The End of Overeating: Taking control of our insatiable appetite
Posted Dec 12 2010 3:32pm
I really been enjoying this book after the last few weeks since I got it out of the library. If you're interested in reading it I won't reveal all that it's got to say (that would spoil it for you!) but here are a few highlights and my take on it.
The End of Overeating by David A Kessler explores why we overeat and how it can be controlled and prevented in the future. The reason reading this appealed to me was the craving I get that sometimes shouts so loud that I just have to shut it up - eating something sweet after my evening meal. Now, I don't want to give up sweet treats or desserts (life's too short!) but I want to always make a real actual decision to eat them and not to be giving in the that horrible craving feeling that I should be telling to bugger off rather than listening too!
This craving sensation, that is never fun or leads to anything very positive, is what's explored in the book.
The book talks about the science behind why certain people overeat
Something has changed: portion sizes are larger and junk food has become to easy to get hold of
The chemicals in junk food override the natural wisdom in the body (i.e knowing when we are full)
Sugar, fat and salt make us eat more sugar, fat and salt
We start to crave food like drugs, needing more and more for the 'hit'
The food industry create foods that make us crave them more
Foods we use to reward ourselves become more appealing
Emotions make foods more memorable
Eating behaviour (bad or good) becomes habit
And what we can do to control it
Reverse the habit
Plan your eating
Let go of the past
Avoid traps and 'bad' food cues
Talk down the cravings and urges
Have an alternative plan
Limit exposure to 'bad' foods or foods that we crave
Learn to actively resist cravings
It really is very interesting stuff and I could see myself in a lot of what he was describing. I have always known the reason that I have that craving for sweet stuff after my meal is down to my childhood - I would have sweets every single night after my tea (hey, it was the '80s!) and that becomes a deep rooted habit that's hard to shake. I have been able to shake it quite successfully over the last year or so and only really get that craving once or twice a week. But I do still get it, and it's horrible! I want to CHOOSE to have something sweet not HAVE to. Obviously, it's Christmas so sweet stuff is flying round all over the place and I fully intend to enjoy the season - but I have learned some really useful techniques for when that awful urge strikes in the future.
Have you read The End of Overeating? How do you control cravings?
The End of Overeating by David A Kessler explores why we overeat and how it can be controlled and prevented in the future. The reason reading this appealed to me was the craving I get that sometimes shouts so loud that I just have to shut it up - eating something sweet after my evening meal. Now, I don't want to give up sweet treats or desserts (life's too short!) but I want to always make a real actual decision to eat them and not to be giving in the that horrible craving feeling that I should be telling to bugger off rather than listening too!
This craving sensation, that is never fun or leads to anything very positive, is what's explored in the book.
The book talks about the science behind why certain people overeat
- Something has changed: portion sizes are larger and junk food has become to easy to get hold of
- The chemicals in junk food override the natural wisdom in the body (i.e knowing when we are full)
- Sugar, fat and salt make us eat more sugar, fat and salt
- We start to crave food like drugs, needing more and more for the 'hit'
- The food industry create foods that make us crave them more
- Foods we use to reward ourselves become more appealing
- Emotions make foods more memorable
- Eating behaviour (bad or good) becomes habit
And what we can do to control it- Reverse the habit
- Plan your eating
- Let go of the past
- Avoid traps and 'bad' food cues
- Talk down the cravings and urges
- Have an alternative plan
- Limit exposure to 'bad' foods or foods that we crave
- Learn to actively resist cravings
It really is very interesting stuff and I could see myself in a lot of what he was describing. I have always known the reason that I have that craving for sweet stuff after my meal is down to my childhood - I would have sweets every single night after my tea (hey, it was the '80s!) and that becomes a deep rooted habit that's hard to shake. I have been able to shake it quite successfully over the last year or so and only really get that craving once or twice a week. But I do still get it, and it's horrible! I want to CHOOSE to have something sweet not HAVE to. Obviously, it's Christmas so sweet stuff is flying round all over the place and I fully intend to enjoy the season - but I have learned some really useful techniques for when that awful urge strikes in the future.Have you read The End of Overeating? How do you control cravings?