Triggers: Reasons Women Overeat
There are many reasons women overeat but the best way to control overeating is to become aware of the triggers or those situations, experiences, stimuli or cues that influence us to overeat. Overeating for some means binge eating or consuming a large amount of food in a short period of time; while for others it is eating more than we planned. It is important for us to control overeating because it has resulted in an epidemic of obesity in the United States, and obesity increases your risks for serious health conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Cancer
- Gallbladder disease and gallstones
- Gout
- Breathing problems like sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep)
- Kidney disease
- Osteoarthritis
It is extremely important that we reorient ourselves toward food, normalize our food desires and find ways to turn down hunger and to identify triggers for overeating so that we can overcome them. Here are some of the most common triggers for overeating and ways to respond to them.
Habit
You may be overeating because you have been taught as a child to eat all of your food, and so you have become accustomed to continuous eating even when you are not hungry. In addition, you may believe you have healthier habits than you really have on a day-to-day basis. And in reality you may not be aware of your excessive eating and that you have little daily physical activity. Some women overeat at specific times and places, like when they are at home watching television in the evening.
How you can overcome this: You can eat less by planning your meals, taking snacks with you and packing your lunch to help you stay full. You can engage in exercises designed for watching TV, turn off the TV, talk to family, friends and find activities to occupy your mind and keep you busy.
Boredom
You eat because you do not have anything that you are interested in doing or to look forward to doing.
How you can overcome this: Keep healthy food substitutes and identify activities like reading, exercising or volunteering.
That Rush
Sometimes being tired and exhausted after a long busy day you look for that quick energy fix and eat junk food and treats high in calories that provide an instant high. Studies find that even looking at or thinking about a food you know and love will trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-food chemical that increases your awareness of that food, making it nearly impossible to ignore your desire for that food. Eating food engages all your senses and you begin to secrete insulin which drops your blood glucose and relaxes your muscles making you feel like you need more to be satisfied. This happens more with fatty and sugary foods, like cheese and bacon instead of an apple, because they tend to prevent your brain's normal ability to regulate appetite and cravings, which keeps you from realizing that you are full until you have overeaten and are stuffed.
How you can overcome this:Eat small meals throughout the day to maintain blood sugar levels, and limit the amount of fatty and sugary foods in your house.
To Be Social
Overeating to be social is more common than women think. Many of our activities with friends and family involve eating socially. That includes celebrations and holidays. And oftentimes food is at the center of many events at our churches, such as religious observances like Christmas and Easter and special occasions like Women's Day, Men's Day, the church anniversary and more. Eating socially is such an integral part of our culture that declining an invitation to eat socially is often not an option.
How you can overcome this: You do do not need to avoid interacting with friends if you have a tendency to overeat when you are socializing; instead plan activities that do not center around food (e.g. going to the gym, the mall, the movie theater or a play, a museum, go for a walk or indulge in a massage or a day at the spa). You can also eat a smaller meal before meeting your friends or attending a social event where food will be served. Equally important, when you are presented with copious amounts of high calorie foods at organized religious celebrations you can always practice portion control and consume low calorie beverages or preferably water before the meal is served which will fill you up and reduce the likelihood of overeating.
Need For Love and Comfort:
When women feel unappreciated, sad, lonely and are the objects of disparaging remarks and pressure at work and at home they may find satisfaction in eating alone. Generally these women are not interested in sharing their feelings with others so they find consolation in not only eating but overeating.
How you can overcome this: You should focus on you. Give yourself some attention by taking a tennis class, engaging in tai-chi or yoga, joining a bowling team, getting a facial or manicure.
Mindless Eating
It is difficult to keep track of everything that we eat everyday, unless we keep a journal of our daily consumption of foods and beverages. Consequently, most women do not remember how much they ate or what they have eaten on any given day, including whether they ate snacks or junk food. When you are placing most of your attention on school, work and family you are usually not aware of what you have been eating during the day.
How you can overcome this: Drinking water and low calorie beverages, low calorie chewing gum or keeping a nutritional journal will help prevent mindless overeating.
To Reduce Stress
Some women eat because they are stressed out or emotionally upset which can trigger overeating. Emotional eating can occur when you experience anxiety or are participating in numerous activities that result in you not having adequate time for yourself and significant relationships.
How you can overcome this: Whenever you encounter conflict in your relationships at home, work or school instead of grabbing something to eat or overeating contact a friend and discuss the situation, including your feelings. You may also want to explore a wearable digital device, like Embrace, with your doctor, which alerts you to increased stress levels that result in obesity from overeating.
It is important to identify, and develop successful approaches to overcome, triggers that result in overeating, as doing so will enable women to maintain a healthy lifestyle.