Why do we want to eat so much?

BeSophisticate

Also, I find that days I don't do a solid cardio workout, my appetite is much, much higher. Medium to high intensity cardio seems to curb my appetite. Sometimes, I'm not even able to eat my normal calorie alotment, let alone eat back my exercise cals, though that doesn't happen often.

PinkyFran

those are good ideas, i usually addthin sliced ham, i am wheat and dairy intolerant, and wheat free pastas are so high in calories i just stay away and have a bowl once a month as a huge treat, avacado seems a good idea too, thanks.

I think whats going on is my body is craving carbs badly, i have been dieting 3 weeks now and having to write down what u eat really shows u the rabs etc that u would normally consume, am also a goats cheese monster lol!....so i only ever have max 150gm in the house for the week, and so far i have ignored it calling me for 5 days.......heres hoping!

AnnMarie518

I grew up eating large portions. My mom was a excellent cook, and she liked to cook large amounts. Now I was one in a 6 person family, but she still cooked more then we really needed.

In my opinion, this was in part due to my mom was 1 of 10 kids growing up, and food was well controlled in her family. (It would have to be with 10 mouths to feed). So when she became an adult, she didnt want her kids to have the feeling that there was not enough food, thus she overcompensated.

Now, dont get me wrong, my mom cooked some AWESOME meals! I loved her cooking! Now, on the downside, I can remember as a kid, having to wash the dishes, and scrubbing out HUGE pots and pans. I'm talking catering size pots. I particularly remember a tall spaghetti -or- sauce pot that when set on the floor was taller then my KNEES! And I could have probably fit most of my body in it as a kid!

But I digress, I grew up on large portions, so I naturally always felt the need to eat larger portions even after I was an adult. It was the "i better eat it now while its available' way of thinking. I never became obese, but now in my 40's and after having a child, things are starting to show a bit more then they should.

Now I am working on smaller portions (according to the labels on the food containers) and just more variety of healthy foods. It seems to be working, but there are still times when I want triple the amount of one certain food. It happens. I just get right back on track as soon as I can.

tigersword

Gah, this is what I've been taught, I don't know much, so anyone with more knowledge should correct me.

Because eating releases happy chemicals. See, it's hard to rewire thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years of evolution to say, "Hey, we're not constantly looking for food all the time, so maybe I shouldn't eat when I don't get the chance." It's honestly an incredibly complex system of chemicals that I don't fully understand, but I can get the oversimplified tl;dr version.

See, the feeling of absolutely needing to eat as much as we can, and crave specifically salt and fatty foods, is what kept hunter-gatherers alive for long enough to pass on their genes. Food wasn't as easily as accessible before the invention of agriculture; it was always a hunt for the next meal, always a desire, and a need to consume as much as you could, because you had no idea where the next meal would come from. Pack up as much energy as you could, and continue on.

It's that kind of mentality. Plus eating releases happy hormones, so could definitely get psychologically addicted to eating (so I've been told by a psychologist).

This. Well put. We evolved to gorge and fast. It wasn't until VERY recently that food was readily available in practically unlimited amounts. It's human survival instinct. Eating = GOOOD.

nuclearbanana

There is a lot of controversy around the idea of food addictions. Personally, I fall in the 'you can't be addicted to a substance your body requires for survival' camp.

From the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, "The Obesity Epidemic and Food Addiction: Clinical Similarities to Drug Addiction":
"There appear to be several biological and psychological similarities between food addiction and drug dependence including craving and loss of control. Nonetheless there is at least one apparent difference: acute tryptophan depletion does not appear to induce a relapse in recovering drug-dependent individuals, although it may induce dysphoria. In some individuals, palatable foods have palliative properties and can be viewed as a form of self medication. This article will examine environmental factors that have contributed to the obesity epidemic, and will compare the clinical similarities and differences of food addiction and drug dependence."

Reading the article, the effect is very much highlighted and discussed in animals and humans that have consumed a large amount of sugar in short intervals, and that even binging on sugars caused behavioral changes in rats and extremely similar neural pathways brought by addiction from substances.

The controversy isn't "Does this really exist" it's more like, "Okay, how can we classify, treat and learn more about this phenomena?" Food addiction is a well documented behavior that has little controversy concerning its existence (anymore), and there are many documented chemical changes in the brains of people with this issue.

Like, I don't know of any credible source that refutes the existence of food behavioral issues these days.

beansprouts

Portion Control. Its a big problem of mine. I just don't understand why I feel the need to eat so much of one thing when I'm eating a meal including multiple items? Is it like a drug or an addiction? I've considered the possibility that I could be addicted to food or types of food but I mentioned it to a psychologist once and it was dismissed with the wave of a hand. Is this how others feel? I'm very interested in hearing others' take on this.

Yes....I absolutely do believe that it is possible to be addicted to food! My own personal experience tells me that people can and do over eat and use food the exact same way that an alcoholic abuses liquor or a drug addict abuses crack. In taking personal responsibility for my current overweight physical condition...I really had to come to terms with changing and controlling my own eating habits and behavior.

