Comments on: "Mindless Eating" – Why Do We Continue to Eat When We Are Full?

By: Adam Renshaw

Adam Renshaw — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:49:46 +0000

Rusty,

I am a huge mindless eater. Until about a year ago I was pretty overweight, but now I've managed to get my weight is check, build a six pack and I'm now one of the fittest people on my soccer team. However, I've just started a new job working in corporate relations, and many events we put on are catered and they always leave excess food such as pastries, cakes, sandwiches etc. I find it extremely difficult to just have one or two items, and often end up mindlessly eating about 10 pastries, 10 sandwiches and 5 cakes in one sitting. This is worsened by the fact that it's all free, and professionally cooked (i.e. tasty).

Do you have any advice on how I can try and ignore the temptation to mindlessly eat at work? I don't think I can handle going back to being overweight and unhappy, but I don't feel like I can stop myself at this rate.

By: Lya

Lya — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:03:20 +0000

I can proudly say – I am NOT a mindless eater and took me a while to work on it ..I took this approach: every time the food is in front of me I took a step back and thought about it, remembering what ate through the day and how much I can allow myself to eat. When my stomach sent me signals that it's full, I have basically put the rest in the fridge (if I was at home), or into the rubbish bin (if I didnt' want it at all any more), if in restaurant, I'd put the napkin on it, so I didn't continue eating. And yes it was VERY hard.
I've also learned how to chew slooowly as it takes about 20 minutes for our brain to get the signal that we are full, so stretch your chewing, also better for digestion, plus drink a glass of water before your meal, you'll get full quicker
Cheers

By: Layla

Layla — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:55:21 +0000

I'm not really a mindless eater, but I was a BIG eater. As a little girl I would eat whatever was on my plate, then eat what was left in the kitchen and then eat what was left on the plates of father, brother and mother.

I am 25 now, have struggled with my weight pretty much all my life and I am now finally at a healthy weight! I do Atkins and I have gradually stopped eating so much.
Now I can have a normal sized salad for dinner and just be satisfied!

By: archash

archash — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:57:44 +0000

Hi Russ!

Yep! Extremely guilty here!

My main weaknesses are Pringles (one you pop you can't stop!) and Cheetos. I am a bit of a sweet tooth as well (Darn those M&M's). These things are probably what is halting my progress from losing these "last" stubborn 5-10lbs! Another Great read Russ!

P.S. – I just stumbled upon your site by accident (I actually forgot where I got the link lol). Like the many others here I'm also trying to get as LEAN as possible (my ultimate goal is the body Cam Giganet had in Never back down…yeah…I have a lot of work to do). I'm trying out ESE right now and pretty soon I'll be incorporating The Vacation Body Blueprint and Visual Impact to my lifestyle (I need to read them first but I keep getting sidetracked by all these other posts you made! curses! ). Anyway, great site Rusty. My eyes are officially "opened" and I cannot stop from reading AND backreading all the posts. Keep up the good work!

By: Ron

Ron — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:49:08 +0000

Read ‘Mindless Eating’ from Brian Wansink and you can get more comprehensive and practical suggestions on making simple changes that will allow you to lose 2 or 3 pounds per month. This is the best non-diet book there ever is.

By: Jayme

Jayme — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:23:45 +0000

I'm a total mindless eater. I HAVE to be almost obsessive about splitting up portions when I buy large quantities so that i don't just grab a container of something when I get that 'itch' to munch on something.

By: suzy

suzy — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:46:12 +0000

what is a bug in an adult stomach,how did i get it,i've been given anti biotics for next 14 days

By: charly

charly — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:32:00 +0000

i really think you are right. i am a mindless eater. i really think this is because of the way children are brought up. when you are small your parents always tell you to finish your dinner. 'you can't leave the table until you have finished all your meal.' and this is something that just stays with us. it seems an achievement to finish your plate after a big meal and everyone seems impressed when you do. mindless eating is just something that everyone does but i do think it shouldn't be in the way you feel bad for not finishing your plate. why has our world brought us up to think that it is ungrateful to not finish a meal. I do think that smaller portion sizes is the way forward. then you are eating less and not feeling bed for doing so.

By: lana

lana — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:09:02 +0000

Thank you for the artical
the olny thing it does not talk about is the reason why we are overeating
mostly people overeat high calorie foods because they are emotionaly upset or do not feel loved or accepted by others .

IF a person eats large amount of a high calorie foods there is no way out excersise that so that is vere the weight gain starts
at least that where it strated with me
i have found a site : Healyourhunger
they help with emotional eating

"LOVE HUNGER"
EMPTY HEART/EMPTY STOMACH

also know your trigers
sometimes it is better to stay away from foods that make you over eat .
" you dont take a first bite, you dont have a problem "

By: Vijay Kumar Raisinghani

Vijay Kumar Raisinghani — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:01:31 +0000

Excellent post! It is true that we continue to eat even when our stomach is full when we eat mindlessly. Bringing greater mindfulness while we eat, as well in our daily activities is the key to achieve greater peace, bliss and balance in our life.

