The psychology of needing to eat until stuffed - a discussion
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Cassandraw3 wrote: »Cassandraw3 wrote: »Could it be perhaps a nutrient deficiency? I noticed on a few occasions that days where I ate low protein, I had that feeling. I had a protein bar and the feeling faded away. Your body/mind may be telling you to eat more to make up for something you are missing. Just a thought.
I don't think so, but I don't really know enough about how the body responds to deficiency, aside from hydration needs.
From my experience, I'd be more inclined to say the opposite - that increased intake of fats/salts/sugars yield increased "cravings" for fats/salts/sugars. But that could totally be correlation and not causation.
That I could see. I know there have been studies done of the effects of sugar on the brain. I recall hearing at one point that the brain responds somewhat similar to sugar as it does to cocaine and that a study with rats showed they actually preferred sugar over cocaine. However, such comparisons have been considered controversial.
Is that because people don't like the idea of comparing food/sugar addiction to drug addiction? Or is there more to the controversy than that? If you remember... not terribly important to me.0 -
I assume it's a biological urge that is stronger in some people.
I have two dogs. One dog likes to slowly nibble away at her kibbles. She takes a few bites, wanders away, then comes back and has a few more. It takes her about 10 minutes to eat. And when she's done, there's still about 1/6 of the kibbles left in her bowl.
My other dog on the other hand, finishes his meal in 10 seconds flat. He devours it voraciously and licks his bowl clean, then whines for more.
I wouldn't be surprised if humans are the same. Some people are happy to slowly pick away at their food and stop when they're no longer hungry. For others, the biological urge hits hard and the person feels compelled to eat quickly and eat A LOT.10 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »Maybe you are eating hyperpalatable foods?
They literally figured out that really sweet foods will taste too sweet after a few bites, and really salty items taste too salty after a short while.
So they found a point where the fat, salt and sugar ratio was just so that you keep eating them past your satiation point (think potato chips and cookies), what food scientists call the "bliss point." That's why you have sugar and salt in things you wouldn't think would be needed in either (salt in candy, sugar in tomato sauce).
If you notice you only gorge on certain TYPES of foods, that might be the issue.
For me, an example is potatoes. I can eat one baked potato and not want any more. I don't need to use portion control on baked potatoes. But I've had to intentionally portion control chips and fries, until I naturally eat less of these than before.
Worse is if I homecook scallopped potatoes (no cream, just thin sliced stewed potatoes and seasonings), it's like a bottomless appetite for it. I can go three potatoes and still want more. My scallopped potatoes recipe has a bliss point that allows me to eat far larger quanties than I would otherwise. Portion control doesn't "work." I just end up eating as much as is available.
Best wishes on figuring out the source of your eating past fullness and overcoming it!
Yes, IMHO, hyperpalitable foods pose a major problem in our society of abundance. I think has humans we evolved/ created/ dropped off by Zendu from the Third World of the Crab Nebulae... whatever people believe... anyways, we have a tendency to over eat. We didn't always have the access to food like we do now, so we never knew when our next meal would come from. So, if food was abundantly available that time. We just over ate. There are stories I have read about traditional hunter gatherers quite literally drinking a quart of honey when they come by a bees nest. Add in hyperpalitable foods, IMHO, the human brain was never intended to deal with such things, and well..... BAM! Today's obesity epidemic. Add in the fact that many humans have become highly sedentary, and it's a witches brew. People at my work marvel on how much I eat some days. Well, they tend to eat much more calorie dense foods. They are always hungry. They snack constantly on candy bars and "healthy" energy bars. Try telling them that one of those 30gram bars has as many calories as my baked sweet potato and unusually get a blank look. Lol8 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »Maybe you are eating hyperpalatable foods?
They literally figured out that really sweet foods will taste too sweet after a few bites, and really salty items taste too salty after a short while.
So they found a point where the fat, salt and sugar ratio was just so that you keep eating them past your satiation point (think potato chips and cookies), what food scientists call the "bliss point." That's why you have sugar and salt in things you wouldn't think would be needed in either (salt in candy, sugar in tomato sauce).
If you notice you only gorge on certain TYPES of foods, that might be the issue.
Yes, that's definitely a factor, but there is more too it than that as some of the foods I eat I don't especially want - I want the feeling of being full rather than the enjoyment of eating said food.
