“I love food so much I can't stop eating!”
This is a common excuse for being overweight but often it does not stand up to scrutiny.
Eating Should be a Pleasure
Eating is something that we have to do and we have been equipped with sensory mechanisms that fully enable our enjoyment of the act of eating. There can be nothing more enjoyable than a relaxed meal eating fine food in a comfortable location with stimulating company. Every aspect of the meal is important.
For food to be enjoyed, it must be savoured – the tastes the textures the fragrances all coming together to produce a comfortable physical and mental experience.
Do You Overeat at the Expense of Enjoyment?
Examination of the eating habits of someone saying they are overweight because they can’t stop eating, normally reveals that they eat very quickly – if it tastes that good, why are they not eating slowly to extract maximum pleasure from eating it? Sometimes the only pleasure is the fat that inevitably results from overeating and the individual does not realise it but are happy being fat.
Eating food quickly prevents one from fully experiencing the taste of that food. So frequently people who are overweight think about food all the time – except when they are eating it!
Even someone who says they can’t stop eating has to stop when they become physically unwell. The onset of physical discomfort is easily overcome by eating quickly. It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to register food eaten. If someone says they can’t stop eating what they are usually saying is that they can’t stop eating until they are ill. The quicker one eats the more one can eat before one feels ill and has to stop. Claiming to be overeating because food tastes so good therefore becomes a race to see how much food can be consumed before experiencing discomfort.
The second strategy to avoid feeling physically ill through eating too much is to condition oneself to expect discomfort after eating. This process can start extremely young and you may be inadvertently be training your children to comfort eat.
Weight Control Cannot be Achieved at the Expense of Enjoyment
It is not uncommon for my clients to discover that they have been regularly eating food that they do not like and nearly all of my weight control clients report that their enjoyment of food and overall sense of wellbeing increases (while the amount eaten decreases).
If your excuse for being unable to lose weight because you can’t stop eating, hypnotherapy may be the way forward for you. If you want to control your weight whilst at the same time experiencing a increase in your enjoyment of food maybe you should try hypnotherapy.
Book an appointment today. Ring Stephen Rigby on 01483 566115 or book online.
Appointments are available in Guildford or Woking, Surrey. Remember to ask about free introductory sessions.