In an online Time Magazine pictorial (flanked by Google ads for Rachael’s Ray’s One Rule For Losing 30 Pounds or $237 of Your Hard Earned Dollars to Scam Artists) we are taken on a journey of triggers that make us eat too much. Welcome, then, to my second part of an unknown-number-of-part series where I read someone else’s article and make snarky comments about it.
What Makes You Eat More Food
1. Time of day. The article states that because we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time every day, we condition our bodies to expect food at those times, whether we’re actually hungry or not. I agree with this, which is why some days I eat breakfast at seven in the morning and sometimes at four in the afternoon. And just to really keep my body guessing, I’ve had as many as five breakfasts a day.
2. Sight. Apparently looking at food makes you hungry. So, um, yeah. Don’t do that.
3. Variety. They called this “variety” but focused solely on dessert. The way to avoid dessert is by having a “bit of fruit” during the meal. Are these people even human? Have they ever been in a restaurant? What kind of robot eats a fruit cup for dinner and skips dessert because of it?
4. Smell. This was my favorite one due to the enlarged photograph of hot french fries accompanying the riviting paragraph. Guess what? If you smell food, you want to eat it. So just like the vision thing, stop doing that.
5. Alcohol. Beer itself doesn’t make you want to eat, but if you drink too much, you can’t think straight, and therefore will probably forget to stop eating at the right time. That happened to me once at an All You Can Drink buffet. I’d made fourteen consecutive trips to the mashed potatoes before finally being dragged away by a group of concerned citizens.
6. Temperature. Here’s one I actually had not heard before. “The colder the temperature, the more people tend to eat, which is why restaurants often keep thermostats low.” This is why you should never, ever go out to eat unless you wear your ski parka.
7. Refined Carbs. Last but not least, it’s the blood sugar problem. Too much “easy food” like refined carbs and you throw your whole body out of whack. Insulin rushes and blood sugars crashing makes you think you’re hungry, even when you’re not. If by “Refined Carbs” they mean “Hot and sour soup, egg rolls, and sesame chicken,” then I’m right there with them on this one.
So there you have it, folks! Another major dieting secret revealed. As near as I can tell from this in-depth, helpful piece of journalism: being alive makes you fat.
In other news, it’s birthday time! Head on over to the blogs of Biz and Jennifer and wish the old ladies a happy birthday.
on March 19, 2009 at 4:23 am
I just found this blog in an old blogrolling account I haven’t used in over a year. Subscribed in Google reader!! 🙂
They forgot one – lack of sleep.
I wonder why they left that out?
Is it because if we spend more time sleeping we won’t have time to go to their website and click on Rachel Ray ads?
on March 19, 2009 at 5:13 am
Ha, thanks for this. I never would have known ANY of those diet secrets without this!!
on March 19, 2009 at 6:22 am
Welcome back DaleK. 🙂
on March 19, 2009 at 6:58 am
#2 is a little hard in food blog land.
on March 19, 2009 at 7:16 am
hehe! You’re funny!
I think you’re powers of observation are increasing the more weight you lose you wonderful onederman you!!
Tusc 😉
on March 19, 2009 at 7:17 am
I know, it’s your, not you’re! :S
on March 19, 2009 at 7:19 am
I think they forgot when you’re sleeping. There is a tendency to dream and that may trigger visions of eating double cheeseburgers. You got it exactly right with #5 Charlie.
on March 19, 2009 at 7:36 am
Thanks Charlie! And we are not old! Still younger than you!
Tony likes to tell me that I am the oldest person he’s ever been married to! 😀
on March 19, 2009 at 8:52 am
Fruitcup = Dessert hee hee hee hee
on March 19, 2009 at 10:09 am
The number reason I don’t like to eat out is that I freeze. So, this is part of an evil conspiracy to get me to eat more? Well, what it’s done is made me avoid over-refrigerated restaurants.
on March 19, 2009 at 3:20 pm
As a waitress in college – I can tell you that the temperature is probably so the poor servers who are running around like crazy in black pants and a long sleeve button up shirt don’t drip sweat in your food. Being a server is a workout! But maybe there is a conspiracy behind it too, who knows…
And I like the snarky comments!
on March 19, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Thanks for the shout out Charlie!!
on March 19, 2009 at 7:40 pm
great list. I read how someone said lack of sleep and I can relate to that, and after two glasses of wine I am liable to eat anything and everything in sight.
on March 21, 2009 at 8:56 am
Oh this is all so true. This winter has been FREEZING as well. I like that excuse for why I’ve been eating more 😉
on March 30, 2009 at 10:11 am
I didn’t even know it, but I combat trigger #6 – temperature, all the time!
I make my food VERY hot, because I like to eat very slow (eating slow makes a smaller amount of food last longer – I also eat with dessert sized utensils.. yeah I’m weird, but it works!). Anyways, if the food is hot, it’s actually preferable to eat it slow AND then by the time you get to the end it’s NOT ice cold.