So a common scenario would be something like this -- I'm going to have something to eat, something "on plan" based on my calorie/macro/exercise needs for the day.
- That was good, I'm glad I had that. But if that was good, 97 more would probably be uh-maze-ing. Oh, I only have 1 more? OK, I'll eat that 1 more, plus whatever else I can get my hands on quickly.
It almost becomes a race to consume as much as I can in as short a period of time as possible.5 -
I think it may be a way to both mentally and physically feel numb or escape. When I eat to uncomfortable fullness, everything stops. My brain is on cruise control. I am eating but have gone way past tasting the food. Brain numb. Next my body is so full I can not comfortably move. Body immobile. There are no past regrets, no future consequences, and presently I am incapacitated.
Yes, I believe this is right on target. When you are PHYSICALLY uncomfortable, it takes away from the MENTAL/EMOTIONAL pain. The brain cannot process both at the same time. It gives your brain a respite from your emotional issues. I have read that, for many, getting a tattoo is a similar mechanism. The temporary physical pain temporarily minimizes the emotional pain.3 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »Maybe you are eating hyperpalatable foods?
They literally figured out that really sweet foods will taste too sweet after a few bites, and really salty items taste too salty after a short while.
So they found a point where the fat, salt and sugar ratio was just so that you keep eating them past your satiation point (think potato chips and cookies), what food scientists call the "bliss point." That's why you have sugar and salt in things you wouldn't think would be needed in either (salt in candy, sugar in tomato sauce).
If you notice you only gorge on certain TYPES of foods, that might be the issue.
Yes, that's definitely a factor, but there is more too it than that as some of the foods I eat I don't especially want - I want the feeling of being full rather than the enjoyment of eating said food.
So a common scenario would be something like this -- I'm going to have something to eat, something "on plan" based on my calorie/macro/exercise needs for the day.
- That was good, I'm glad I had that. But if that was good, 97 more would probably be uh-maze-ing. Oh, I only have 1 more? OK, I'll eat that 1 more, plus whatever else I can get my hands on quickly.
It almost becomes a race to consume as much as I can in as short a period of time as possible.
Is this happening post exercise? Right before bed?0 -
I'm going to go with the "Reaction to Deprivation" concept and I will use myself to explain why I think that:
I, too, struggle with eating to the point of being uncomfortable. I think the reason why I do it is because during the work week, I eat very "strict" (you can look at my food diary to see what I'm talking about). I build up enough of a deficit to where, on weekends, I eat pretty much what I want but knowing that on Monday, I have to go back to eating "strict." I believe this (for me) is what's causing me to overeat because I know that my time to eat what I want is limited. So as you mentioned, it becomes a race to consume as much as I can in as short a period of time as possible.2 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »Maybe you are eating hyperpalatable foods?
They literally figured out that really sweet foods will taste too sweet after a few bites, and really salty items taste too salty after a short while.
So they found a point where the fat, salt and sugar ratio was just so that you keep eating them past your satiation point (think potato chips and cookies), what food scientists call the "bliss point." That's why you have sugar and salt in things you wouldn't think would be needed in either (salt in candy, sugar in tomato sauce).
If you notice you only gorge on certain TYPES of foods, that might be the issue.
Yes, that's definitely a factor, but there is more too it than that as some of the foods I eat I don't especially want - I want the feeling of being full rather than the enjoyment of eating said food.
So a common scenario would be something like this -- I'm going to have something to eat, something "on plan" based on my calorie/macro/exercise needs for the day.
- That was good, I'm glad I had that. But if that was good, 97 more would probably be uh-maze-ing. Oh, I only have 1 more? OK, I'll eat that 1 more, plus whatever else I can get my hands on quickly.
It almost becomes a race to consume as much as I can in as short a period of time as possible.
Is this happening post exercise? Right before bed?
It varies. Sometimes post-exercise, sometimes as soon as I get home from work (this is largely environmental/habitual), sometimes first thing in the morning.0 -
Barring any past history of abuse or food insecurity, I really think that for some people it is just the way our brains are wired. Up until maybe 100 years ago most humans had to worry about not having enough to eat. Eating until you're stuffed when you have the opportunity would have been advantageous in the past so I think in many cases this is a feature, not a bug. I struggle with this too and sometimes reminding myself that no, this is not the last time I will ever have the opportunity to eat chocolate chip cookies, can help.5
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Eating prompts the brain to release "feel good" hormones. The brain can't tell if you're eating or having sex. they both touch our deepest pleasure senses. The more dopamine (et al) you release the more you want. This is why I ate emotionally for decades. Trying to fill the void.4
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IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »Maybe you are eating hyperpalatable foods?
