Eat non stop

Why Can’t I Stop Eating? How to Curb Compulsive Eating

Written by Jennifer Rainey Marquez

Think back to the last time you ate so much you felt absolutely stuffed. Were you tearing into a huge cake to celebrate a friend’s birthday? Loading up on turkey and sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving? Or were you at home alone, maybe at the end of a tough day? How did you feel afterward -- simply annoyed that you gave yourself a stomachache? Or were you tormented by guilt or shame?

Eating too much every once in a while is normal. So is eating for emotional reasons. “From the moment we’re born, we’re nurtured with food, rewarded with food, and so emotional connections to food are normal,” says Michelle May, MD, author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat.

People who compulsively overeat, though, may use food as their only way of coping with negative emotions. As a result, they often feel that their eating is out of control. They think about food all the time and feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed after eating. “That’s very different from what someone feels after, say, eating a big Thanksgiving meal,” May says. “You might feel full, and you might regret having had that last slice of pie, but you’re not consumed with shame.”

Some people who overeat have a clinical disorder called binge eating disorder (BED). People with BED compulsively eat large amounts of food in a short amount of time and feel guilt or shame afterward. And they do so often: at least once a week over a period of at least 3 months.

Not everyone who overeats is a binger. You might eat a lot of food throughout the day, rather than all in one sitting. And you might not do it regularly, but only when you’re feeling stressed, lonely, or upset.

How does it start?

In some cases, people simply overeat out of mindless habit, like always sitting down with a bag of chips in front of the TV at night. But oftentimes, it’s the result of underlying emotional problems. Having a negative body image can play a big role.

For many people, compulsive overeating is part of a cycle that starts with a restrictive diet. May calls it the “eat, repent, repeat” cycle. You might begin a diet because you feel bad about your weight or size but find that it’s too hard to stick to -- especially if you use food as a coping tool. Eventually, you hit a breaking point and binge on “forbidden” foods, and then the guilt and shame set in, and the restrictions begin again.

The cycle can be hard to break. “Even people who say they’re not on a diet often have ingrained ideas about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods,” says Marsha Hudnall, president of Green Mountain at Fox Run in Vermont, a center for women who struggle with overeating. “But when you have a substance that is naturally appealing and soothing and comforting, and you make it off-limits, it just becomes more attractive.”

Can people be “addicted” to food?

In recent years, food addiction has become a popular idea among some scientists. Those researchers say that certain foods high in fat, sugar, and salt are addictive, causing changes in the brain similar to those made by drugs. Studies in animals have shown that rats that binge on sugar, for example, can develop signs of dependency.

But the idea of food addiction is controversial. For one thing, the standard treatment for addiction is abstinence, and that’s not possible with food. Also, “dieting is a very strong component of the binge eating cycle,” May says. “From that standpoint, it’s counterproductive to label certain foods as negative.”

There’s no doubt that eating can stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, Hudnall says. “But that doesn’t make food an addictive substance. There’s evidence that it’s actually the behavior -- the restrict/binge cycle -- that causes the signs of dependency, not the food itself,” she says. Some researchers have even stated that the term “eating addiction” is a more accurate term than “food addiction.”

How can I control compulsive eating?

Seek help. It can be hard to stop overeating on your own, particularly if there are deep-rooted emotional problems involved, says Robin B. Kanarek, PhD, professor of psychology at Tufts University. Working with a counselor can help you uncover the psychological triggers -- like a negative body image -- that may be driving your behavior.

Avoid labels. “Understand that you’re not a bad person doing bad things,” May says. “Labeling yourself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy in terms of continuing the cycle.”

The same goes for labeling foods. “Food is food -- it’s not ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” Kanarek says. “It can be hard to get over those deeply held beliefs, but research shows that if you eat what you deem a ‘bad’ food, you’re more likely to overeat afterward.”

Take a pause. When you feel like eating, pause for a moment and ask yourself: Am I hungry? “Sometimes people get so focused on what they want to eat that they don’t stop and ask themselves why they want to eat,” May says. If you use food as a coping tool, you may be out of touch with the cues that signal hunger or fullness, and it’s important to bring your awareness back to your body.

Change your environment. “A habit is very often simply a behavior that’s on autopilot,” Hudnall says. Making a tweak to your environment can return your focus to your behavior and give you a chance to make a more purposeful decision. For example, Hudnall says, “if you always sit in a certain chair to eat, move it to a different place in the room -- or sit somewhere else entirely.”

