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Six Reasons You Could Be Overeating

By Pooja Kaushal

Late on a hot afternoon we finally located the restaurant we had been searching for. It was well past lunch time and our hunger pangs were getting worse. Be it out of excitement or hunger we placed a good order for our meal and ended up having a very hearty one. By the time we were done we realized we had eaten much more than our regular diet. What followed was definitely not a comfortable experience.

DIET TRICKS WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T

How many times have you too found yourself in a situation where you have overeaten? Have you ever tried reasoning as to why we overeat at times? There are quite a few reasons for this which we know but tend to ignore on many occasions.

Reasons Overeating | Eating More | Diet Tips

Television and food combination: You talk to any dietician, pick up any health magazine or browse through health sections of news magazines the combination of television and food has always been looked down upon. What happens in front of the TV is mindless eating and one does not realize the quantity one has eaten. This manner of having meals has also resulted in the rise of obesity among children and adults alike.

Meals with friends and family: A well-spread table surrounded with friends and family becomes a perfect setting for a sumptuous meal. Even a simple home cooked meal becomes a feast and while chatting with each other one never realizes how much one has eaten. A full course meal is enjoyed right from the starter to the dessert.

Inactivity: It is an old saying that ‘an idle mind is a devil’s workshop’. This ‘workshop’ also wreaks havoc on the health of the individual. Boredom and loneliness drives the brain into feeling the urge to eat something and this something often happens to belong to all the unhealthy category of foods. One ends up eating stuff high in sodium, sugar and starch. Before one can realize one would have overeaten which often leads to many diseases.

Irregular meal times: The body has its own system of functioning and expects to receive food at a particular time. If one does not maintain a regular schedule for meals the body tends to get confused and in turn confuses the brain as regards the diet. One may feel hungrier than what is real and engage in overeating. When eating later than usual many think that a little bit of extra will do good but in reality it is not so and that extra goes in to the category of over indulgence.

Midnight snack: Midnight is the time to be in bed and fast asleep. The current lifestyle has become such that sleeping early has become a rarity. Staying up late also means keeping the body functions awake and hence hunger calls at night as well. When food is consumed at the wrong time, at a time it should not be then more than the required quantity is taken.

In-between snacks: Now-a-days there are many activities that are made to revolve around food. Due to this very reason snacking has become a common activity among all which, sad to say, is not a good habit. This in-between food ends up being unaccounted for during meal times one has a full plate of food.

The harms of overeating are many and one way to bring about a change for the better would be to change one’s lifestyle. It sure is not an easy task to do but efforts can be made towards a better future. It will not only save you money but also add a few extra years to your life.

Story first published: Saturday, June 21, 2014, 12:07 [IST]
Read more about: diet health