They literally figured out that really sweet foods will taste too sweet after a few bites, and really salty items taste too salty after a short while.
So they found a point where the fat, salt and sugar ratio was just so that you keep eating them past your satiation point (think potato chips and cookies), what food scientists call the "bliss point." That's why you have sugar and salt in things you wouldn't think would be needed in either (salt in candy, sugar in tomato sauce).
If you notice you only gorge on certain TYPES of foods, that might be the issue.
Yes, that's definitely a factor, but there is more too it than that as some of the foods I eat I don't especially want - I want the feeling of being full rather than the enjoyment of eating said food.
So a common scenario would be something like this -- I'm going to have something to eat, something "on plan" based on my calorie/macro/exercise needs for the day.
- That was good, I'm glad I had that. But if that was good, 97 more would probably be uh-maze-ing. Oh, I only have 1 more? OK, I'll eat that 1 more, plus whatever else I can get my hands on quickly.
It almost becomes a race to consume as much as I can in as short a period of time as possible.
Is this happening post exercise? Right before bed?
It varies. Sometimes post-exercise, sometimes as soon as I get home from work (this is largely environmental/habitual), sometimes first thing in the morning.
Yeah, then I don't know.
I think you said earlier someone else was ringing some bells for you in terms of chasing a food high. Maybe explore that some more?0 -
I sometimes wonder how chewing patterns affects satiety. I've watched men & boys eat cake, savouring each bite with multiple chewing and pauses. The same subjects bite into a steak or chicken breast, where the first bite is to tear the meat from the bone and then one more chomp before swallowing. They can go through many pieces of chicken and are still hungry, needing seconds, thirds.
... And they're not fat. Not skinny. Rather, fit looking2 -
Cassandraw3 wrote: »Cassandraw3 wrote: »Could it be perhaps a nutrient deficiency? I noticed on a few occasions that days where I ate low protein, I had that feeling. I had a protein bar and the feeling faded away. Your body/mind may be telling you to eat more to make up for something you are missing. Just a thought.
I don't think so, but I don't really know enough about how the body responds to deficiency, aside from hydration needs.
From my experience, I'd be more inclined to say the opposite - that increased intake of fats/salts/sugars yield increased "cravings" for fats/salts/sugars. But that could totally be correlation and not causation.
That I could see. I know there have been studies done of the effects of sugar on the brain. I recall hearing at one point that the brain responds somewhat similar to sugar as it does to cocaine and that a study with rats showed they actually preferred sugar over cocaine. However, such comparisons have been considered controversial.
Is that because people don't like the idea of comparing food/sugar addiction to drug addiction? Or is there more to the controversy than that? If you remember... not terribly important to me.
Here is an article that I was reading on it There are more, but this one hit on it being controversial. Basically, some say that it is not addictive because it does not show physical symptoms of withdrawal, however it was argued that the brain does show processes of withdrawal when cutting out sugar.2 -
For me, it seems to be a simple carbs/sugar/insulin response issue. I will overeat regular pasta, but not on whole wheat. If I eat a sweet treat like blueberry pie, it is easy for me to finish off the entire tin. I have learned to keep my cravings under control by limiting access (I made a trip to Earthfare to get a single vegan chocolate chip cookie and ate it there for example) and setting boundaries on eating (at a buffet, one plate 1/4 rice or pasta, 2/4 veggies, and 1/4 food I crave) followed by a small bowl of fresh fruit; buying Halloween and Christmas Candy that doesn't appeal to me; having a plan for holiday party eating so I don't go overboard). You might want to keep a food log and see what you were eating when you ate until you were stuffed and the environment where it occurred. You may find that it isn't a "self control" issue at all. I have learned to manage it, but I do envy my normal weight son who can take one bite of a delicious dessert and say, "I am full now so I won't eat the rest of this." The same person who, when he noticed his belt getting tight when he gained the freshman 15, immediately cut back on portion sizes and desserts at school and got back on track in a few weeks.6
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Cassandraw3 wrote: »Cassandraw3 wrote: »Cassandraw3 wrote: »Could it be perhaps a nutrient deficiency? I noticed on a few occasions that days where I ate low protein, I had that feeling. I had a protein bar and the feeling faded away. Your body/mind may be telling you to eat more to make up for something you are missing. Just a thought.