Give into cravings -- in moderation. Banning foods can cause you to overeat them later on. If you’re really craving something -- even if you’re not hungry -- give yourself permission to have a small amount.

End restrictive diets . “Overeating and restrictive eating are often two sides of the same coin,” May says. “Deprivation can be a trigger for overeating just like stress, anger, or anxiety.”

Binge Eating Disorder - HelpGuide.org

What is binge eating disorder?

All of us eat too much from time to time. But if you regularly overeat while feeling out of control and powerless to stop, you may be suffering from binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder where you frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling powerless to stop and extremely distressed during or after eating. You may eat to the point of discomfort, then be plagued by feelings of guilt, shame, or depression afterwards, beat yourself up for your lack of self-control, or worry about what compulsive eating will do to your body.

Binge eating disorder typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood, often after a major diet. During a binge, you may eat even when you're not hungry and continue eating long after you're full. You may also binge so fast you barely register what you're eating or tasting. Unlike bulimia, however, there are no regular attempts to “make up” for the binges through vomiting, fasting, or over-exercising.

You may find that binge eating is comforting for a brief moment, helping to ease unpleasant emotions or feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety. But then reality sets back in and you're flooded with feelings of regret and self-loathing. Binge eating often leads to weight gain and obesity, which only reinforces compulsive eating. The worse you feel about yourself and your appearance, the more you use food to cope. It becomes a vicious cycle: eating to feel better, feeling even worse, and then turning back to food for relief. As powerless as you may feel about your eating disorder, it’s important to know that binge eating disorder is treatable. You can learn to break the binge eating cycle, better manage your emotions, develop a healthier relationship with food, and regain control over your eating and your health.

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Signs and symptoms

If you have binge eating disorder, you may feel embarrassed and ashamed about your eating habits, and try to hide your symptoms by eating in secret.

Behavioral symptoms of binge eating and compulsive overeating

Inability to stop eating or control what you're eating.
Rapidly eating large amounts of food.
Eating even when you're full.
Hiding or stockpiling food to eat later in secret.
Eating normally around others, but gorging when you're alone.
Eating continuously throughout the day, with no planned mealtimes.

Emotional symptoms

Feeling stress or tension that is only relieved by eating.
Embarrassment over how much you're eating.
Feeling numb while bingeing—like you're not really there or you're on auto-pilot.
Never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat.
Feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after overeating.
Desperation to control weight and eating habits.

Do you have binge eating disorder?

Do you feel out of control when you're eating?
Do you think about food all the time?
Do you eat in secret?
Do you eat until you feel sick?
Do you eat to escape from worries, relieve stress, or to comfort yourself?
Do you feel disgusted or ashamed after eating?
Do you feel powerless to stop eating, even though you want to?

The more “yes” answers, the more likely it is that you have binge eating disorder.

Causes and effects

Generally, it takes a combination of things to develop binge eating disorder—including your genes, emotions, and experience.

Social and cultural risk factors. Social pressure to be thin can add to the you feel and fuel your emotional eating. Some parents unwittingly set the stage for binge eating by using food to comfort, dismiss, or reward their children. Children who are exposed to frequent critical comments about their bodies and weight are also vulnerable, as are those who have been sexually abused in childhood.

Psychological risk factors. Depression and binge eating are strongly linked. Many binge eaters are either depressed or have been before; others may have trouble with impulse control and managing and expressing their feelings. Low self-esteem, loneliness, and body dissatisfaction may also contribute to binge eating.

Biological risk factors. Biological abnormalities can contribute to binge eating. For example, the hypothalamus (the part of your brain that controls appetite) may not be sending correct messages about hunger and fullness. Researchers have also found a genetic mutation that appears to cause food addiction. Finally, there is evidence that low levels of the brain chemical serotonin play a role in compulsive eating.

Effects of binge eating disorder

Binge eating leads to a wide variety of physical, emotional, and social problems. You're more likely to suffer health issues, stress, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts than someone without an eating disorder. You may also experience depression, anxiety, and substance abuse as well as substantial weight gain.

As bleak as this sounds, though, many people are able to recover from binge eating disorder and reverse the unhealthy effects. You can, too. The first step is to re-evaluate your relationship with food.

