Why do we eat too much?
Why do we eat when we aren't hungry?
Why does it sometimes seem the more we eat the less enjoyment we get out of it?
Boredom, stress, the need for emotional comfort, nutritional deficiencies, and just plain old calorie unawareness are all secondary reasons for overeating, according to weight management expert Ron Brown, author of The Body Fat Guide. Brown claims, "The primary reason we overeat is because we seek more pleasure and satisfaction from our food."
"Many people believe an obese person who sits on the couch all day eating cheeseburgers is selfishly indulging in too much pleasure and satisfaction," says Brown. "But, no one develops an insatiable appetite because they are receiving too much satisfaction; they develop insatiable appetites because they are not receiving enough satisfaction. For example, a lean person will eat a meal of healthy food, feel totally satisfied when finished, and go about his business. An obese person, on the other hand, will finish a meal, not feel satisfied, and continue to search for something else to eat. I believe an obese person who overeats all day derives no more overall pleasure and satisfaction than a lean person who eats a normal amount of food."
Brown points out that when a moderate eater overeats they experience pain and discomfort, not more satisfaction. "The overeater learns to suppress the pain of overeating with even more food," says Brown. "The fact is, bite for bite, overeaters are not getting as much pleasure out of eating as you might expect. That's why they continue to overeat."
And, says Brown, the more they overeat, the less satisfaction they get. The reason is explained by what he calls the Fatigued Taste-Bud Syndrome. "The sensitivity and response of your taste buds diminish as they become fatigued from eating," says Brown. "It then takes larger and stronger amounts of stimulation from highly processed, spiced-up junk food to continue to trigger nerve responses to the sensory centers in your brain. Normal quantities of healthy food don't hit the spot anymore."
"Adding too much of these types of overstimulating foods to your diet progressively leads to more taste-bud fatigue and the desire for greater stimulation," says Brown. "One becomes trapped in a syndrome of taste-bud fatigue and overeating. You receive less pleasure the more you eat. Soon you are just mindlessly swallowing gobs of junk and hardly tasting it anymore. In the meantime, the empty calories keep piling on."
How do you breakout of the Fatigued Taste-Bud Syndrome? The key is to gradually restore your normal taste-bud response with better quality foods, says Brown. "Rather than continuously attempting to wake up your taste buds with more junk food, as commercial interests advertise, give your taste buds a rest by selecting better quality foods and returning to a normal feeding schedule. This will eventually allow your taste buds to restore their normal sensitivity, which will give you greater pleasure and satisfaction on normal quantities of food."
"And give it time," adds Brown. "You often can't just
totally eliminate overstimulating foods without feeling deprived and triggering
a rebound binge. You gradually trained your taste buds to acquire a taste
for too much overstimulating foods. You just have to reverse the