GREAT INFO IN THAT OTHER LINK:
Overeating - Why You Eat Too Much - Causes and Cures
Ever wonder why some of us never eat more than we have to, while
others can't seem to stop eating, long after we are full. We can't stop
eating until we literally are bursting at the seams, and have to unbutton
our pants to give our bellies more room.
Why is it that you can be totally under control with your eating until,
suddenly, one day out of the blue, you want to eat everything in sight?
You simply can't stop overeating. And why is it that creep out of our
beds at night to eat more? Why do s o many of us overeat at night?
Research from several universities from around the world has found
some startling clues as to why we overeat.
Drawing on that research, we have compiled the Top 10 Reasons You
Overeat and the natural remedies that can help you stop eating too
much. You'll find that many of these simple rules of eating are followed
subconsciously by people who are skinny:
1. Sugar. Sugar is a leading cause of over-eating. Sugar acts like an
opiate in your body, and , much like other drugs, causes addictive
behavior. Sugar increases your appetite. A 2002 study from Princeton
University found that mice who repeatedly eat excessive amounts of
sugar become addicted, to the point where denial of sugar to them
caused behavioral and neurochemical signs of opioid withdrawal. They
displayed severe anxiety when they were denied their sugar quotas.
The symptoms of anxiety and DA/ACh imbalance were qualitatively
similar to withdrawal from morphine or nicotine.
2. Diet Sodas and Diet Drinks. Diet sodas increase your appetite and
sugar dependency. That is, it's not just the actual sugar which causes an
increase in your appetite. The mere taste of sugar increases your
appetite and sugar dependency. In 2008, researchers at Princeton
University found that mice who were given a "sham feeding" of sugar,
nevertheless developed sugar dependency. In a "sham feeding, a
feeding tube exits the stomach, so that no actual sugar is ingested-- just
the taste. The researchers found that, even though no actual sugar
reached the stomachs, the mere taste of sugar can increase
extracellular dopamine, causing sugar dependency.
The real-world equivalent of a "sham feeding"? Eating sweet food with
zero sugar in it. Diet sodas. Diet cookies. Diet candy. All these can
trigger increases in your appetite and increase your dependency on
sugar. As a result, you will eat more than someone without a "sweet
tooth". Bottom line: "Sugar free" is not a green light to eat. In fact, it
may be the red light which sabotages your plans for long-term weight
loss.
3. Not Enough Volume. People who eat food with more volume, but
with the same amount of calories, eat less. Even if the volume is made
up of just air. In 2000, researchers at Pennsylvania State University
fed women 3 different yogurt-based milk shakes for breakfast mixed
with different volumes of air so that the ultimate shakes had 3 sizes--
300 ml, 450, ml and 600 ml a day. Other than the air mixed in, the
shakes were identical in ingredients and calories. The results were
startling. The women who drank shakes with the most air ate an
average of 12% fewer calories at lunch later in the day, when
compared with the women who drank the smallest shakes. These
woman also reported being less hungry than the women who drank the
smallest shakes.
How can you incorporate this dieting tip into your daily life? Start your
day with a shake of plain yogurt and a cup of blueberries or a half a
banana. Blend the shake long enough to increase the "frothiness",
usually at least 45 seconds on medium to high speed.
4. Not Enough Protein. Protein satisfies the appetite more than
carbohydrates. We should eat about 4 ounces of protein for each of our
3 main meals. The protein you choose should be high quality, low fat
protein for best weight loss results-- skinless chicken, turkey, fish, soy
burgers and quinoa.
5. Not Enough Time. It takes 20 minutes between the time you finish
eating before your body knows that you have eaten. During that 20
minutes your food makes it down into your stomach. Your stomach is
only about the size of your fist. When it gets full, it stretches a little, and
a signal is sent from your stomach to your brain, telling your brain to
release chemicals that tell you "You're full, stop eating". One way to
slow your eating down is to put your fork down between bites. Finish
chewing and swallowing before you pick up your fork or spoon again.
It may also help you if you try to chew at least 20 times per bite.
6. Dehydration. Many people confuse being thirst with being hungry.
Make sure that you drink 8 glasses of water a day. Most of us drink
between 3 and 4 glasses a day. We literally are walking around thirsty.
When we eat, we get some water from the food itself but this is not
nearly enough. So, start your meal with a glass of water --before you
eat. You'll end up eating far less.
7. Too Much White Food. Refined carbohydrates stimulate your
appetite. The reason is that, inside your body, refined carbohydrates
are converted to glucose. In fact, some refined carbohydrates convert
to glucose as fast as white table sugar. Most of these fast-converting
carbohydrates are white foods. Don't eat any white foods for a week
and you'll feel calmer (white sugar, white bread, white rice, potatoes or
pasta). The sugar in white foods drives up your blood sugar levels
which is why you overeat.
8. Not Enough Fiber. High fiber foods make your digestive system
work. Some types of fiber are in fact indigestible. But your digestive
system doesn't know this. So, your stomach spends time trying to break
down the fiber. Your intestines spend time trying to massage the fiber
into submission. To no avail of course. But the process of attempting to
break down fiber slows digestion overall. As a result, you feel full. And
you eat less. Also, some fiber absorbs water and oil, becoming
sponge-like in your stomach and intestines, taking up space. That in
itself also makes you feel full.
9. Excess Anxiety. Anxiety makes you overeat. It is the underlying
cause of much overeating, especially at night. We overeat at night
because, during the day, activities distract us from the stress we feel.
Too busy to worry. But, at night, when the day slows down, our worries
catch up with us. Stress and anxiety are natural parts of life. Since the
time we were infants, we have been on a lifelong quest to find ways to
soothe anxiety. Our mothers used to do it for us, feeding us, stroking
our cheeks, humming to us, patting pour backs while she rocked us on
her knee. But once we grow up, of course, we have to learn how to
self-soothe. Many of us never do. We use food to soothe our daily
anxiety. If you are to be successful in managing your body weight, you
have to consciously develop ways to self-soothe other than food. Start
out with recreating what used to work when we were infants. A nice,
warm bubble bath is one of the best ways to soothe anxiety. Include a
bath at least 3 times a week to build up your reserves of calm. Walking
and other daily exercise is another excellent way to soothe anxiety.
After walking about 30 minutes continuously, you may notice that you
take an involuntary deep breath. That's the anxiety leaving your body.
10. Too Much Variety. Variety may be the spice of life, but it also may
be what's sabotaging your diet. Studies have found that people who eat
the same things tend to eat less. They speculate that the reason this is
so is that a lot of variety in our foods stimulates the appetite, with the
result that we eat more calories over the course of the month. So, make
a decision what you like for breakfast. And stick with it for a month.
Boredom helps to de-stimulate your appetite, helping you to eat less.
