One of the common eating mistakes that you commit to eating in situations where the body does not need “fuel” because it has a full tank. Eating is part of human life. It performs many functions that are often not related to feeling hungry at all.
When are you eating?
- When you are hungry
- When you feel like something, your appetite
- When you meet friends, family
- When someone shows you that you are important to him, he invites you, for example, to dinner
- When it’s Christmas
- When you participate in events such as: name days, communions, etc.
- When a child doesn’t eat everything, you eat for them so as not to waste food
- When you watch TV, a movie in the cinema
How much do you eat then?
- A lot because it’s free
- A lot, because you don’t have it at home
- A lot, because such an opportunity may not repeat itself again
- A lot, because it’s all delicious
- A little bit of everything to make sure you try each dish
Food is a means, not an end
When there was no civilization, food was a means of survival. Before you could get something to eat, you had to work a bit and “catch” the next meal. Now you have very easy access to food. There are shops, you don’t have to hunt yourself. Everything is served on a tray. It makes you eat more than you spend. You eat when you are not hungry. You eat because you want something.
The progress of civilization has entailed eating in situations where the body does not need food at all. You fall into automatism and thoughtlessness. You eat without thinking because you have many other things on your mind. You are not listening to your hunger and satiety center located in your brain when it says: STOP, I’M NOT HUNGRY.
The body tells you what to do, why don’t you listen to it?
Conscious eating
A friend of mine a few weeks ago asked me what to do to lose weight. In the course of our conversation about what her diet was like (it looked quite correct), I suggested that she include in her current habits: “conscious eating”. From now on, I advised her to ask herself every time she reaches for something extra to eat: “Am I hungry?” and that she try to answer honestly to herself. If he replies, “Yes, I’m hungry,” then he has the green light and can eat. If she replies, “No, I’m not hungry,” the light is red and she won’t eat.
We met again recently. Since our conversation, she has been practicing “conscious eating”, she has already lost 3 kg. She was completely unaware that she was eating so mechanically and thoughtlessly. Only now it has turned out that many of the snacks that have accompanied her so far are completely unnecessary. Yes, she would like to eat them, but living in accordance with the principle: I eat when I’m hungry, they eat much less.
This exercise will not always work. Many people realize, however, how unnecessarily we sometimes eat and how little we need to take care of ourselves.
After overeating this holiday, try to practice your “conscious eating” and ask yourself: do I always eat when I’m hungry? If this is not the case, maybe it’s time for a change?