I don't think so, but I don't really know enough about how the body responds to deficiency, aside from hydration needs.
From my experience, I'd be more inclined to say the opposite - that increased intake of fats/salts/sugars yield increased "cravings" for fats/salts/sugars. But that could totally be correlation and not causation.
That I could see. I know there have been studies done of the effects of sugar on the brain. I recall hearing at one point that the brain responds somewhat similar to sugar as it does to cocaine and that a study with rats showed they actually preferred sugar over cocaine. However, such comparisons have been considered controversial.
Is that because people don't like the idea of comparing food/sugar addiction to drug addiction? Or is there more to the controversy than that? If you remember... not terribly important to me.
Here is an article that I was reading on it There are more, but this one hit on it being controversial. Basically, some say that it is not addictive because it does not show physical symptoms of withdrawal, however it was argued that the brain does show processes of withdrawal when cutting out sugar.
Thanks.0 -
For me, when I overeat, it's usually because the food was there and it's something I like. I don't usually seek out overeating when I'm not hungry, but when it's there, I feel like I "should" eat it.
For example, when I pack my kids' lunches, I want to pour some cheezits for myself too or eat the sides of the PB sandwich that I have to cut off for them. I log this stuff the best I can, but when it's dinner time and I realize how much this has cut into my dinner, I am always a little annoyed with myself.
The logical part of me knows that it's ok to do this since I am tracking it and "working it in" to my daily goal... I just feel annoyed with myself that lack of control/eating when I wasn't even hungry causes me to have to choose between going over a bit for the day or eating the portions I really want for dinner.
I also struggle sometimes with the all or nothing mentality, but I do feel logging helps with this. For example, logging it when I eat the cheezits, so that I can that the calorie goal is still salvageable, helps to just eat one serving instead of 4 or 5.
I think reasons for overeating are highly individual and you have to do what works for you.4 -
All of what everyone says.
I'm going to go on to solution(s) -
I have to have 400-600 calories minimum at each food "event" or feeding. I had to give up any regular snacking, because I realized that once I start to eat, 400-600 is my cut-off point. I'm set at about 2000 calories per day if I get a moderate exercise session in. I save food snacking for one or two days per week. Like Saturday tends to be Ben & Jerry's or something similar. All bets are off with that and many other foods. One package is one serving. I accept that about myself and just make the decision at the store on that.
I also have to watch macros in those feeding sessions. I need a good amount of protein and vegetables or fruit in each meal. 20-30g protein seems to do it. A good amount of fruit or vegetables other than potatoes. Gotta have some fat in there, too.
THEN (this is important for me) I look at a clock or set a timer. I have just eaten what I know intellectually to be my "enough" amount of food, so now I wait for my brain to get the signal from my stomach/gut/wherever the message originates. I know it's going to take 20 minutes for that to signal, "FULL." So I make sure to not eat anything in the 20 minute window. I'm almost always okay and full-ish at that 20 minutes. During the 20 minutes I often want to eat more.
Hope you figure it out. I kind of stopped trying to control it or figure it out and tried to come up with strategies.16 -
Eating until I am overstuffed is a constant problem. I have identified a few psychological factors, but REALLY have a hard time beating it:
1. I don't like waste. In any aspect of my life. I try to streamline any and all processes to be as efficient as possible. If I order a meal from a restaurant, I seriously feel anxious if I am unable to clean my plate. I imagine this is from some conditioning as a child, always needing to 'finish the job' no matter what it is.
2. I DO remember always being told that food fixes pretty much anything-headaches, low blood sugar (of course), fatigue, grouchiness. I have it in my head that I NEED FOOD lol. Even to help with insecurities.
3. Here's what I struggle with the most: it doesn't matter if I am around people or not, I still overeat. Around people, I'm self-conscious of my appearance and so I eat to make myself feel better (even though I KNOW it's only going to make me feel worse). By myself, I have caught myself in the act of literally stuffing myself til I am miserable for no real reason at all...maybe it's to load up on calories right then so I don't feel the need to eat in front of others later? Idk.