One of the things that I have been doing since I came to mfp is re-examining every aspect of my relationship with food. I now eat only non processed food which I faithfully weigh and measure. Thus far, I have had only one instance where I felt the need to eat more food then was on my plate. Do you know what I discovered from that incident? I discovered that whenever I am distracted or upset. (((My new lamp had been broken))...I can eat an entire meal without having any memory of eating the food! Needless to say...Now...I don't pick up a fork to eat unless I am (a) hungry and (b) undistracted.

benegesserit

Some people think it's because of too many carbs, combined with not enough protein and fat. Personally, I am trying to stay under 50 gm / carbs per day, and no grains whatever. It seems to help a lot with food cravings.

ChaseAlder

Because it's sooo goooood.

GhostPack

We've been brainwashed by food companies and TV, the zombie maker.

delilah47

Maybe that's why they consider some things "comfort food". Usually comfort food is generally thought to be unhealthy. Do you have certain foods that make you feel "warm and fuzzy" or foods from a time in your past where everything was going good for you. Maybe you associate those foods so you want more and more.

mkbledsoe

Hey, I am with you. I am a total glutton. I could eat all day long. It occurred to me recently that I was hungry all the time when I ate 4000 to 5000 calories a day so it isn't really surprising that I am always hungry now that I only eat around 2000 calories a day. I always feel hungry. I don't know what to do about it. So I exercise as hard as I possibly can and keep working on the eating part. Good luck.

Amy911Gray

I've noticed when I'm busy, I'm not hungry--but today I got busy and missed my 11 o'clock feeding time and got a bonus---a nice shiny MIGRAINE.

I'm going to set my outlook for my 11 o'clock lunch appointment Monday-Friday!

Bakkasan

Simply yes, food addiction is essentially the same as drug addiction. The brain reacts the same way..

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/04/food.drug.addiction.same.to.brain/index.html

I could mainline some cheesecake right about now myself. Or pancakes. Yep, I am drooling over the thought of pancakes.

jeannettarodgers

I CANNOT believe she gave you the hand on that! It is psychological, and its harder for people to re gain portion control because we have been programmed to eat big here in the US. We eat to celebrate, to morn, to deal with our emotions, society doesnt teach us to eat to live, they teach us to LIVE TO EAT! I had to take it upon self to change this, Im training myself to eat to live, giving my body the fuel it needs to survive as well as to sustain my workouts. It is not easy and I still struggle with it at times. I could see why people have a hard time adjusting, its mental.

lisa2826

Eating the wrong stuff. Try shifting the balance to more lean proteins and fibrous veggies. They are filling and nutritious. I find that when I eat lots of simple carbs, I get hungry again faster....
[/quote man that happens to me too. That's why I try to stay away from white or over prossessd Carbs.

Masterdo

Well, the average office worker isn't challenging himself physically anymore these days. You can easily make a living sitting 16 hours a day and sleeping the other 8. And while we are sitting at our desk/couch/whatever, our hands are free, why not eat? Plus, it tastes good, what's to hate? Difficult train of thought to escape from because in today's world, it's perfectly possible (and even the most common way) to live like that. Whether it's a miserable way of living or not is a different matter, and very subjective one too.

I wouldn't say it's an addiction, it's just a lifestyle. And changing just a small part of this lifestyle (like portion control) without attacking the rest of it is going to be bloody difficult It will take a lot of willpower, and all that mental strength would be put to much better use changing the lifestyle as a whole rather than struggling to stay there minus one small piece.

quill16

I know I have a food addiction and after losing all this weight (180 lbs) I still want to overindulge. I have learned to manage it with discipline and strength that comes from God. Every so often I still have a binge,but I get right back on track and put it behind me.The thing that really keeps me focused is counting my calories and knowing that I had enough food and I am NOT going to starve if I don't eat more because I just want it because it tastes good. Need vs. Want.

Rilke

"The End of Overeating" by David Kessler is a great read.

kais79

Thank you all for your responses! It is definitely something I am committed to overcoming. The last two weeks have been worse than most because I had surgery, a complication, another surgery, and now a week of recovery just sitting at home. I'll be back to work tomorrow night and even though I work a sedentary job, I've learned to space my tasks out so as not to have too much time sitting idle. I also walk a lap around the parking lot every couple of hours and on lunch to increase my activity level.

As far as portion control goes, I'm trying to concentrate on eating smaller portions with the mentality that I will eat what is on my plate and will not eat again for another hour, be it a snack or what have you, so that my body has time to tell me if it really needs more or not.

sarah3333

I am like this. I am not satisfied or finished until I literally CANNOT eat any more. I think it's something we've been doing for so long that we need to UNlearn it. Even when I changed my diet, I would find myself eating entire stalks of celery at a time. I think the more times we stop eating after a normal amount of food the easier it will become.