Are You Eating Too Much or Is Food Being Shoved In Your Face?

Food is essential for living no doubt. Every contestant of Naked and Afraid will tell you how horrible and incapable they felt when they went without food for days. However, how much food is essential for survival? Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t realize that we’re eating too much because we’ve become so used to eating large portions.

An average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. An average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose one pound of weight per week. However, after eating just one meal, most people have already consumed their entire calorie intake for the day.

People who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. They also risk getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and even depression. Later in life, people who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

Have you ever asked yourself if you are eating too much? You serve your meal and a thought comes to your mind that you put too much but you end up eating everything on your plate. Or you’re served a meal and it looks like it could feed two people but it’s for only you. Have you ever found yourself struggling to empty your plate even when there’s no space in your belly anymore? In some cases, you are forced to eat at home even though you aren’t hungry because you mustn’t waste food.

On the other hand, are we eating too much because food is being shoved in our faces? The fast food restaurants have ongoing discounts throughout the year. I know for sure that places like Dominos, Chicken Republic and KFC have deals. Some restaurants have deals of the week that look really interesting like you’re saving money. Their ads are so colourful and strategically placed, the food looks so inviting and before you know it, you are ordering it and eating it. Often times, this makes people buy food they may not necessarily need to eat at that moment.

It’s easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food than is necessary. This is because customers love to feel like they are getting the best value for their money. The value meal is no deal though when it triples our calories and sets the stage for health problems.

The average person eats too much. It’s just the plain truth. People around me think I don’t eat enough and I still think I eat too much. I fast intermittently and my eating window varies. Atimes it’s between 2-10pm while other times, it’s from 4-10 or 7-11. I taught myself how to eat and I didn’t achieve it in a day. It took a lot of self-discipline and determination to get where I am today.

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Sometimes, I still find myself eating when I’m not hungry. I know a lot of people can relate to this. Why do we eat when we aren’t hungry? Do you ever feel like just chewing or putting food in your mouth??? hahaha, welcome to the club. This doesn’t happen all the time for me but when it does, I go into full-on battle mode. Sometimes, I win and other times, a healthy snack wins.

The reality of life is that if you don’t eat at all in a day or two, even three, you will not die but we are so accustomed to eating so much that so many people will give up if they are told not to eat for three days for $1000. It’s so bad that some people need to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at specified times and if they don’t, they can’t function properly.

So what can you do to take back control? A good place to start is knowing the things that can help you eat smart which include; fasting, serving sizes and the types of food you should eat. Instead of opting for a slice of chocolate cake, have an apple instead. Instead of saying yes to a free dinner after you just ate, say no and reschedule. As with everything in life, you have to mature in your eating. What you ate and how much you ate when you were young does not have to be the way you should eat as an adult. You should know that you are what you eat and you can control what you eat. Don’t let what you eat control you.