I seriously get so mad at myself because I (think) I KNOW what my problems are, but still get tripped up by them on a daily basis.
I am really looking to gain some new insight and motivation from this conversation
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I suspect there are nearly as many reasons for this behavior as there are people who exhibit it.
I struggle with this issue (I deliberately structured maintenance to allow for some big-eating days, which has been semi-successful).
I don't resonate with any of the deep psychological reasons others have speculated about. I went back through the posts, and checked them all off as not applying.
Sure, there can be deep psychological reasons why we keep doing certain things that we don't whole-heartedly want to do, but there don't necessarily have to be. (I think one of our modern maladies is over-psychoanalyzing everything, every time. Everything isn't always part of a deep, sub-conscious cycle of bad experience, victimization, compensation, sin, retribution, expiation, uncontrollable biochemical/evolutionary doom, and what-not. Some things are, some aren't.)
Metaphorically, it's like the old Freudian-symbolism quip: Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes food is just tasty.
Personally, just speaking for me, I think I like to overeat largely out of simple hedonism. I enjoy tasty things, want more of them, and don't experience the very-full feeling as unpleasant.
My commonest pattern is clear sensory-(non)satiety pleasure-seeking. Eat the sweet fruit, want the salty feta cheese and crunchy crackers, next want the soft yogurt with berries . . . and so on, for hundreds of calories. I know some people struggle psychologically with food, but I really don't, in the sense of secretly eating a whole box of whatever to assuage bad feelings. I graze my way to over-fullness, yummy flavor by yummy flavor. It ends up in the same place, on the physical side.
Furthermore, I easily fall for other enjoyable (non-food) things, at the expense of utilitarian or dutiful ones. I don't enjoy forms of self-control that limit pleasure, so I avoid them. It's not a nice aspect of my character, but I try to work with it productively rather than trying to white-knuckle myself to more responsible behavior by force of will. My life has not been an irresponsible one at all, overall - the contrary, I'd say.
On the eating front, whether my behavior is driven by brain circuitry related to humans' history of storing up in anticipation of famine, or reward biochemistry, or because I'm like the dog in the two-dog story above that bolts its food, I don't know. Obviously, there's something . . . but it's not conscious. And it kind of doesn't matter - I can't fix human history or my biology. I can only hack my behavior: That's the game.
So, things that work (to some extent) on me:
* Reminding myself to give some priority to my future self, not just my present self (if I eat too much, I'll get fat again, and my body will pay for it again - my knees will hurt more, for example). (<=== that this works convinces me that I don't overeat to cause self-harm
).
* Trying to get enough sleep (this is a pretty big one for me, it seems - self-discipline and sleep are strongly related).
* Trying to avoid tempting food contexts on days when I've depleted my willpower supply by acting like an actual grown-up in other realms. (The good brewpub with the good food truck is a particularly bad choice on these days. ).
* Writing scripts in my head in advance of what I know will be challenging circumstances, and rehearsing them mentally, comitting to the scripted behavior. (So far, I've not found a script that really works for potluck meals with good cooks, but not for lack of trying ). 11 -
This isn't too different from what's already on here, but it could be emotional eating?
Either that or it's your body's reaction to eating a little less - it's completely normal and I struggle with this too - just need to find effective ways to cope is all
take care peeps 0 -
Well, this is a whopper that you seemed to have opened up for discussion here. See, first of all, emotional eating is not always = eating disorder. People can emotionally eat/overeat once in a while. Just like having a few extra drinks until you are numb after say, losing your job or a breakup isn't actually a drinking problem, similarly if it happens once in a while die to appropriate emotional triggers it is not really a disorder. It becomes a disorder when just like with drinks, it happens very often and starts to affect your daily habits, decisions and everything in your life.
The reasons are a kzillion.
While many people talk about eating your feelings, it is just not that simple. Eating disorders can differ even when emotional. While some people may face body image issues and then try and comfort themselves with comfort food and eat up a lot of it needing comfort, it is not just that for everyone. For some, it is needing something or someone to rely on, something that will be there when they need it. For some it is pleasure. They actually get joy from the food. But if they lack coping skills to deal with problems in life, they might turn to the thing that brings them joy or the thing that is there when nothing or no one else is. There is a whole bunch of complicated things around us that lead to it.
