Contributed by Michele Mukatis on Dec 16, 2009. See all posts by
Michele
The End of Overeating
You may have heard of a new book by David Kessler, MD. It’s called The End of Overeating and it gives scientific evidence for why some humans (and other animals) may be eating too much. It’s a great read going into the holidays because there are so many excesses that the holidays bring to us.
Kessler’s research indicates that we are driven by cues, which turn into habits with a very short time-span of repetition.
A physical cue would be smelling chocolate and then not being able to stop thinking about it until you eat chocolate.
An emotional cue would be when you are having a bad day and a certain food has created a pleasurable sensation before, so you eat that food to make yourself feel better about your day.
Cues can even be related to place - you pass a restaurant where you had a meal you remember and suddenly you can’t stop thinking about that particular dish.
It could also be a time of day. When you start the day with a cup of coffee, it becomes difficult to not have that cup of coffee in the morning as much out of the habit as from the addictive boost you get.
Within a week of putting a new routine into your life, you can still withdraw from it and it hasn’t become a habit. After just three weeks, the routine is ingrained enough that you have can repeat the action with less thought and more automated response. It’s fascinating to realize that we can automate so much of our lives, including food.
Food is so pleasurable, I can’t imagine making it into an event around which there is little thought. Going to parties is fun, partly because it’s great to see what foods someone has created and what makes them special. It’s also fun to make some of the same things that you’ve made year after year, but it’s also fun to experiment and try some new foods or new combinations.
During this season of excess, mindfulness about eating is key. Pay attention to your food choices and make sure you are eating because you are hungry or because you are making a conscious choice to eat something pleasurable, not just because food is there in front of you.
Following these guidelines should help you get through the season with fewer pounds to carve off as a New Year’s Resolution. It should also give you an added connection to your body and mind, allowing you to understand your choices better.
When all is said and done, enjoyment is about paying attention to the pleasurable things in life. Make sure you find that pleasure in each day from something, and maybe that something is a walk with a friend, volunteering at a food pantry, or creating gifts with a child, not another cinnamon roll.
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The End of Overeating
The End of Overeating
You may have heard of a new book by David Kessler, MD. It’s called The End of Overeating and it gives scientific evidence for why some humans (and other animals) may be eating too much. It’s a great read going into the holidays because there are so many excesses that the holidays bring to us.
Kessler’s research indicates that we are driven by cues, which turn into habits with a very short time-span of repetition.
A physical cue would be smelling chocolate and then not being able to stop thinking about it until you eat chocolate.
An emotional cue would be when you are having a bad day and a certain food has created a pleasurable sensation before, so you eat that food to make yourself feel better about your day.
Cues can even be related to place - you pass a restaurant where you had a meal you remember and suddenly you can’t stop thinking about that particular dish.
It could also be a time of day. When you start the day with a cup of coffee, it becomes difficult to not have that cup of coffee in the morning as much out of the habit as from the addictive boost you get.
Within a week of putting a new routine into your life, you can still withdraw from it and it hasn’t become a habit. After just three weeks, the routine is ingrained enough that you have can repeat the action with less thought and more automated response. It’s fascinating to realize that we can automate so much of our lives, including food.
Food is so pleasurable, I can’t imagine making it into an event around which there is little thought. Going to parties is fun, partly because it’s great to see what foods someone has created and what makes them special. It’s also fun to make some of the same things that you’ve made year after year, but it’s also fun to experiment and try some new foods or new combinations.
During this season of excess, mindfulness about eating is key. Pay attention to your food choices and make sure you are eating because you are hungry or because you are making a conscious choice to eat something pleasurable, not just because food is there in front of you.
Following these guidelines should help you get through the season with fewer pounds to carve off as a New Year’s Resolution. It should also give you an added connection to your body and mind, allowing you to understand your choices better.
When all is said and done, enjoyment is about paying attention to the pleasurable things in life. Make sure you find that pleasure in each day from something, and maybe that something is a walk with a friend, volunteering at a food pantry, or creating gifts with a child, not another cinnamon roll.
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