7 Interesting Reasons We Eat Other than Hunger ...

So you’re sitting in front of the television watching a boring movie that you’ve seen a thousand times and all you can think is, “you know what would make this better? A big bowl of ice-cream…or maybe pizza…or maybe both!” Sound familiar? It definitely rings a bell for me! Being bored is definitely one of the main reasons we eat other than hunger because you’re trying to fill that boredom with your favorite home made 9-cheese macaroni and cheese! And even though that macaroni might taste amazing, it’s not doing you any good to eat it. In fact it’s doing bad by causing you to overeat! Instead of eating to fill up your free time, try taking up a new hobby. I love to read so whenever I’m feeling bored I pick up my favorite book and focus my mind on something else. Give it a go!

Whenever I’m really upset about something, all I want to do is stick my face in a huge tub of ice cream. When we’re upset all we want is comfort right? Well for a lot of us, unhealthy food is unfortunately a really great best friend in times of distress. And although it might be unhealthy, I have to say that I am all for wallowing and getting my emotions out with a face full of ice cream. However, if you’re trying to be healthier, try exercising instead. Being active helps de-stress you and maybe taking a kick boxing class or belting a punch bag will help you get your anger out as well!

Sometimes one of the main reasons why we eat is because we are so used to it. When you get home from work, do you head straight for the kitchen and eat a snack just because you do that everyday? Habits can be really tough to break, especially if they concern food! But once in a while try to stop heading straight for the kitchen and try doing other things first. If you do other things right away, it will help break your routine of always going to the fridge just because you walked through the door at the end of the day.

One of the main reasons we tend to eat when we're not hungry is simply because we were taught to eat! When you were young did your parents tell you that you had to finish your meal as to not waste food or because they simply wanted you to eat enough? Well now that you’re older, you are probably still in that mind set of not wanting to waste anything so you try to clear your plate even if half of your meal would have satisfied you. But ladies don’t worry, there is indeed a marvelous invention that can solve this age old problem! Yup, you guessed it…Tupperware! When you get full during your meal, save it for later when you are actually hungry! Don’t continue to stare at it and convince yourself that you can take one more bite because one more turns into five more in a blink of an eye!

Are you the kind of person who decides to take the stairs instead of the elevator one day but because you’re feeling so proud of yourself that you make a stop at the vending machine to grab a bag of chips as your reward for being so healthy? If you are, you are probably just like the rest of us then. Rewarding yourself for being healthy is a great thing, but don’t ruin your healthy streak by eating chips. Reward yourself with a good old pat on the back or if that’s not enough, reward yourself with a new purse instead! Just don’t break the bank with all of your rewards.

Another reason we eat other than hunger is definitely being surrounded by delicious food! If you walked into a room filled to the brim with all of your favorite foods, could you honestly say that you wouldn’t take one bite, even if a minute ago you weren’t even thinking about food? Of course not! Being around food makes us want to eat it! And unfortunately it is pretty hard to find a place without the foods we love. So I have to give the solution to this one to self control! Good luck!

This reason definitely came as somewhat of a surprise to me. Mistaking thirst for hunger? It sounds impossible but it’s actually very true! And it’s one of the main reasons many people struggle while losing weight. So next time you’re feeling a bit snacky, go for a nice tall glass of water instead. Drinking more water will make you want to eat less and lose more!

Eating when you’re not really hungry can be a major reason for not losing weight or not being as healthy as you would like. But building up your self control and learning when NOT to eat can make a world of difference! Have you ever been guilty of any of these reasons we eat other than hunger?