Next, there is the addictive effect of sugar and all the other chemicals in the food. Just like Pringles says "no one can eat just one", a lot of processed foods are designed so that people actually cannot limit themselves. Scientists have actually found that sugar has the same response in the brain as alcohol and other drugs causing addiction. And just like drugs/booze, some people get addicted to it more easily than others. Also, the more you eat sweets the more you want to eat them. For these people, it is hard to get on the clean foods. But once they are, the craving for sugar goes down. Protein also helps in controlling that craving.
Then there is also the effects of hormones like ghrelin and incretin and insulin and IGLF-1 etc. Basically in some people, when they start to reduce sugar intake, the entire hormonal system goes out of whack and that drives them to look for more and more food. The hormones that control the feedback mechanisms are just so slow and confused that thye cannot actually trigger the satiety center unless the person is stuffed to bursting.
Then there is the age old issue of thirst vs hunger. Our brains are not very adept at differentiating thirst from hunger. Many times, they confuse thirst for hunger. And that thirst doesn't actually go away when you eat food. Especially if one is eating salty food, it only increases the thirst. So the person might keep eating until he is bursting full and when bursting full the safety mechanisms come into place and stop them from eating. If only the person had drunk a glass or two of water 15 minutes before eating and taken small sips throughout, this situation (in some people) can be avoided.
For some people it is just a fact of eating too fast. Normally, our body takes about 15 minutes to readjust through feedback mechanisms. So if you drink water when thirsty, it will take about 15 minutes for your body to reasses the water levels and re trigger the thirst signals according to new info (that is why in the previous point I mentioned drinking water 15 minutes before eating). The same goes for hunger as well. When people at slow, the body has ample time to detect the food in the stomach and roughly judge the quantity and quality of it and retune the hunger signals. If people eat too fast (as is common in our very busy lives), we tend to overeat even before we realise we have done that. Eating slow, taking two helpings, taking half of what you think you need to eat in the first serving, waiting 10-15 minutes before taking a second helping can help with that.
But like I said, it is a whopper of an issue. People also get super deprived and completely lose it and end up bingeing. For such people, indulgence in moderation is the key. People also tend to use it as self-sabotage technique. So the work really hard and eat right but they either do not lose weight or lose less than what they expected. Then they just go " what's the point of starving and killing myself when it shows pathetic results?" and they end up bingeing and sabotaging it. Because of that, they don't reach their goals and they binge until they just binge every few days to use it as an excuse as to why they cannot lose weight. This is a dangerous downward spiral, self-induced and hard to get out of the dangerous spiral.
The reasons are endless and I guarantee you that every time you actually try and understand any person suffering from this, their reason would be slightly different than all the ones you have heard before.3 -
Has anyone noticed any trends with "going off plan" and self esteem? Like if you're happy with where you are in, say, your job, do you stick to your intentions regarding food and exercise more than you do if you feel like you're not doing well at work? I remember sort of sabotaging my diet when I was asked to be a bridesmaid in a very dysfunctional family wedding...I never really understood why I did that (glad the bridesmaid dress now fits me like a tent!!!)5
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I assume it's a biological urge that is stronger in some people.
I have two dogs. One dog likes to slowly nibble away at her kibbles. She takes a few bites, wanders away, then comes back and has a few more. It takes her about 10 minutes to eat. And when she's done, there's still about 1/6 of the kibbles left in her bowl.
My other dog on the other hand, finishes his meal in 10 seconds flat. He devours it voraciously and licks his bowl clean, then whines for more.
I wouldn't be surprised if humans are the same. Some people are happy to slowly pick away at their food and stop when they're no longer hungry. For others, the biological urge hits hard and the person feels compelled to eat quickly and eat A LOT.
Same here. Our current dog just inhales everything you put in front of her, no matter how much or how often. The dog we had before her, you'd just fill her bowl up with food, and it would last her several days. She'd come by every so often and have a few bites. Very interesting. That dog was also part grey-hound and super skinny, while my current dog is big, muscular, and will get super fat if you don't keep her diet in check.1 -
So, 3 pages into this thread, the dopamine high is what's ringing most true for me. I've always known that, at least in the very short term, food = feeling good (or at least better). I chalked it up to a sugar rush as that made sense from what I perceived to be happening. But as my cravings and triggers have changed, the "need" has remained, and dopamine response makes much more sense to me.