Binge eating recovery tip 1: Develop a healthier relationship with food

Recovery from any addiction is challenging, but it can be especially difficult to overcome binge eating and food addiction. Unlike other addictions, your “drug” is necessary for survival, so you don't have the option of avoiding or replacing it. Instead, you need to develop a healthier relationship with food—a relationship that's based on meeting your nutritional needs, not your emotional ones. To do this, you have to break the binge eating cycle by:

Avoiding temptation. You're much more likely to overeat if you have junk food, desserts, and unhealthy snacks in the house. Remove the temptation by clearing your fridge and cupboards of your favorite binge foods.

Listening to your body. Learn to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. If you ate recently and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving time to pass.

Eating regularly. Don't wait until you're starving. This only leads to overeating! Stick to scheduled mealtimes, as skipping meals often leads to binge eating later in the day.

Not avoiding fat. Contrary to what you might think, dietary fat can actually help keep you from overeating and gaining weight. Try to incorporate healthy fat at each meal to keep you feeling satisfied and full.

Fighting boredom. Instead of snacking when you're bored, distract yourself. Take a walk, call a friend, read, or take up a hobby such as painting or gardening.

Focusing on what you're eating. How often have you binged in an almost trance-like state, not even enjoying what you're consuming? Instead of eating mindlessly, be a mindful eater. Slow down and savor the textures and flavors. Not only will you eat less, you'll enjoy it more.

The importance of deciding not to diet

After a binge, it's only natural to feel the need to diet to compensate for overeating and to get back on track with your health. But dieting usually backfires. The deprivation and hunger that comes with strict dieting triggers food cravings and the urge to overeat.

Instead of dieting, focus on eating in moderation. Find nutritious foods that you enjoy and eat only until you feel content, not uncomfortably stuffed. Avoid banning or restricting certain foods, as this can make you crave them even more. Instead of saying “I can never eat ice cream,” say “I will eat ice cream as an occasional treat.”

Tip 2: Find better ways to feed your feelings

One of the most common reasons for binge eating is an attempt to manage unpleasant emotions such as stress, depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety. When you have a bad day, it can seem like food is your only friend. Binge eating can temporarily make feelings such as stress, sadness, anxiety, depression, and boredom evaporate into thin air. But the relief is very fleeting.

Identify your triggers with a food and mood diary

One of the best ways to identify the patterns behind your binge eating is to keep track with a food and mood diary. Every time you overeat or feel compelled to reach for your version of comfort food Kryptonite, take a moment to figure out what triggered the urge. If you backtrack, you'll usually find an upsetting event that kicked off the binge.

Write it all down in your food and mood diary: what you ate (or wanted to eat), what happened to upset you, how you felt before you ate, what you felt as you were eating, and how you felt afterward. Over time, you'll see a pattern emerge.

Learn to tolerate the feelings that trigger your binge eating

The next time you feel the urge to binge, instead of giving in, take a moment to stop and investigate what's going on inside.

Identify the emotion you're feeling. Do your best to name what you're feeling. Is it anxiety? Shame? Hopelessness? Anger? Loneliness? Fear? Emptiness?

Accept the experience you're having. Avoidance and resistance only make negative emotions stronger. Instead, try to accept what you're feeling without judging it or yourself.

Dig deeper. Explore what's going on. Where do you feel the emotion in your body? What kinds of thoughts are going through your head?

Distance yourself. Realize that you are NOT your feelings. Emotions are passing events, like clouds moving across the sky. They don't define who you are.

Sitting with your feelings may feel extremely uncomfortable at first. Maybe even impossible. But as you resist the urge to binge, you'll start to realize that you don't have to give in. There are other ways to cope. Even emotions that feel intolerable are only temporary. They'll quickly pass if you stop fighting them. You're still in control. You can choose how to respond.

For a step-by-step guide to learning how to manage unpleasant and uncomfortable emotions, check out HelpGuide's free Emotional Intelligence Toolkit.

Tip 3: Take back control of cravings

Sometimes it feels like the urge to binge hits without warning. But even when you're in the grip of a seemingly overpowering and uncontrollable urge, there are things you can do to help yourself stay in control.

Accept the urge and ride it out, instead of trying to fight it. This is known as “urge surfing.” Think of the urge to binge as an ocean wave that will soon crest, break, and dissipate. When you ride out the urge, without trying to battle, judge, or ignore it, you'll see that it passes more quickly than you'd think.

Distract yourself. Anything that engages your attention will work: taking a walk, calling a friend, watching something funny online, etc. Once you get interested in something else, the urge to binge may go away.

