Why You Eat When You're Not Hungry
By Sara Butler
Everyone has done it. In fact, you may do it so much that you may not even realize what you're doing -- eating when you're not hungry. There are many reasons you may nosh when you're not especially hungry. Here are a few situations to be on the lookout for that will help you break the cycle of eating when you're not really hungry in an attempt to work toward your health and wellness goals.
To Help You Cope
Common triggers for eating, there's usually a way to connect eating with almost every emotion you feel. Are you happy? Have a piece of cake! Are you sad? How about a pint of ice cream? It's easy to let your emotions get the better of you and use your favorite comfort food as a salve.
If you want to stop emotional eating in its tracks, then you should work on resolving the underlying issue. Keep a food diary and write down how you were feeling when you ate something. Try to find patterns in what you're eating, and when, so you can recognize it and work to put a stop to it.
You're Bored
Sometimes when you snack it's not because you're emotional -- sometimes you're just bored. For a lot of people, eating is a good solution to curing boredom. Don't use eating as entertainment. If you know that boredom is a trigger for your unhealthy grazing, then have some strategies in place to help you fight off the boredom that has nothing to do with food. Keeping a journal, taking a walk, listening to your favorite song, or simply calling up a friend are great ways to thwart unwanted eating.
Others Are Eating
Going out to eat with friends or family is a minefield because it's easy to overindulge and keep going after you're full when you're surrounded by people who are still eating. To get past this eating hurdle you don't have to swear off going out to dinner, you simply have to pay attention to your feelings and fullness and stop when you get there.
Eating when you're not hungry is a bad habit that must be tackled. If you don't, then you're bound to have a more difficult time maintaining a healthy weight, which can have serious consequences for your health and wellness. Work to identify what is causing your emotional eating and work to put a stop to it!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Sandy, Utah.