By: Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:25:27 +0000

you ate two brownies!!! that is awful man. go punish yourself and run 80 miles.

By: David

David — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:00:51 +0000

Does anybody know which restaurant/store has nachos like that?

I would very much like to know.. they look great!

By: Chelsey

Chelsey — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:17:17 +0000

Thankyou so much for posting this website. I used to not think that i was that bad of a mindless eater but i am. I eat everything in front of me and it doesnt matter what it is I just eat it. Its so weird because you know most of the time you dont realize what your doing at all. Im going to become more aware because this is my problem and i need to beat it. Thanks!

By: Melani

Melani — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:39:07 +0000

Studies have been done on people with the "50 first dates" type of amnesia. They will eat meal after meal after meal, right in a row, so the researchers concluded that awareness has almost everything to do with feeling full after apropriate portion sizes.

I, too, am a mindless eater. The only good thing about that is I don't mind mindlessly eating carotts and celery.

By: D

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:26:11 +0000

Im also in this mindless eaters category. But what about ppl who sit there and have no urge to mindlessly munch. Its all down to filling an emotional void with food isnt it..?

By: Lillea Woodlyns - Intermittent Fasting Review

Lillea Woodlyns - Intermittent Fasting Review — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:57:25 +0000

Like some other people have found, intermittent fasting has helped me realise how much mindless eating I've done in my life.

I still eat mindlessly at times, but at least I'm more aware of it. Mindful Mindless Eating.

By: Sagheer

Sagheer — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:36:57 +0000

Thanks for replying Rusty! Now I have added my site's link. Will take your advice and see how it goes.

By: sangita

sangita — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:05:48 +0000

Just hope I did'nt come off criticising USA. Some of the most favourite things in my life are American!

By: Total knee replacement

Total knee replacement — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:32:12 +0000

you have explored awesome insights about Mindless eating, I do agree with you about some folks like me and you eating pizzas and bowls of nachos even though we are already full.

I think the logic that may work behind mindless eating could be to finish off the plate that has been offered to us. As a child i was taught to do so.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:06:36 +0000

Norbi,

I'm with you on salty trail mix type stuff…I have a hard time stopping.

Yash,

Both explanations make sense to me, but the second one seems more probable. My guess is that the stomach doesn't shrink after a fast…or at least not significantly. This would make for a good study, because after a certain period of time, I don't crave food.

joey,

It sounds like you know your weakness .I'm with you…I just keep this stuff out of my apartment most of the time.

sangita,

I'm sorry to hear that India is getting westernized…I like it when cultures stay a bit more unique. I think that soft drinks are a huge reason why people are overweight in the US. People can easily add 400-500 extra calories per day just by drinking soft drinks. Over the course of a month, this can add an extra 3 pounds of body fat. Over the course of a year…an extra 25-30 pounds. This is amplified even more if they eat fast food. I'm glad Brad Pilon has written Eat Stop Eat as well. I really enjoy his "no-nonsense" and realistic approach to staying lean.

Brandon,

I don't even buy cereal anymore, because I have no problem taking down an entire box. Golden Grahams are like crack to me!

Laura,

I don't include contact info, because I like to answer questions on the site (that way people with the same question can benefit). Your routine looks good. If your legs stay bulky even when you drop the body fat, then you may have to change your Monday workout a bit…besides that, it looks solid to me. As far as diet goes…do all of your workouts in a fasted state…that means no calorie of any type 3-4 hours before your training sessions. Drink black coffee or 2-3 cups of tea for a little caffeine boost if you need energy. I'd recommend "Eat Stop Eat" as the ideal diet to stay lean while enjoying regular food. Go to the top of my page and click "Best Diet Plan".

NancyJ,

That is great advice. I am always trying to get more veggies into my diet anyway, so this is a great solution. I think I will give that a shot. I seem to do alright with fruit, because it helps me avoid really big snacks, but I know what you mean by limiting it. I have never steamed vegetables ahead of time. I think I will do the same thing and add hot sauce when snacking on them (love spicy foods).

tony K,

Restaurants are really tough at times. I do plan on implementing the strategy where me and my girlfriend each get a salad and then split an main course. I also will not be afraid to eat half and then take the rest home, if the portions are too big.

Sagheer,

Thanks for recommending my site on your blog…you should enter your domain name when commenting, so your name becomes a link to your blog (that way people from my site will visit yours). I LOVE Indian food. Some spicy masala and nan with jasmine rice makes me happy. What you have to do is limit yourself to the carb-rich Indian food to maybe just 2 times per week. The rest of the time, you should eat indian style veggies and meat dishes. Also…don't be afraid to throw in low calorie days 1-2 times per week.

katie,

That is funny when someone demands you to eat everything on your plate and you don't get to chose the serving size. As far as buffets go, I used to love going to buffets…getting a lot of food for the money. Now I avoid them as much as possible, because the bottom line is that it is too tempting to eat as much as possible. The ocassional Sunday brunch or trips to Vegas are the exception. Las Vegas has some buffets that can't be missed.

Rusty