Talk to someone. When you start to notice the urge to binge, turn to a friend or family member you trust. Sharing what you're going through can help you feel better and discharge the urge to binge.

Delay, delay, delay. Even if you're unsure if you'll be able to fight the urge to binge, make an effort to delay it. Try to hold off for 1 minute. If you succeed. Try to stretch it out to 5 minutes. If you delay long enough, you may be able to avoid the binge.

Tip 4: Support yourself with healthy lifestyle habits

When you're physically strong, relaxed, and well rested, you're better able to handle the curveballs that life inevitably throws your way. But when you're already exhausted and overwhelmed, any little hiccup has the potential to send you off the rails and straight toward the refrigerator. Exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits will help you get through difficult times without binge eating.

Make time for regular exercise. Physical activity does wonders for your mood and your energy levels, and it's also a powerful stress reducer. The natural mood-boosting effects of exercise can help put a stop to emotional eating.

Get enough sleep every night. When you don't get the sleep you need, your body craves sugary foods that will give you a quick energy boost. Sleep deprivation may even trigger food addiction. Getting plenty of rest will help with appetite control and reduce food cravings, and support your mood.

Connect with others. Don't underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. You're more likely to succumb to binge eating triggers if you lack a solid support network. Talking helps, even if it's not with a professional.

Manage stress. One of the most important aspects of controlling binge eating is to find alternate ways to handle stress and other overwhelming feelings without using food. These may include meditating, using sensory relaxation strategies, and practicing simple breathing exercises.

How to help someone with binge eating disorder

Since binge eaters often try to hide their symptoms and eat in secret, it can make it tough for family and friends to spot the warning signs. And you can't always identify a binge eater by appearance, either. While some are overweight or obese, others manage to maintain a normal weight.

The warning signs that you can spot include finding piles of empty food packages and wrappers, cupboards and refrigerators that have been cleaned out, or hidden stashes of high-calorie or junk food. If you suspect that your loved one has binge eating disorder, bring up your concerns. It may seem daunting to start such a delicate conversation, and the person may deny bingeing or become angry and defensive. But there's a chance that he or she will welcome the opportunity to share the struggle.

If the person shuts you out at first, don't give up; it may take some time before your loved one is willing to admit to having a problem. And remember: as difficult as it is to know that someone you love may be have an eating disorder, you can't force someone to change. The decision to seek recovery has to come from them. You can help by offering your compassion, encouragement, and support throughout the treatment process.

Tips for helping someone with binge eating disorder

Encourage your loved one to seek help. The longer an eating disorder remains undiagnosed and untreated, the more difficult it will be to overcome, so urge your loved one to get treatment.

Be supportive. Try to listen without judgment and make sure the person knows you care. If your loved one slips up on the road to recovery, remind them that it doesn't mean they can't quit binge eating for good.

Avoid insults, lectures, or guilt trips. Binge eaters feel bad enough about themselves and their behavior already. Lecturing, getting upset, or issuing ultimatums to a binge eater will only increase stress and make the situation worse. Instead, make it clear that you care about the person's health and happiness and you'll continue to be there.

Set a good example by eating healthily, exercising, and managing stress without food. Don't make negative comments about your own body or anyone else's.

Helplines and support

In the U.S.
National Eating Disorders Association or call 1-800-931-2237 (National Eating Disorders Association)
UK
Beat Eating Disorders or call 0345 643 1414 (Helpfinder)
Australia
Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders or call 1800 33 4673 (National Eating Disorders Collaboration)
Canada
Service Provider Directory or call 1-866-633-4220 (NEDIC)
Worldwide support groups
Overeaters Anonymous – Find a 12-step meeting for binge eating recovery. (Overeaters Anonymous)

Eating Disorders Anonymous – Find support and group meetings with other eating disorder sufferers in your area. (Eating Disorders Anonymous)

Last updated or reviewed on February 24, 2023

13 reasons why you are constantly hungry

July 17, 2017 Health

Even after lunch and a snack, one is tempted to make a sandwich with sausage and take one more candy. Constant hunger has unexpected causes.

1. Stress

Hormones are to blame for everything. Adrenaline, which is released into the blood during severe stress, dulls hunger. But cortisol, which also always accompanies stress, especially long-term stress, blocks the “anti-starvation” effect of adrenaline, and we are ready to chew everything that comes to hand. When cortisol levels drop, you don't want to eat again.

