Why I can’t stop eating if I am NOT hungry?

There are several reasons why you can’t stop eating even though you don’t physically feel hungry. Many people eat although they are not hungry and they are not sure why. Usually it is the mindset that is holding them from achieving food freedom and intuitive eating. If you want to discover the reasons, read the list below and ask yourself do you fall into any of the categories below:

1. All or nothing mentality- many people on a diet are very restrictive but at some point they decide they want to treat themselves and they can’t stop. The all or nothing mentality means that they are thinking since they broke their diet, they may as well eat whatever they want. Usually it leads to over eating and feeling unwell. Instead of this, try to eat nutritious foods and also include your favorite foods in your diet. Your risk of overeating will be less likely, you won’t feel constantly deprived and you will actually develop a good relationship wit food.
2. Using food as a coping mechanism- many people have learned from a young age to use food as reward or punishment. They eat more to reward themselves for good behavior or restrict themselves if they have ate poorly. There is no moral value when it comes to food. Food is not good or bad, and therefore you are not good or bad for eating it. You can reward yourself or cope with your emotions without food and it’s a process that has to be learned all over again for many people.
3. Habits- kids are thought to eat past fullness and clean up their plate although they are not hungry. That way they lose the idea of listening to their own bodies and focus on what adults are saying. As a consequence, as adults, they tend to overeat again past fullness as a learned mechanism to “CLEAN UP THEIR PLATE”.
4. Childhood trauma- many people who grew up in poverty eat more food than needed and past hungriness because food wasn’t available to them growing up.
5. Distractions-with all the gadgets and technology around us, we are used to eating and writing, reading, talking, watching something at the same time. We are not very conscious what we are eating and how much of food we have eaten.