10 reasons why we lie about what we eat!

๐Ÿซ ๐Ÿ• ๐Ÿฐ ๐ŸŽ‚ ๐Ÿฆ ๐Ÿ˜ ๐Ÿข ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿฌ ๐Ÿช ๐Ÿฉ ๐Ÿธ ๐Ÿท ๐Ÿป ๐Ÿบ ๐Ÿน

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 arenโ€™t so healthy after all.

So why do we lie about what we eat?

๐Ÿฐย  Food becomes a protective mechanism in a stressful world
๐Ÿฆย  Fear of being judged
๐Ÿญย Telling the health care professional/gym instructor what you think they want to hear
๐Ÿฉย Embarrassment
๐Ÿชย Self-denial
๐ŸŸย  To allow us to continue these behaviours without admitting they are unhealthy
๐Ÿ”ย  Forgetfulness
๐ŸŒฎย Misconception of โ€˜normalโ€™ portion sizes
๐Ÿกย  Not wanting to acknowledge the emotional issues underpinning our food choices
๐ŸŒญย 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.

โœ…ย Switch of all electronic devices when eating
โœ…ย Socialise and share your meals with friends and family
โœ…ย Create a relaxing and enjoyable mealtime environment
โœ…ย Appreciate the taste, smells and textures of the food you are eating
โœ…ย Try to stick to regular mealtimes and only snack if you are hungry
โœ…ย 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

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