Why you still eat when you’re full (and what to do about it)
Why you still eat when you’re full (and what to do about it)
We have all had the experience of eating beyond the point of being hungry and beyond what our body needs. As a species with cognitive awareness human beings can override innate biological impulses, unlike, say a lion.
We can rationalize why we do the things we do, even when we don’t really want to do them, or even when we know we’ll regret it later. So many clients have told me that they don’t know why they keep eating even when they’re no longer hungry. It does seem absurd that we would overeat to the point of being stuffed or eat for any other reason than what is biologically necessary. We’ll never see a pride of lions laying back, patting their bellies and groaning because they ate too much of the antelope that afternoon.
So why on earth is this something that human beings do?
I’ve got 5 reasons why you do this and 5 solutions on what to do about it.
1. You eat mindlessly
When we eat fast and mindlessly we are much more likely to lose track of how much we’ve consumed and we’re definitely more likely to overeat. Why? Because it takes 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that you’ve had enough to eat. Specifically, ghrelin, a hunger hormone that is triggered when your stomach is empty drops and gives your brain the message to stop eating. The problem is that if you’re eating your food quickly and distractedly you may overeat before your brain gets that critical message and this can result in that uncomfortable bloated feeling later.
Solution #1: Drink a glass of water before eating. Not only will this aid in digestion but it will also help give your body some sense of fullness before eating and serve as a means to slow you down as well. It will also give you time to consider how you can mindfully approach this meal so you will enjoy it and feel comfortable. Take my free 7-day mindful eating course to learn more mindful eating techniques
2. Because it’s there
In Brian Wansink’s book, “Mindless Eating”, he describes this phenomenon in which human beings will continue eating something simply because it is in front of them, irrespective of the presence of hunger. His team did a study with 2 groups of people eating stale popcorn in a movie theater.
Group #1 had a small bucket of stale popcorn
Group #2 had a large bucket of stale popcorn.
Who do you think ate more popcorn?
Yep, group #2, and even though it was stale, they ate 30% more popcorn than group #1. People often eat food just because it’s there.
Solution #2 — Put healthy food in front of you to crowd out less healthy foods. So, if you are to eat more than you intend, you will hopefully be getting more fiber, protein, healthy fat and lots of phytonutrients that help nourish your body with what it truly needs. You can also move trigger foods away from your environment. In Rachel Herz’s book, Why You Eat What You Eat, she describes a study in which associates at a company are given a jar of candy on a desk in their offices. The researchers found that just the act of moving the candy jar further away and higher up on a shelf reduced the amount of candies eaten in total as well as how many times the associates got up to take a handful of the candy.
3. Because we’re eating to comfort ourselves
Let’s face it: We eat when we’re sad, when we’re happy, when we’re bored, when we’re stressed, when it’s flag day! (kidding on that one). But, you get what I mean. We don’t need a good reason to eat when it brings us comfort. And it’s a strategy that works, albeit short-term. We have been conditioned since we were children to eat our emotions. So much so that it is a common default reflex when faced with uncomfortable feelings. So, we may be willing to eat more, even if we’re full, in order to derive comfort or pleasure from the experience.
Solution #3 — Sample taking a few deep breaths before beginning to eat. Close your eyes and think about why you are eating right now. If it’s hunger, you’ll have physical symptoms that you’ll begin to recognize. If it’s emotional eating, you’ll experience those symptoms from the neck up. If you’re eating emotionally, try the following techniques:
-10 minutes of mindfulness meditation
- writing down a list of things that give you happiness and comfort other than food, and choosing one from your list
- deciding to eat it anyway, but slowly and mindfully savoring every bite.
4. Because you’re physically full but not satisfied
This is actually really common. Have you ever eaten a full meal and then find yourself moments or hours later poking around the fridge and cabinets looking for something because you don’t feel satisfied and you feel like something is missing? This phenomenon is due to a lack of macronutrient-balanced foods. Many prescribed diets and programs work because they leave out entire food groups or nutrients in order to reduce calories, but our body needs these to feel full and satisfied. Low-fat diets and low-carb diets are perfect examples of this. If we’re not getting a balance of healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates our body is going to crave these nutrients and cause us to continue eating despite being physically full.
Solutions #4 — Eat more fat, protein and fiber. We have become a culture that is afraid of fat. There are more and more studies coming out now that debunk the myth that fat in your food creates fat on your body and to avoid it at all costs. Your body needs both adequate healthy fats and proteins to feel completely full AND satisfied to the point of being able to push the chair away from the table with a happy and satisfied sigh and go on to the next activity. The fiber is what bulks you up and is a perfect complement to fat and protein.
So, raise your hand if one of these resonates with you and in the comments section, tell me which one and why? Which of these solutions would you like to try? Would love to hear any additional thoughts about why we tend to eat after we’re full too!
In just a few weeks, I’ll be opening up doors to my signature program, Replenish which helps you release chronic stress and heal your gut along with mindful and intuitive eating techniques to get you healthy, balanced and resilient again.
If you are intrigued about your own food psychology and how to adopt a healthy and balanced relationship with food, this 6-month immersive program is not to be missed.
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Eating PsychologyJenny BerkJuly 20, 2021eating psychology, emotional eatingComment
