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Food for Thought
Learn how to conquer mindless snacking, late-night binges, portion distortion, and emotional eating.
By Kelly Benedict

It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: Our bodies aren’t bottomless pits for food. And no matter how we try to rationalize our overeating, the behavior has its consequences. Those late-night chocolates will have a direct effect on the snugness of our jeans the next morning (even if no one was watching while we ate them), indulging in second or third helpings will leave us feeling sluggish (even if we weren’t paying attention to the actual meal and it was low fat), and wolfing down a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s will send our blood sugar into a frenzy (even if we threw out the empty carton afterward).

There are, of course, many reasons why people eat beyond their comfort zone, from boredom and fatigue to frustration, stress, and loneliness. Crash-dieting can also set the stage for binges, triggering an endless cycle of guilt and overconsumption. Some people overeat because they’re not paying attention to the fact that they’re full, while others ignore their hunger cues (skipping meals during the day, then indulging in midnight free-for-alls). But while there are various forms of overeating, in all cases, examining our behavior is the first step toward taking control of our bodies, our moods, and our health. To get started, we identified the most common types of overeaters—the mindless munchers, the supersizers, the emotional eaters, and the late-night bingers—then quizzed the leading experts for their healthy-eating strategies.*

MINDLESS MUNCHERS
Profile: Mindless munchers tend to multitask, eating while they’re on the phone, watching TV, or working on the computer. They often overeat out of boredom, stress, habit, or social pressure, as opposed to a conscious decision based on their hunger level. They generally consume more calories via snacks and finger foods than actual meals (think potato chips, M&Ms, French fries) and, at the end of the day, have little or no awareness of the foods and portions they consumed. Once the mindless muncher starts eating, he or she may not stop until they deplete their food supply, even if that supply consists of multiple portions.

Action Plan: “To begin with, start keeping a food journal,” says Susan Albers, psychologist and author of Eating Mindfully. “It’s the best way to assess the mindless-eating traps you keep falling into.” Next, nix the snacks, and start scheduling six small, well-balanced meals a day (for specific dietary recommendations, check out the FDA’s guidelines at http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/). Rather than watching TV or working while you eat—which makes for dull mealtime conversation and distracts from what’s on your fork—take the time to create a dining experience, setting the table even if it’s only dinner for one. Be sure to sit down in the dining or living room (never eat standing up in the kitchen), and before you dig in, take the time to observe how everything on your plate looks and smells. While you’re eating, savor each and every bite, slowly eating half of the food on your plate and waiting 20 minutes to decide whether you’re hungry enough to eat the other half. Avoid fast-food restaurants, and when you go grocery shopping, purchase ingredients for the meals you intend to make during the week rather than prepared snacks. Don’t eat out of party-size bags or cartons, and if you do buy prepackaged foods, opt for ones that are doled out in individual serving sizes, like Nabisco 100-calorie packs or cups of yogurt. And be sure to prepare your workplace meals in advance—vending machines and office candy jars can be like kryptonite for the mindless eater who’s trying to clean up her act.

Top Five Tips:

SUPERSIZERS
Profile: Supersizers also tend to multitask (usually eating dinner while watching TV), but because they eat actual meals, they may have a better sense of the foods they’re eating than mindless munchers. The supersizer’s Achilles’ heel is portion control. Because they eat very quickly, supersizers may gorge themselves on hefty portions or continue to go back for seconds or thirds until they feel uncomfortably full. Even if the actual foods they ate were healthy or low fat, they often feel regretful afterward (“Ugh, I shouldn’t have eaten so much…”).

Action Plan: The first step toward downsizing your daily intake is understanding what constitutes a healthy portion. Despite what mammoth restaurant portions might suggest, recommended serving sizes are fairly modest. One serving of meat, poultry, or fish is roughly the size of a deck of playing cards; a single serving of fruit, vegetables, rice, or pasta is about half the size of a baseball; and a serving of cheese is no larger than the size of your thumb. In addition, you need to break the habit of thinking that bigger is better (in this case, it’s definitely not). Avoid restaurants that serve family-style meals, or simply ask for smaller portions. Equally important is slowing down the pace at which you eat. Take small bites of your food (the slower, the better), chewing it until it becomes a liquid and then cleansing your palate with water before you take your next bite, instead of washing down half-eaten food with a beverage. Again, eat only half the food on your plate at first, then wait 20 minutes to decide whether you’re hungry enough to eat the remainder. Over time, you’ll wonder how and why you ever ate so quickly. Finally, women should be especially mindful of the fact that their food is their own; in other words, just because your boyfriend eats man-size meals doesn’t mean you should.