So now that I have some idea of what's happening and why, I start to formulate some strategies for dealing or *gasp* maybe even preventing. As with my emotional eating coping mechanisms, convenience will be a big hurdle (it's much more convenient to reach for a sleeve of thin mints than it is to change my clothes, put harnesses on the dogs, load up a backpack, drive to the trails and go for a hike)...
... but bottom line, I think I'm in a better place now to get my arms around this problem.
Thanks everyone.8 -
Running_and_Coffee wrote: »I'm going to admit that I'm fascinated by this concept because I don't understand it, and always worry (fear) that there's a slippery slope for me/for us all when it comes to eating for pleasure. Honestly, I have watched TV shows like My 600 Lb. Life to try to understand eating not only beyond satiety but beyond even feeling full.
Is there an adrenaline rush from eating larger quantities?
Is it comforting? When a kid skins his knee, sometimes you give him a lollipop to make him feel better...when a baby cries, sometimes your instinct is to feed the baby even if the baby is crying because he/she needs a nap or something else. Is that related?
There can be myriad reasons for compulsive eating. It can be for non-judgemental emotional comfort and support, or it can be a reaction to prolonged criticism, abuse, stress, or food deprivation. It can be a way to rekindle positive memories and feelings, or to stuff down and numb emotions that are to difficult to bear. It can be a way to control a part of your life when you have very little control in other areas.2 -
For me, it's definitely a mental thing (I suppose it probably is for everyone). I think it's almost like the psychology behind addition to cigarettes, alcohol, pot, etc. If you don't, you'll feel like you're missing out on something. That was definitely what kept me smoking for so long.3
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I want to expand on my reply. I don't usually think of myself as an emotional eater, but of course I'm too. And I have learned to associate food with many things - situations, emotions, times and places, smell, sound, textures, shapes and colors. And learned to expect many things from food, many things that food can't do - food has no other purposes besides "taste good" and "keep me alive" - which certainly isn't unimportant. But there is a need for balance, and I would need a lot of food to accomplish what my subconscious mind belives it should do for me!4
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kommodevaran wrote: »I want to expand on my reply. I don't usually think of myself as an emotional eater, but of course I'm too. And I have learned to associate food with many things - situations, emotions, times and places, smell, sound, textures, shapes and colors. And learned to expect many things from food, many things that food can't do - food has no other purposes besides "taste good" and "keep me alive" - which certainly isn't unimportant. But there is a need for balance, and I would need a lot of food to accomplish what my subconscious mind belives it should do for me!
Care to go further with that?0 -
I struggle with having control with certain foods, recognize it now.
Before, if my emotional needs weren’t met, I’d eat and fulfill that void with my favorite carbs and or sweets. Therefore eating until I was stuffed. I didn’t take into mind the nutritional value behind it, the affect it would have and did have on my body). The after affect was far more damaging, than the self gratification I got from my favorite foods.
Presently, I will not have certain foods in large quantity (my favorites) as I’m still working on self control. I portion my food on small plates. I’m more aware of reading nutrition labels. My emotional needs are met by using cardio to help stress and use as therapeutic resources, since seeking an actual therapist is too costly.
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I think there is some circular reasoning going on, "food will fix this, but the problem is overwhelming, so I need lots of food". Because I'm not really able to short circuit that argument, and truly convince myself that "hunger is not the problem, so food is not the solution". There is also a massive exposure to food cues - food is everywhere, and food is made into so many shapes and colors that resemble everyday non-food objects, it's hard to not be reminded of the taste and mouthfeel. I don't overeat massively/often anymore, but I have urges often because my rational mind is in conflict with my arational mind. To keep this conflict from escalating, it's important that I'm well fed and rested and manage stress.kommodevaran wrote: »I want to expand on my reply. I don't usually think of myself as an emotional eater, but of course I'm too. And I have learned to associate food with many things - situations, emotions, times and places, smell, sound, textures, shapes and colors. And learned to expect many things from food, many things that food can't do - food has no other purposes besides "taste good" and "keep me alive" - which certainly isn't unimportant. But there is a need for balance, and I would need a lot of food to accomplish what my subconscious mind belives it should do for me!
Care to go further with that?2
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