In the U.S., one out of every three adults are obese. That’s a crazy number and it’s only getting bigger. Why are so many people becoming obese? How did this become such a problem? Although there are many factors behind obesity, overeating is a major cause.

Recognizing How

You might be overeating and not even realize it. There are plenty of scientific reasons to explain why we overeat, but to be honest those aren’t interesting and they don’t resonate with us. They don’t hold meaning if we can’t fully understand what the reasons are.

So, we found three actual, real-life reasons why we could be overeating. These are day-to-day things that make sense to us. They are relevant and relatable.

Here are three real reasons that people overeat.

1. You are eating while distracted.

Whether you’re eating while working, while watching TV, or while playing on your smartphone– eating and multitasking will prompt you to indulge in more. When your brain is too busy paying attention to other things, it will be slow to notice that you’ve had enough to eat. By time your brain notices, it will be too late and you will have already eaten more than you need to.

You are eating while distracted
2. You are eating too fast.

There are a lot of different reasons why we feel satisfied after eating a meal. Having a full stomach is one of those reasons. When we take the time to eat slowly, our brain will signal that we are full a lot sooner than when we are eating quickly. This means that the quicker we eat, the more food it will take to realize that we are full. If you eat at a slower pace, it will take less food to realize that you are full. It will also take less food to feel satisfied with your meal. Long story short, eating slower will let you consume less food and feel full.

3. You are eating empty calories.

When a food is high in calories but low in nutrition, we need to eat more of it to feel full. If there is no nutritional value in the food we are eating, it won’t do anything good to our body–hence “empty calories”. When food is filled with vitamins and nutrients, it gives us energy to get through the day and protects us from weight gain. Since we eat to fuel our bodies, if we are eating empty calories our body will not be fueled. Empty calories will cause us to eat more and more, and feel hungry all the time.

Summary With these tips, you will be able to be aware of when you may be overeating. Remember to slow down and fill your plate with nutritious snacks to get you through the day.

Disclaimer: Any information provided is not intended as medical advice. Iowa Diabetes is not responsible for any information from third parties.