Vote in This Week's Poll: What's the main reason you overeat?
It's just so easy to eat too much, isn't it? You go to a restaurant and get a gigantic plate mounded with food and all your good intentions go flying out the window. Or you're at work and a coworker keeps a big bowl of M&Ms on his desk and you pick up a handful on the way to the bathroom...and the copier...and the kitchen.
With some of the bad habits many of us have spent a lifetime cultivating and the copious amounts of food available, it's not surprising that our eating can get a little out of control. My question for you is, why do you overeat? Is it something you do mindlessly while you watch TV or do you do it more when you eat out? Vote in this week's poll and, if you have some tricks you use to avoid overeating, tell us about them in comments.
Poll: What's the main reason you overeat?
1. I watch TV or do other things and don't pay attention to how much I'm eating
2. It's a habit to clean my plate even when I'm full
3. I eat more when I'm bored or tired, even when I'm not hungry
4. I eat fast and it's hard to tell when I'm full
5. When something tastes really good, I keep eating it even if I'm stuffed
6. I don't overeat
7. Other - Please explain in comments
Comments
I sometimes don’t have any control when it comes to food.
depression
I eat when I am in Pain. so I believe it is a comfort thing
Whenever, especailly if I’m bored. I really need to stop doing that, I gain twenty just by looking at it.
I eat when I’m hungry. Sometimes its just a craving for me.
I eat when I feel emotionally empty. It’s so hard to maintain a strong will. I know what is healthy and what I should eat and not eat. Sometimes I just can’t control it. I really wish I could pin point my emotional eating. Why do I eat when I KNOW I shouldn’t be…
If I’m hungry,I want to eat something convenient just to fill me up. Hurry up and eat and then I can do or finish another thing.
For me I overeat when I’m stressed or emotional. Like someone else said, it’s a comfort thing. If you would have added this category to your list I think you would find that many if not most of us overeat due to stress/emotions.
C
i eat when i get board and so do a lot of other peoplei have discoverd that instead of making a trip to the fridge or pantry when i know that im not hungry im just board i can go to my purse and grab a piece of gum to satisify my boardum. it helps me get my mind off food. which keeps me from gaining weight.
I overeat because I stuff my feelings. Instead of feeling anger, frustration, even love, I would eat. It became a compulsion thing. I have been using OA and a 12 step program to recover from Compulsive overeating.
I find that I want to eat when I’m bored. So the trick is to keep my mouth busy. I chew gum and drink a lot of water. They say that half the time you are feeling hungry, it is really because you are thirsty or dehydrated. Other times I try to keep myself distracted when I know I shouldn’t be eating but want to. I do this by keeping moving while I’m watching TV or just sitting around. I’ll do abs, push ups, lunges, and squats while I watch my prime time TV. That helps keep me from eating when I’m most vulnerable.
Good habits are just as easy to form as bad habits, and they’re just as hard to break. So the trick is to learn what is right, then discipline yourself in what is right for more than 2 weeks and you will have started a new habit which is good. For my cravings I try to have baby carrots and cut up celery sticks, that I might put on a little peanut butter on for a protein flaver boost.
Super glue your lips shut and you wont eat so much, but really use better judgement with your choices.
sometimes don’t have any control when it comes to food, depression and I eat when I am in Pain. so I believe it is a comfort thing.
I do number 2 and 3, my two biggest problems, boredom and the fact that I always clean my plate.
I’m in an impossible, and vicious circle. Because of a heart problem, it’s extremely painful to exercise, and the inactivity this forces on me, leads me to behaviors that encourage eating.
food is my first love and it’s hard to break away. I have loved her since the begining of my existance, she has been there for me unconditionally though dispointments, failures, weight gain, depression, impression, suppression, lonely times, bordem, pain, limited happy times. Today at the age of 35, I have to let her go because of health reasons,but it’s hard, I’ve tryed everything- no one or nothing will never be there for me like her.Should I eat myself to deaf or is there something anyone can suggest to help me live, I have a 8 year old child who needs me alive. suggestions, ideas, ect. allforyou30@gmail.com
All of the above (1-5). It is a daily battle. If we fail we should just try harder tomorrow. Once you see even a bit of results (weight loss) you will be inspired to do more. Taking the first step is the hardest. “Prayer Walk” by Janet Holm McHenry is a great book that will get you started on a very easy exercise program while looking to God for help with all the other things in life that may cause you to overeat. You can find it at most libraries. It has changed my life. It is still a daily battle but with God and exercise (Prayer Walk) I am winning the battle.