2.

Thirst Rajarshi MITRA / Flickr.com

We have difficulty distinguishing between what we want to eat or drink. And since food also contains moisture, it seems to us that our needs are partially satisfied. Try drinking first and then eating after a few minutes. Maybe you don't want to eat. And if you want, then you will not move.

3. Blood sugar surge

If you snack on sweets or donuts, the hormone insulin enters the blood to process glucose. It breaks down carbohydrates for energy or storage. But if you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, too much insulin will be released. So much so that the amount of sugar in the blood will drop dramatically and you will feel hungry.

4. Diabetes

This is a disease associated with insulin. You may be eating enough, but your body is not converting food into energy because in diabetes, there is not enough insulin or it can't do the job. Additional symptoms: thirst, weakness, frequent desire to go to the toilet.

5.

Low blood sugar Shelby Bell / Flickr.com

Hypoglycemia is a condition where the body does not have enough fuel. It can appear due to the wrong medication for diabetes or the wrong diet, when you eat irregularly, or if you have a high load and lack of carbohydrates in your diet. If your diet is okay, see your doctor. You may have to measure your blood sugar levels and look for a disease that provokes hunger.

6. Pregnancy

Sometimes it happens that in the early stages of pregnancy, when there are no other signs, a woman's appetite increases. If there is a reason to think about pregnancy, just take a test.

7. Eating at speed

Eat and even snack slowly so that the body has time to realize when you have eaten. The sugar level should change, the stomach should fill up. This takes time, plus the brain needs to be aware of all the changes. Eat slower and you'll be less hungry.

8. Smells and pictures

Ref54 / Flickr.com

The feeling of hunger is not always caused by the needs of the body. Sometimes we succumb to tricks: we will see something tasty or we will smell something, so we are more likely to get a dose of pleasure from food. If you are hungry all the time, maybe you should go to the kitchen less often and surf on cooking websites?

9. Wrong food

Even meals from the same product affect the feeling of satiety in different ways. For example, after a portion of boiled potatoes, you do not want to eat for a long time, and after a portion of french fries, hunger picks up faster.

10. Emotions

It's not just the stress that makes your feet go to the refrigerator. Sometimes we eat boredom, sadness, depression. Maybe it's all about the constant bad mood? Instead of eating, try to do another pleasant thing, but rather figure out why you can’t be happy. The psychologist will help.

11. Overactive Thyroid

Vincent Brassinne / Flickr.com

Let's say you're nervous, upset, and hungry all the time. And there seems to be no reason. Then go to the endocrinologist: perhaps thyroid hormones are to blame for everything. Then you need to be treated or have surgery.

12. Medicines

Some medicines change appetite. Often these side effects come from antidepressants, but sometimes antihistamines, antipsychotics, and corticosteroid-based medications affect hunger. If after taking the medication you feel hungry, tell your doctor about it, but do not stop being treated on your own.

13. Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep changes the balance of leptin and ghrelin, hormones responsible for hunger. Therefore, you want to eat, and something fatter and sweeter.

Constantly hungry, want to eat, constant hunger

Ira Morgunova found out why you are always hungry and explained how to reduce your appetite and cope with the desire to once again look into the refrigerator.

Hunger is a physiological or psychological feeling of the need for food, the presence or absence of which is determined by a number of factors, ranging from hormonal levels to emotional state. It's one thing to experience an increased appetite after a hard workout or during pregnancy and PMS, it's quite another to feel like a bottomless barrel and want to eat an hour after dinner. It is easy to guess what the satisfaction of such hungry urges is fraught with.

1. You are dehydrated

Water deficiency often masquerades as hunger, when in fact your body simply does not have enough fluid. The confusion occurs in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain where the hunger, thirst, and satiety centers are located. To avoid this, drink water in the morning and before every meal. And if you feel hungry again, even though you ate just recently, try drinking a glass of water and waiting 15 minutes. It may well be that this is exactly what you really needed. Challenger medical expert Dima Solovyov once and for all explained how much water you need to drink and why it is so important, especially if you play sports and lead a healthy lifestyle.

2.

You don't sleep well

Lack of sleep contributes to an increase in the level of ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite) and a decrease in the level of leptin (which is responsible for the feeling of satiety). Lack of sleep makes you not only overwhelmed, irritable and absent-minded, but also hungry. The body, in a desperate attempt to restore energy, causes an irresistible desire to eat something sweet, even if you are not at all hungry. Full 7-8 hours of sleep normalize not only mood swings, but also hormone levels. We give 18 tips that will help you fall asleep faster, and if you are chronically unable to sleep, then you need to urgently understand the reasons: perhaps the problem is hidden in daily and at first glance harmless habits or in inappropriate sleeping positions.

