Why do you eat?! (other than for hunger/survival)

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bingefreeaubree
bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to think of all the different reasons there are
Like stress, being sad etc.
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  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    I eat to fuel my body, that's basically it.
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
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    I eat to fuel my body, that's basically it.
    That's great! Good for you. I'm writing a paper on Western eating habits, so I just wanted to hear what people have to say on this topic. I, for one, end up eating when I'm bored. Even if I'm not hungry, if I have nothing else to do I find myself putting food in my mouth. It's a terrible habit that I'm working on breaking.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Boredom and lonliness are triggers for me. And food just tasting really good. Like Thanksgiving dinner with roasted turkey and all those sides and desserts - it's times like that when I know I've had enough but it tastes so good I want to keep eating. Thankfully it doesn't happen that often!

    For boredom eating, it helps to find ways to keep yourself busy whether that be physically or mentally. And also be aware of co-triggers I used to sit around on the weekend watching shows about cooking or restaurant reviews so not only was I bored but all that good looking food was a major temptation. I still might watch shows like that because I love hearing all the cooking tips and finding new recipe ideas BUT I don't watch them for long and if I find myself wanting a snack, I turn the TV off and get busy doing something (go for a walk, housework, etc) - or at least turn the TV off and read a book instead.

    Loneliness is a bit harder but it also helps to keep myself busy since it's a good distraction. And I make sure I turn the radio or TV on so there's some background noise. Thankfully Hubs doesn't go away very often!

    Good luck!
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    I eat to fuel my body, that's basically it.
    That's great! Good for you. I'm writing a paper on Western eating habits, so I just wanted to hear what people have to say on this topic. I, for one, end up eating when I'm bored. Even if I'm not hungry, if I have nothing else to do I find myself putting food in my mouth. It's a terrible habit that I'm working on breaking.

    I used to be a boredom eater.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    I eat to fuel my body, that's basically it.

    Me too.
  • harribeau2012
    harribeau2012 Posts: 644 Member
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    I eat because,
    food is delicious
    in THAT MOMENT it feels great
    once I've started I cannot stop with carbs
    I'm celebrating
    I'm bored
    I'm stressed...not DISTRESSED though, that is the only time I lose my appetite entirely
    I'm fed up and that's a pain in the neck vicious cycle that one, the more I expand , the more fed up , the more I expand.
    Sometimes (although not often) in retaliation to feeling like I'm supposed to NOT eat so much (twisted).
    I started to secret eat when I was around 6/7yrs old and my Mother died,(stole from the fridge) It was a comfort then and it stuck.

    I imagine - don't know - that when I am eating fine and my head is screaming for crisps and other junk..it's perhaps like other addiction such as alcoholism, you can tell someone to have squash instead but they are going to WANT booze. I CAN eat some celery for a snack, but I WANT buttered toast.

    Hope this helps :D
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    For the taste. I really wish I could be one of those 'only eat when I'm hungry' type, but I love food too much. It's not boredom or stress, just that not many thing give me as much pleasure as eating something delicious. Sadly, lol.
  • bingefreeaubree
    bingefreeaubree Posts: 220 Member
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    Thanks so much for your input, guys! Anyone else?
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
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    I eat for a variety of reasons, and I find that I eat different things for different reasons.
    "Healthful" food (vegetables, lean meats, protein bars, etc.) I eat to fuel and fulfill macronutrient requirements.
    Less than healthful food (chocolate, high-sugar coffee drinks, chips out of the bag, etc.) I eat because I want it. Sometimes that's correlated with strong feelings of stress. Like I can blow through a large bag of chips if I'm studying for a long time. Those foods are also ones I can eat in small portions and be satisfied if I actually pay attention to eating them.
    Pasta in particular is something that I occasionally just really want to eat in an uncontrolled manner. Like on Friday I was slightly buzzed and got takeaway gnocchi.
    Alcohol--sort of a food, also a drug. I don't drink it often, but I do in social situations because it's what people do, and sometimes specifically because I want to let go and think a little less for a little while. I'm an alcohol peer educator and a college campus EMT, meaning I know how to drink safely and have strong motivations to do so.

    I agree with the above poster who said that stress leads to eating but distress leads to loss of appetite. Check Tuesday of last week in my diary--I went through a breakup after my last class but before I'd eaten dinner, and when I finished that conversation and the follow-up conversation with a close friend, I couldn't stomach the idea of eating. There was another day that week that was actually similar, although without the precipitating event, but that day I decided I'd just drink the calories because I was more concerned about getting them in than worrying about the quality.

    When I'm low on energy, I also tend to be lower on motivation for self-control, but I've run into it enough times that I've realized that controlled eating will make me feel better whereas uncontrolled eating will actually just make me feel worse, physically and emotionally. It's gotten to the point where it's started to tip the other way a bit--that I'll just elect not to eat--but I'm aware of that and keeping a careful eye on it.

    ETA: I eat to regulate my mood. Not in like a comfort-eating sort of way, but I start to revert to highly depressive thought patterns if I go without eating for too long. I have friends who know this and remind me of it if I start being a mess. I've thought about running a case study on myself trying to correlate mood with blood sugar, but I don't really like sticking myself that much. I also don't have my own glucometer. My body temperature also drops when I don't eat, which compels me to curl up in a ball and be unproductive.
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
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    sometimes its simply a social thing. I dont drink much, so when friends ask to go to happy hour, I will order an appetizer instead. I think it would be weird to just be sitting there with nothing in front of me
  • briggitte59
    briggitte59 Posts: 52 Member
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    When I am stressed out or bored.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Mostly because it tastes good.

    Have also eaten when I'm bored before, or while watching films (it does feel quite weird if you're at the cinema and not eating something).
  • scrittenden
    scrittenden Posts: 79 Member
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    Boredom is my biggest downfall when it comes to food - Being bored instantly triggers the "im really hungry" thing which leads to eating for no reason.. and it is never good healthy choices either
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
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    Boredom. And I like food. A lot.
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
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    Probably out of boredom..........

    If I'm upset or stressed - I go to the opposite 'mode' - and I don't eat............................
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Because it tastes nice, and having a full belly feels nice.
  • FoodFitnessTravel
    FoodFitnessTravel Posts: 294 Member
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    lack of love life
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    Because I like food.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    As for many others, because it tastes good and I enjoy food....................a lot.................and I am a good cook.
  • crissyrox13
    crissyrox13 Posts: 7 Member
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    I notice I eat bad when I feel bad (about myself, stressed, work etc.) obviously not a good thing since then I end up eating even more because I just made myself feel worse (especially when I am feeling bad about myself). It's a vicious cycle that I am working really hard to break. Some days are better than others.

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