Overeating is an epidimic in the Country, U get up and eat first thing in the morning, then you eat small portions when you get hungry through out the day! dugh! U never clean your placte, you only eat ( slowly) until you start to get full then leave the table! Get some gum! Drink some water you will feel so much better about yourself! You will have more energy! Have you ever finished eating and feel like you need to lay down and sleep! You Ate To Much! Your body is having to work overtime to get rid of the food! Dugh once again Storing FAT!
As a kids, I was always taught that you clean your plate because you DO NOT waste food. Now, I do it for different reasons. Sometimes, if it’s something I really love, I will eat until I cannot function. There are other times when I am upset and I know that if I eat until I am in pain, that the pain in my stomach will take away from the emotional pain I feel. I guess you would say I am an emotional eater..
It is always about “something other” than the food, usually some sort of stress. I eat when I’m happy, upset,feel neglected, lonely, or some other unresolved emotion whereby food temporarily will play a part.I rarely eat out of hunger.It is a “comfort” thing.
I think my biggest problem with food is that I just love it! I love to cook and I really enjoy eating a good meal. My problem is learning when to stop eating and to eat smaller portions, but it just tastes so good! I wouldn’t say I am unhealthy eater (I’m only eat fish as far as meat goes and eat plenty of veggies), but overeating is a problem I am constantly struggling with.
I have an under active thyroid, the medication that I take to control it makes me feel like I am always hungry.
In our home availability is key. Also, we are still too much, we don’t move around enough to burn off what we eat. If we moved more, we could eat more, burn it off and then we wouldn’t be overeating. I’m not saying set aside 30-60 minutes everyday, a lot of people can’t do that. Just find ways to move more. We sit still so much, myself included, I think it’s no wonder we don’t burn off what we eat.
My Dad was a coal miner while I was growing up and living at home. His dollars were hard-earned and we could not waste even a penny, which included not wasting food. Today, my dollars are hard earned and I still cannot throw away food or anything else. If I get full half way through my food, I sometimes can save the other half, and if not, I try to eat it. Throwing away food is throwing away hard earned money. I guess you have to be in my position to understand.
I’m so sick of this country complaining about fatness. If everyone did their homework they’d discover reasons other than overeating why obesity is an issue. I’ll gladly use myself as an example. I love chef salads, fresh veggies and fruit, and the leaner meats. I think lots of people would eat healthier if they could AFFORD to. It was posted recently the top 10 fattest states in the USA. I followed up with the national survey of the 10 most poorest states in the USA. Atleast 6 of the fattest were also the poorest. People earning minimum wage that are supporting families cannot afford to pay $4 for a bag of apples, or $0.78 for one lowsy bell pepper. It’s more affordable to eat the unhealthy fattening foods; bologna, spam, mac & cheese, etc. Does anyone take that into account? No, they’re too busy pointing fingers and criticizing people for being fat. Also, I seen a progran today that has evidence that the FDA and Pharmacuticle (excuse the spelling) companies are putting addictive chemicles into alot of the foods we consume. It’s a way to keep folks addicted to the point they get fat, have to go to the doctor, and get meds to assist in the illness associated with being overweight. It’s all a money market. Is that a surprise ?? So I’m 265lbs. I used to be addicted to speed….was thin and nearly died. Now I’m hooked on food, can only afford the cheapo fattening crap to feed my kids ( a single mom) and the Government doesn’t give a rats a**. Now that I’m aware of all this, you best believe I’m working hard to take back my life.
I not overeat when I’m bored or tired, but when your suffer from depression you also tend to overeat because of that, too.
