(ThyBlackMan.com) The biggest and most obvious reason as to why most people overeat is simple: food tastes great.
Everyone enjoys food, but why are some people able to control their cravings and stay on track with their diet better than others?
Well, knowing some of the biggest reasons that make you overeat can help you to be more mindful and prevent yourself from doing it. Check out the following 5 things that cause people to overeat and gain weight.
- Beating Yourself Up
One of the most common mistakes that people make along their fitness journey is being too harsh on themselves. While discipline and consistency is vital, beating yourself up about cheating on your diet won’t help.
Shame is one of the main feelings that people experience if they see the weight on the scales go up instead of down. As a result, they end up thinking “what’s the point in trying” and give up. Instead, recognize where you may have slipped up on your diet, and use it as motivation to not fall for the same cravings again.
- You See Food As A Reward
Food is a part of our daily lives. It can hold a lot of cultural and family values, which is great. However, you shouldn’t confuse this with seeing food as a reward. After a tough day at work, making a healthy meal may not be what you fancy. Instead, people tend to opt for a takeout and junk food to help them feel better.
Alternatively, you see food as a reward and use it as a celebration too often. When this becomes a regular habit, it can easily lead to overeating. Fixing this issue comes down to your mindset. Be aware of the times you like to reward yourself with food and make the effort to disassociate the food with whatever the situation is.
- You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
When you experience a lack of sleep too regularly, your body becomes overly fatigued, and your judgement on food choices becomes impaired. When you’re tired, your willpower is also drained, and you’re less effective at fighting cravings.
So, aim to get between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. It will help to keep your mental strength intact so that you always have the determination to stay on track with your diet.
- Too Many Distractions
For most of us, sitting down to have a meal usually involves watching TV or surfing the net. So, we are essentially multitasking while we eat. As a result, your body’s ability to keep track of how much food is being consumed is impaired. Research suggest that eating and watching TV can cause you to forget how much you have eaten.
Eating alone is something that can be an engaging experience, but only if you let it be. Take the time to really think about the food you’re putting in your body. This will also help you to feel more satisfied after meals and decrease further cravings.
- You Eat Out Too Often
Going out for a meal every now and then is fun and can be incorporated into your diet. However, many people approach restaurants with the attitude of “why not…”. Even if you pick out a relatively healthy main meal, the waiter or waitress will always entice you to have dessert, and it’s hard to say no.
But if you plan for a restaurant meal ahead of time, you can take a look at the nutritional content and pick the one that suits your goals the best. Going in with a plan of action will help you stick to your guns and prevent yourself from going all-out and binge eating.
You could even do extra cardio earlier in the day to make room for the added calories at the restaurant, without going over your calories for the day.
As you can see, overeating stems from your mindset. Use the tips mentioned above to harness your mental ability and prevent overeating to reach your goals faster!
Staff Writer; Lamar Jacobs
Your Fitness Guru and more… Feel free to contact him at; LamarJ@ThyBlackMan.com.