen or surf the Internet, there is a high probability of not noticing in time that you are already full. And how to deal with overeating in this case? Focus on what and how you eat! It sounds corny, but this is the only way to learn to enjoy small amounts of food, and not mindlessly load your body with fats and sugars!
Set yourself a specific deadline for switching to proper and healthy eating. The first month of spring is the best time for this. The habit of eating right, like other healthy habits, is developed gradually and imperceptibly. We wish you that by April the question of how to deal with overeating will no longer be relevant for you!
These products are so simple, you always have them in the house: apples, bananas, oatmeal, peanut butter, almonds, avocados, eggs. They are very filling, healthy and tasty. Keeping healthy snacks on hand is so easy.
How to deal with gluttony? Such a question had never occurred to me before.
And it was like this. I have always loved to eat a lot and deliciously. Since childhood. No, I wasn’t a glutton, for the time being I just didn’t have the means. It never occurred to me to gorge myself on a trough of pasta, because I like to eat tasty and varied food.
She lived like everyone else, treating herself to red fish on holidays, and on ordinary days she modestly ate food no less common for an ordinary Russian.
And then something interesting happened. I began to earn more, having succeeded quite well in my career ladder and becoming a qualified consultant. I could afford to buy the notorious red fish and caviar every single day, my soups were thick and rich, the second was fatty red meat, there were all sorts of salads all year round. Well, there’s always a pie, a cake, some candy for tea. And there was a lot of everything, delicious, I served myself noble plates, the field of food was breathing heavily, since there was nowhere to breathe, I was falling into a blissful sleep, I remembered Russian drinking songs.
Then it became even more interesting. It turned out that with this lifestyle, or rather food, weight began to gain. This was strange for me, because I had never suffered from a weight problem. Having added an extra 10 kilos, I felt inertia in my body; I could no longer run up the stairs after 2 steps. Having decided that I just need to eat less, as Maya Plisetskaya advised everyone who was suffering, I was faced with another interesting problem.
I couldn't eat any less. I was already tired of all the delicacies, I was happy with simple boiled potatoes with herring like a child, but the quantity could not be reduced, the feeling of hunger did not leave me for a minute until I had eaten the required amount.
Large amounts of vegetables and fruits made me feel sick; I physically couldn’t eat bran and other things.
And at some point the absolutely correct thought occurred to me: in order to overcome gluttony, you need to return the volume of the stomach to normal. Any glutton has a stomach that is stretched to accommodate large amounts of food, and until he receives it, the person experiences hunger.
And the good old DIAPHRAGM BREATHING helped me in the fight against gluttony and in the glorious task of returning the global stomach to the right size. For those like me who are dummies of anatomy: the diaphragm is an internal muscle that holds the internal facets and is involved in breathing. When breathing shallowly, we work the muscles of the chest and shoulder girdle. And with proper, deep breathing, the diaphragm is engaged. The abdomen is pulled in and out, not the chest.
A simple exercise: lie on your back with your knees bent if it’s more comfortable. Try to breathe deeply, drawing in and pushing out your stomach as much as possible. It is ideal to feel as you exhale how your stomach is literally “glued” to your spine, and as you inhale, try to make your stomach look like a watermelon. While still exhaling, when the stomach is drawn in as much as possible, you can hold your breath. First for 8 seconds, then increase the interval. If you feel suddenly dizzy, shorten the gap between inhalation and exhalation.
What else, besides fighting gluttony, is this exercise useful for? A lot of people.
Firstly, the cardiovascular system is trained. Anyone who has suffered from shortness of breath will soon feel positive changes.
Secondly, all internal organs are massaged. After all, many diseases, incl. inflammatory, occur from blood stagnation and insufficient circulation. This massage promotes gentle cleansing, saturation of internal organs with oxygen and nutrients.
Thirdly, when you hold your breath, the capillaries expand and, with subsequent inhalation, the entire body and skin are saturated with oxygen.
Another positive point that follows. With chronic inflammation of the internal organs, medications may simply not reach their destination, since blood circulation is sluggish and stagnation simply occurs. Diaphragmatic breathing will help a lot here. But in case of acute inflammation, physical activity is contraindicated!
Well, about the fight against gluttony. Diaphragmatic breathing has helped me a lot. Whatever they say, it was this exercise that contributed to the restoration of a distended stomach.
15 minutes a day was enough (daily and regularly!!!) and in the next week I felt positive changes. I can also note the influx of fresh strength from this exercise, it relieves fatigue very well after a hard day, and clears the head.
Gradually the weight returned to normal. But then I had to use another simple remedy suggested by the pharmacist (many thanks to her!).
I would like to note, or rather write a banal thing: no matter how much you feel the urge to overeat, it’s better not to start. This may have happened to me because I had to go hungry during the difficult 90s. Literally, at times there was no money in the house even for an extra loaf. Perhaps I always had a fear of being hungry. And having received the money, I spent it... you know where. And then I still struggled with the consequences.
In addition, the glutton gradually ceases to enjoy tasty food. Everything becomes boring, boring, and all that remains is the need to fill your stomach. The festive table is not pleasing, the food in a cafe or restaurant is not pleasing.
I also want to note a positive thing from former gluttony. Oddly enough, there is something positive in every problem.
I lost my fear of being hungry. I no longer feel the urge to eat gourmet foods every day. I learned to appreciate simple everyday food, and began to pay special attention to vitamins and healthy foods. And I’ll eat the delicacy on weekends and holidays. And I take it calmly. I spend money on other values that are important and interesting to me.
I would like to make a special mention for those struggling with gluttony. Don't buy appetite suppressants. A beautiful jar may contain narcotic or simply harmful substances that cause addiction and various pathologies. You can buy special herbal mixtures (corn silk, flax seed and others). Although I did without it myself.
Yes, another important point. Don't waste your problems! Control your condition, it is better to take valerian or milk with a spoon of honey. Or just drink a glass or two of clean water (it’s very healthy)/
Hello dear readers. Excess weight does not come on its own. There are many reasons for this, and among them one of the most important is constant overeating. Why does a person eat more than he needs? What are reasons for overeating , what does psychology have to do with it, how to deal with it and how to generally find out whether you really want to eat at the moment or is it just self-deception?
In general, those who want to watch their figure and not gain extra pounds should consider the following:
What to remember:
- When hunger strikes, learn to distinguish whether it is emotional or physical hunger.
- If your problem is psychological, seek help from specialists, do not self-medicate, and do not aggravate the problem.
- Eat properly - don’t rush, chew thoroughly, let your body know that it has “eaten.”
- Make a menu, remember the basics of rational, healthy nutrition.
That's all for today. See you again in new blog articles!
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