I agree. I had to take a certain medication and ballooned from 124 pounds to almost 200 pounds in just a couple of months. Then I moved in with a roommate who was a fabulous cook. But there were other reasons that I gained weight and that was because I love comfort food. Since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I seem to crave sugar a lot more. I used to be able to eat more healthy foods but now that I’m married and both of us are on disability, we just can’t afford things like organic food. Add to that the fact that I am diagnosed as an emotional eater because I eat more when I’m depressed, anxious or bored and it becomes a disaster. For awhile, we just didn’t keep any sweets or other junk foods in the house. But I needed to have some snack food and some things with sugar for when my blood sugar is low but then my husband eats them because they’re there so he buys more and then we exceed our food budget. So it’s complex and another thing that adds to it is that I was one of those kids who got hit with the guilt trips when I didn’t clean my plate. When I do go to a restaurant, I love to get the fancy desserts and fatty foods that taste so good but really aren’t. Maybe some of this is just excuses but when I was a kid we didn’t have much money and had to eat a lot of canned and frozen stuff which probably wasn’t healthy either. The only way we got fresh vegetables was when we got them from Grandma’s garden. We’d pick wild strawberries and raspberries (though you have to watch the brambles with raspberries and blackberries) and sometimes we could get fruit from a friend who had fruit trees in the yard. So when I started having a little money of my own, I splurged. When I first got diagnosed with diabetes I tried really hard to eat right and lost forty pounds in a few months. But then I got lax again and gained 20 back. Getting older makes a difference too. That middle aged spread thing is no joke, at least for some people. Even when I went to the gym three days a week I didn’t lose the weight. I hope other people are having better experiences than I’ve been having and I don’t mean to discourage anybody because I know a lot of people are successful at kicking the overeating habit. But when it came out officially that chocolate was good for depression, which I’d known all along, I had an excuse of sorts to indulge in my chocaholic behavior. Oh well, I’m sure I’m not the only one.If anybody actually has read this all the way through, I commend you. I’ve been venting and probably shouldn’t have gone on this long. If I comment again, I promise I’ll be more concise. Thanks.
I eat at night when I’m alone and emotionally empty.
I eat when stressed in a negative fashion.
I was abused as a child I believe my weight problem started when I realized that what happened to me was not normal, I crave comfort = food.
I join the ranks of those who eat for emotional comfort. I have bipolar disorder and suffer from frequent depressions. During these phases I eat almost constantly - naturally only things that don’t require a lot of prepatation, which means a lot of junk food.
I have recently realized that I am an emotional eater. When I am bored, watching tv, I snack on raisins, nuts, baked chips and fruits. It used to be if I was having a bad day, or had been upset over something, or things weren’t going as planned, I would comfort myself with a candy bar and a sugary coke. I tend to not do this anymore, and only keep healthier foods (I’m not talking organic, or all fresh-canned is just as healthy) in the house so that I don’t gain weight. Also, when my husband and I get together with our families, usually it means going out to eat because cooking a meal for that many people, and not having complaints, was very hard to do. It was easier to please everyone at a resturant where they could order whatever they wanted. I’m not one to clean my plate because I don’t enjoy the “too stuffed I can’t move” feeling, but my husband used to clean his plate and then finish off mine. We’ve worked on that so that he doesn’t do it anymore, it’s not a crime, the food will be thrown away if we don’t eat it, but we’ll be miserable and sick if we do eat it. I’ve also been going to the gym and undoing everything I’ve done for the past few months. I learned when I am out shopping, to carry an apple or healthy snack with me to eat when I start to get hungry, and then I won’t eat so much if/when we stop to eat. Saves money and calories.
For me “overeating” is anything over 1000 calories a day. After years of having doctors tell me I am a closet eater, lying about how much I eat, and telling me I have to see a psychologist about my problem with food…. I find out that I am not only hypothyroid but also have low adreanal function. Both cause weight gain due to greatly decreased metabolism. Still, on medication I cannot eat more than 1000 calories without gaining. Am I now overweight? No. But it is still agitating when some of these weight loss and exercise gurus tell me that I can indeed bump up my metabolism. It is all hogwash if you really have a metabolical problem.
I’m a full time grad student in addition to working a full time job. So in the evenings and weekends, I have to read and study to keep up with my classes. I’ve gotten into the (very bad) habit of grazing for dinner instead of having one defined meal, and I usually munch away while reading or typing. Before I know it, that whole box of Cheez-Its are gone!
I overeat b/c I am stressed about my life, in general, how i have no friends, no job, no place to live other than with my folks at 25 who can’t accept me as a lesbian that’s whi i have been living in this denial for 9 years. and my therapist just rolls her eyes and tells me to drive already then falls asleep! i hate my life nobody loves me and nobody would miss me if i was gone…xept if i killed myself theyde say who left that ugly stinking whale corpse behind so i trudge through my miserable life…forever….
oh yeah and i have no car. sorry forgo to mention. just a recap: no: car, frends, job, appartment, girlfriend, sex life, life in general, reason to live, reason not to glomp the entire bag of cookies. u dig????
I disagree that it costs more to eat healthy. Do your research again!
how about numbers one through five. i just eat.
I eat whenever I am really stressed out or depressed, and many times, for me, these two emotions are related. At these times, I’ll eat anything…even foods that I don’t particularly care for!