3. You eat a lot of fast carbohydrates

You can’t just take and eat only one donut and not reach for the second. And where there is a second, there is a third, and as long as there is at least one donut in the box, it is impossible to stop. This is how your body reacts to simple carbohydrates, which cause your blood sugar levels to spike and then plummet. As a result, the body requires carbohydrates to restore balance, the hand, in turn, reaches for the cake again, the circle closes. To avoid this trap, avoid simple carbohydrate foods and include fiber-rich foods (almonds, apples, quinoa, chia seeds) in your diet. Satisfy your hunger and get useful trace elements.

4. You are nervous

If you try to list all the side effects of stress, then it will take more than a dozen hours and hundreds of nerve cells. Not only does it lead to depression and neurosis, but it still has the power to make you completely insatiable. When you are nervous, the body begins to intensively produce stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), thereby giving a signal to the brain that you are in danger, which means that you urgently need energy. As a result, a brutal appetite and products swept clean from the shelves of the refrigerator. If you follow the stress all the time and act according to the momentary impulse, then there is a great risk of not only getting fat, quarreling with friends and falling into depression, but also completely losing control over your own life. Stress is inevitable in life, but we are still in favor of less caloric and more creative ways to deal with it: for example, yoga and running.

5. You drink a lot of alcohol

A glass of wine at dinner not only helps to relax and shake off the hustle and bustle of the day, but also increases appetite at times. As a result, a person eats much more than planned. The conclusion from this suggests itself: if you want to curb and control your appetite, alcohol is definitely not your way. Scientists support this conclusion by proving that people consume significantly more food after they drink alcoholic beverages. This is largely due to the first point, namely the property of alcohol to dehydrate the body. And instead of drinking water, a person takes a second portion, thinking that he has not eaten enough.

6. You lack protein

Protein, unlike simple carbohydrates, which only whet the appetite, prolongs the feeling of satiety and helps suppress hunger. The popularity of protein diets is largely due to these properties of the protein. It is found in large quantities in Greek yogurt, eggs, and lean meats. By adding these foods to your diet, you will not only get vital amino acids, but also forget what constant hunger is.

7. You are low in fat

Due to the high content of omega-3 and omega-6 acids, unsaturated fats lower cholesterol levels, save from blood clots, have an antioxidant effect and, along with proteins, relieve hunger for a long time. Most unsaturated fats are found in fish, oil and nuts, so keep this in mind the next time you decide to snack. But even here the main thing is the measure: scientists have found that the daily proportion of fat should not exceed 20-35 percent of the total calories consumed.

8. You skip meals

Large gaps between meals lead to a surge in the hunger hormone ghrelin, which sends a signal to the brain that the stomach is empty, which means that there is a possibility of hunger. As a result, you get an uncontrollable appetite and the next time you sit down for lunch or dinner, you will eat much more than you really needed. Make it a rule to eat every 3-4 hours and never skip breakfast. And even if you don’t feel like anything at all in the morning, persuade yourself to eat at least a little yogurt, peanut butter or half an apple, otherwise your appetite will play out in earnest by noon. You can read about why it is so important to have a healthy breakfast here.

9. You are surrounded by photos of food

Wherever you go, whether it's a contemporary art exhibition or a park near your house, the first thing you stumble upon will be a van that will make a homemade burger in a matter of minutes. You will be very lucky if you still get to the walking alley or museum exhibit. Food is everywhere. Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook are the main broadcasters of who, where and what they eat. The world needs to know what I eat . Of course, there is absolutely nothing interesting happening in this very world, so let's take another look at this beautiful photo of scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Processed, thought out to the smallest detail, "delicious" photos can awaken a truly real appetite. Scientists have found that when looking at images of food, ghrelin begins to be produced, and a person already feels a very real hunger. Smells work in a similar way. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude viewing photos with food, but you can slightly reduce their number, at least in your own media space.

10. You eat too fast

There is a proven and scientifically proven way to avoid overeating - eat slowly and in small portions. Savoring each bite and chewing it thoroughly, you gradually reduce your appetite and reduce the total amount of food eaten.

Learn more