Hidden reasons for your overeating

Hidden reasons for your overeating. By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Health.com Overeating is tricky. First, you may not even realize you're doing it. Second, you may not know why you're eating too much, because some triggers are downright counterintuitive. Here are four sneaky reasons you may be taking in too many surplus calories, and what you can do to stop it. Fitness food marketing: I think we all know that simply eating a food won't make us more fit, but a recent study published in the Journal of Marketing Research found that when foods are fitness-branded, some of us may unknowingly eat more and exercise less. In the Penn State study "restrained" eaters (people constantly concerned about their weight) were given identical snacks, one labeled "Trail Mix" and the other labeled "Fitness," which had a picture of running shoes on the packaging. The study volunteers were asked to pretend they were snacking at home, and were given eight minutes to taste and rate the product. In a second phase of the study, subjects had the opportunity to work out as vigorously as they wanted to on a stationary bike. Scientists found that unless the food was specifically forbidden by their diet, people who were trying to watch their weight ate more of the fitness snack than the trail mix. And these eaters also didn't work out as vigorously as those who ate the trail mix, apparently seeing the food as a substitute for exercise. Solution: In my experience, the best way to deflect the effects of food marketing is to raise your awareness. One analogy I often use with clients is getting out of debt. In that situation, you create a budget, and set a goal of carefully thinking through your purchases, rather than buying things impulsively, or based on emotion. Food can be approached the same way. Before reaching for something, check in with your body to determine if you're hungry. If you aren't, think about why you want to eat--are you bored, tired, frustrated, or rebelling against a too strict diet? Once you're aware of the trigger you can address it head on. And if you are hungry, consciously think through what will allow you to hit what I call the "just right" trifecta--full (but not too full), satisfied, and energized. If a food's packaging or marketing doesn't align with your instincts about what your body needs to feel just right, getting derailed by marketing will be easy to avoid. Frequent snacking: OK, this one may seem like a no-brainer, but many of my clients snack when they're not hungry, sometimes because they've heard that eating small frequent meals is best for weight loss, and by the end of the day they've just simply eaten too much. A new study published in the journal Eating Behaviors found that indeed, snacking in the absence of hunger can cause just as much weight gain as consuming high calorie foods or oversized portions. In the study, researchers offered volunteers a chocolate snack after they'd just eaten as much as they wanted of a similar snack food. Three quarters of the group accepted the second snack even though they should not have felt hungry. Scientists found that those who ate the most tended to be more impulsive, and were more responsive to food rewards. They also had higher BMIs, which suggests that repeated snacking in the absence of hunger is a weight gain culprit. Solution: I see this pattern often in my practice. When clients submit food journals I ask them to track their level of hunger or fullness both before and after meals and snacks, as well as their thoughts, feelings, mood, and insights. By beginning to pay attention to this, many find that they often eat when not hungry, perhaps because food was offered to them, or because they thought the snack was healthy (e.g. nuts are good for me!). Other common reasons include eating out of habit, because others are eating, or due to an emotional cue, like anxiety. If you find yourself falling into this trap, experiment with what it feels like to allow actual hunger to guide you. You'll quickly learn how to adjust your portions and meal timing so you are physically hungry every time you eat, a pattern that can result in enjoying your food more, while simultaneously slimming you down. It's time to take charge of your health. I have found a great healthy weight loss shake called Pure Complete. No dry mouth; No jitters; No cravings; and Taste great! I lost 10 pounds, 4 inches, and 1 neck size in 15 days! Go to wwamm.biz and order now!