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Have you ever watched the TV programme Secret Eaters? The programme features severely overweight or obese individuals who are baffled as to why they are so big. They tell the cameras that they eat small, healthy meals and regularly exercise. It is only when secret surveillance cameras are used that we discover that their eating habits aren’t so healthy after all.
So why do we lie about what we eat?
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Food becomes a protective mechanism in a stressful world
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Fear of being judged
🍭 Telling the health care professional/gym instructor what you think they want to hear
🍩 Embarrassment
🍪 Self-denial
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To allow us to continue these behaviours without admitting they are unhealthy
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Forgetfulness
🌮 Misconception of ‘normal’ portion sizes
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Not wanting to acknowledge the emotional issues underpinning our food choices
🌭 Not practising mindfulness when eating
If you are watching what you eat, the best way to be honest about your food intake is to keep a food diary or use a calorie tracking app to keep a tally on exactly what you are eating. Try to focus on the food when you are eating a meal.
✅ Switch of all electronic devices when eating
✅ Socialise and share your meals with friends and family
✅ Create a relaxing and enjoyable mealtime environment
✅ Appreciate the taste, smells and textures of the food you are eating
✅ Try to stick to regular mealtimes and only snack if you are hungry
✅ Be aware of why you are eating-are you actually hungry or eating due to your emotions?
Hunger describes a physiological need to eat, however (at times) most of us are guilty of sometimes eating due to our emotions. We will be addressing this in our next post.
Photo credit: emotional_eating | Vic | Flickr