Top Five Tips:

EMOTIONAL EATERS
Profile: Unlike mindless eaters and some supersizers, emotional eaters are often well aware of the foods and the amounts they’re eating, even their caloric intake. In this case, the eater’s feelings—pain, anxiety, sadness, malaise—trigger an impulse to indulge in high-fat or sugary foods that have a short-term comforting effect. Emotional eaters are often binge eaters (who consume a large amount of calories in a short time period) and/or yo-yo dieters who conform to overly strict diets for a period of time before reverting to their old eating habits.

Action Plan: When it comes to curbing emotional eating, self-acceptance is vital. “It’s very hard to change your behavior without working on acceptance first,” says Albers, who adds that the key to self-acceptance is compassion, which “means having patience, generosity, tolerance, and forgiveness [for yourself].” It’s unlikely that you’ll develop unconditional self-acceptance overnight, but the first step is pinpointing the things you like about yourself and your body. The next is recognizing the feelings and emotions that drive you to overeat (a daily journal can be helpful here as well) and nurturing those feelings via non-food-oriented activities. Meditation and deep breathing are excellent ways to relax and build your mind-body connection, along with working out. “When you exercise, you’re likely to eat fewer calories, because moderate exercise actually curbs appetite,” says Sylvia E. Haskvitz, registered dietitian and author of Eat by Choice, Not by Habit. “You may also experience an endorphin rush, which may meet some of the nurturing needs you met when you were not physically hungry.” In addition, it’s important to identify your trigger foods, the specific ones you tend to binge on. If you gravitate toward sugar, you’re not alone. According to Haskvitz, “The average American consumes more than 20 teaspoons of added sugars per day, twice what the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends.” Emotional eaters are particularly prone to seeking out sugar—like addicts in search of their next fix—along with high-fat comfort foods, so make a conscious effort to minimize your consumption of them.

Top Five Tips:

LATE-NIGHT BINGERS
Profile: Night eaters consume more than half of their calories after 7 p.m. and often have difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. They usually eat alone (raiding the fridge after hours), may have little or no feelings of hunger during the day, and might avoid eating in public completely. Like emotional eaters, they are sometimes aware of the foods and amounts they’re eating, but they may also be oblivious because they’re eating in a half-wakened state (akin to sleepwalking). According to several studies, late-night bingers may have elevated levels of anxiety, stress, and tension, and more difficulty shedding pounds than those who binge during the day.

Action Plan: It’s important to realize that night eating can run the gamut from occasional instances of the midnight munchies to frequent after-dark indulgences (according to the USDA, overweight people tend to eat more calories at night than their healthy-weight counterparts) to “sleep eating,” which is widely recognized as an eating and sleep disorder and can be associated with hormonal imbalances or medical conditions such as hypoglycemia and ulcers. If you fall into one of the latter categories—especially if you experience symptoms such as sleepwalking, sleep apnea, or difficulty remembering a binge in the morning—it’s important to consult with a doctor immediately. That said, there are some simple things you can do to curb night eating. First, get into the habit of starting the day with breakfast and eating six small meals throughout the day (following a routine is a critical part of treating sleep disorders). Don’t skimp on dinner, as that could leave you hungry later on, and stop eating entirely after 7 p.m. Consider increasing your protein intake a bit and decreasing your carbs (proteins help to stabilize blood sugar while you sleep, while carbs can lead to sudden spikes and crashes). Pay attention to environmental factors that may be keeping you awake at night, such as noise, light, and temperature (visit http://www.sleepfoundation.org for National Sleep Foundation’s checklist). If you still find yourself wandering in and out of the kitchen late at night, you may be looking for something to occupy your time. Instead of succumbing to the temptations of the fridge, practice deep breathing or meditation, read a book, or write in a journal (if you do meet with your physician, chances are, she’ll want you to create a food and sleep diary anyway).

Top Five Tips:

• Brush your teeth after you eat dinner as a mental signal that you’re done eating for the day.
  
• Avoid nicotine, alcohol, chocolate, and desserts, all of which can contribute to insomnia and, in turn, night eating.
  
• Cut out caffeine completely or, at the very least, after 2 p.m. In the evening, try decaffeinated herbal tea.
  
• If you wake up in the middle of the night, drink a glass of water (oftentimes, we mistake thirst for hunger).
  
• If you tend to be barely conscious during night-eating episodes, keep a list on the refrigerator to remind you of non-food-related activity options.

The suggestions here do not take into account existing medical conditions. In all cases, you should consult with your physician before starting any nutritional program, diet plan, or exercise regimen.

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