Why Do We Overeat? Ways To Stop Binge Eating

Posted on 2015/04/22
TAGS: ADDICTIOn

by Beatriz Jacoste Lozano

The human eating behavior has always intrigued me. I have reached the conclusion that hunger is only one of the reasons we eat. In nutritional science, this phenomenon (eating without being hungry) has been defined as “non-homeostatic eating”. After having read this term, I started doing some research to discover what is it that drives people to act in this way.

Ph.D. Prof. Stephan J. Guyenet, founder of the Whole Health Science institution, studied this issue from a neurobiological perspective and confirmed scientifically that humans eat for many reasons other than hunger.

Among his findings, he pointed out the following:

1. Our neurobiological hardware is concerned with guaranteeing calorie sufficiency but not with protecting against excess.

2. This normally leads to overeating or eating more than the energy requirements because humans are innately prone to ingesting calorie-dense products in order to guarantee faster the calorie sufficiency for their system.

Prof. Jane Wardle, from the University College of London, conducted an experiment with a group of children to study behavior patterns in eating. After having had lunch, the children were asked whether they were full and all of them responded affirmatively. The children then, started carrying out other activities and the teachers placed plates with chocolates and biscuits on their tables.

The remarkable thing about this experiment is that it showed the differences in the behavior patterns in humans: even if all of them had eaten the same amount of food and said to be full, some of them were happy to carry on eating while others, paid no attention to the plates.

In short: the size of ones appetite has a genetic basis. Unfortunately, this means not all of us are as lucky when it comes to eating self-control. Some people will have a plate of mouthwatering brownie right over the table and won’t find it appealing if they are already full. Others, the great majority I would say, receive a brain signal encouraging them to devour the palatable dish.

The BBC documentary “Why Are Thin People Not Fat”, portrayed the following: thin people do not eat more than their body needs because their brain doesn’t send an encouraging signal if they are already physically full.

When one takes the decision to stop binge eating, this has to be in mind: “ food is more than about filling up”. We have to start perceiving our body as our temple and the food we eat as the fuel that makes us perform in one way or in another.

We have to be aware that our performance in life is going to be conditioned by the fuel we use. Therefore, we should ingest products that enhance our performance.

Obviously, this is easier said than done because even if our rationale would support this argument we are not only rational animals. As emotional creatures, what leads our behavior is sometimes far from what logic would suggest and that explains why we see the act of eating also seen in terms of enjoyment.

You name it: birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday brunch or however you prefer but these are moments where to gather with beloved ones and share and enjoy something jointly and this “something” is usually food. We all agree this is a beautiful tradition but if we want to avoid overeating, our habits when in these celebrations should slightly change.

Other reasons that push people into consuming more calories than those they need are being bored, stressed and having insufficient sleep. These patterns of behavior, apart from resulting in weight gain, make us feel depressed.

What we eat when in these circumstances is dense in calories, sugar, starch, fat and glutamate. Eating such products may cause depressive effects as it reduces the production of serotonins (hormones in charge of lifting our spirits).

According to the research done by Prof. J. Guyenet, we ingest 72% more calories when we are in a social gathering. The calorie intake also rises during the weekend and during vacations. The explanation can be structure in these 3 points:

1. Variety: we are tempted to try all of the multiple dishes that are available.

2. Calorie-density: the dishes eaten in these social gatherings are denser in calories than the ones eaten on a daily basis.

3. Alcohol: alcohol is normally drank to go along with the food and increases significantly the calorie intake.

Nutritional counseling looks beautiful on paper but is extremely hard to follow because the only restraint we have from eating more is our cognitive function (more known as the will power) and quite frankly, this is a very weak one.

My advice is: be self-loving when making food choices. If you start to listen to your body, that is; you start paying attention to how your system reacts depending on your food choices, you will probably start making better choices.

Nourish fully what you eat: pamper yourself with food that boosts your energy and makes you happy. Test what works best with you! You can keep a diary sharing what you eat and how it affects your feelings and performance.

Keep in mind the causes of overeating and learn how to handle them better: you can still go out for brunch with friends and celebrate your relatives’ birthday without overeating.

Make intelligent food choices: decide whether you would like to spend your afternoon stuck to the couch feeling bloated and down or if you would rather make the best of your time feeling fully energized.

It is all in your hand!

About The Author

Hi there! My name is Beatriz and I write to help people take control of their own food and health. For most of my life I ate anything I wanted but I didn’t feel fully satisfied. I started learning that the path to true happiness is very much linked to what we eat and began making slight changes in my purchasing decisions at the grocery store and in my eating habits. I want to share with everyone how to have a richer sense of food as a vehicle for change in their lives.

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