Overeating has become an epidemic that we as humans cannot afford to endulge in. Obesity is on the rise and it's more prevalent in adults as well as our children. If the health of our world is going to change we need to get back to reality and even more importantly common sense when it comes to our health and eating habits.
We've listed 10 tips that will help you get back io the right track, But first it's important to understand that scientists have located a hunger center deep inside the brain, at the brain stem called the hypothalamus. They've also identified a condition called hypothalamic confusion which is damage or malfunctioning of the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus in the brain is ruffly about the size and shape of a clam shell it has a numerous functions, one of these is to trigger hunger and also satiety. When it works efficiently the person doesn't have a eating disorder, this lets them have a normal weight and a normal relationship with food. Most scientists agree that the most important stimulus for the hypothalamus to trigger hunger is glucose or blood sugar in the body.
This leads to vivid images of food on the part of the person that can be so vivid that the brain believes food is on its way which prompts the digestive system to release digestive juices that may start stomach contraction to begin. These are very normal functions of the body to signal hunger. But with the eating disordered person who associates powerful emotions of comfort, release, love, escape, punishment and so on, with the act of eating. Sets the stage for compulsive overeating moments or binge when glucose levels drop and images of food arise.
This is why it so important not to indulge in food imagery and a complete no-no to connect food with the fulfillment of emotional needs. As a matter of fact it would be better to adopt what exercise scientists have recommended for consideration.
A good aerobics workout of at least 20 minutes will raise blood glucose levels to the equivalent of just having eaten a meal.
It's a scientific fact that exercise nourishes the body, only the nourishment comes from the blood glucose, liver glycogen and other storage spots instead of another plate of food we really didn't need.
All the studies shows without exception that regular exercise over a period of months causes people to eat less, lose weight and feel better. One more extremely important point about the hypothalamus is that it's on a 20 minute time delay. This means it doesn't kick in and say you've had enough STOP EATING NOW! until about 20 minutes have passed.
In other words the hypothalamus doesn't call for us to stop eating until insulin reaches a certain level in your spinal fluid. This means for most people it takes about 20 minutes from the onset of eating for feelings of fullness to begin.
How to short circuit?
Fortunately human beings are intelligent, we can unlearn bad behavior and learn more desirable behavior.
This program, along with the end of a poisonous diet and a switch to the wholesome diet of uncooked natural foods, allows the body to unleash a wonderous internal housecleaning and restoration of normal physiological functioning a on all levels. Including the normalization of appetite and weight.
The antidote to overeating is to practice simple behaviors to slow down his or her meal which increases awareness of his or her eating and also allow the hypothalamus to function normally.
Each of the exercises however simple, powerfully short circuits the uncontrollable urge to never stop eating, that calms both emotional and physiological awareness.
Remember 2 things before using these behaviors, first eat at designated eating areas only i.e. Dining room, this helps limit temptation and second eat as pure activity in other words no TV, driving, phoning, etc, etc, etc. in other words eating is the only pure activity except for pleasant conversation no distractions, bite by bite the focus is on the meal. This heightened awareness breaks the addiction to eat compulsively.
Here are 10 slow down behaviors that slows down the eating process and increase awareness, thereby eliminating the need to compulsively overeat.
It takes 21 days to break a long term compulsive habit. Take 21 days to try these.
1. Take a moment of silence to relax before the meal. Most overeaters sit down to eat already at a high level of anxiety-the ideal state to eat uncontrollably. Since relaxation is the opposite of anxiety, eyes closed for 10 seconds or 10 deep breaths may be all that is needed to focus get centered and relaxed.
2. A 10 min nap or walk will slow the adrenaline since it's always unwise to eat when tense or upset.
Take at least 20 minutes to eat. Avoid snacks and plan 3 sizeable, hygienic meals each day. In the old days a plate of spaghetti could be swallowed in 3 minutes. But a generous plate of fruit can't, so time is on your side, pace yourself. It takes about 20 min for your physiology to signal the hypothalamus that enough has been eaten. If you don't budget your food to last 20 min, you're forever doomed to overeat.
3. Put your utensil or food down between bites. This is the best habit to form. If you use no other. Let go of the fork! Put the food down! Take time to chew and swallow to know this and to feel. You'll soon become aware of the horrifying speed that people eat. Relax and take a deep breath. Don't feed the nervousness inside you anymore by eating faster and faster.
4.Take smaller bites. A simple trick, the more pieces cut, the more bites to take. This behavior slows down the eating. Slowing down the process with smaller bites stops the compulsion.
5. Use a napkin between bites. This is another fail safe trick that brings the loaded fork out of your mouth. It takes time to lift a napkin and use it then set it back down. Take this time to focus on your food, feelings and friends. Plus it makes you look well mannered and dignified at the table.
6. Stop for 5 min during a meal. No one will notice, probably. Doing so give you a feeling of control as the attachment, the bondage and the attraction between you and your food is momentarily broken. The harder taking 5 min is for you the higher your state of anxiety and the more you need these 5 min so you can gain control again.
7. Keep second helpings at a distance. You'll be forced to make more conscious decisions to overeat if you have to ask someone to pass the food from a distance, perhaps, coupled with increasing awareness of other exercises, during this process of asking and reaching for more food, you'll realize you've had enough.
8. Leave a little on the plate. This exercise is really difficult for some; other even feel panic. The 20 min are up. You've practiced all the behaviors and are beginning to feel full. Now, another test. Leave a few bites- don't eat it all. Remember, you can have more food at your next meal. Not all the food in the world is going to be gone when you return for your next meal.
9. Leave the table when finished. The table is a designated eating area. When the 20 minutes or more are up and the meal is completed. Don't sit around looking at tempting leftovers. There's no need to break down fragile new found resistance. The meal is over and you are free to get on with your life until the next meal.
10. If possible, rest after each meal. Even sitting down for 5 min help digestion. And doing so continues the composure gained during the meal. Take a few moments, also to congratulate yourself on having eaten yet another meal with controlled awareness.
Compulsiveness and composure are opposite emotional events, with opposite physiological parameters. They cannot be experienced simultaneously. If he or she nurtures composure, he or she need not ever overeat again.
It may not be easy to change. But if we practice these slow down behaviors for 21 days there is hope even if we've tried everything
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