[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
As crazy as it may seem, the more we enjoy eating, the less we eat! I hear them saying “well no, the better it is, the more you want it, the harder it is to stop”.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
If we take the example of chocolate. This is very often the food that patients refer to…
I ask them to explain to me what is “so good”, what it does that they can’t stop eating.
Do you recognize yourself in these few lines? Then this exercise is also made for you. It takes place in the form of questions for yourself.
We can achieve this type of exchange in consultation by taking the time to think about it:
- Why did I choose this chocolate and not another (or this food)?
“I prefer milk chocolate actually. It is sweeter, more comforting, it invades the whole mouth, the texture is melting, … They say that black is better for your health and makes you gain weight less but I prefer when it is made with milk. » - When I eat it, am I enjoying what I chose it for?
“Often, I do something else, I talk with other people, or I follow the news, … I don’t pay attention to the taste or the texture. And then, I feel a little guilty. The more I tell myself that I have to stop, the less I stop. » - How does pleasure evolve during food intake?
” I’ve no idea. But I imagine it drops at some point. »
Indeed, when we is attentive, we realize that the pleasure diminishes at some point given and fortunately! This is reassuring. The food keeps all its properties but it is our appreciation which evolves over time.
All our senses will saturate.
The taste gradually becomes little, boring, the sickening texture, the beautiful presentation does not no longer looks like much, the smell no longer appeals to us and the noise (from the aluminum foil of the chocolate plate or the cracking square that breaks between our teeth) no longer makes us salivate.
If we took the time, had positive thoughts rather than negative thoughts negative, our brain is satisfied. Food intake can stop by itself.
By positive thinking, I mean, for example, letting a pleasant food memory linked to this food resurface. Or, enjoy the fondant or good sweet taste in our throat. As for negative thoughts, it can be: “what I’m doing is wrong”, “stop eating”, “this is bad for me”, etc…
Faster satisfaction appears, the less we need to eat. It seems there is no point in eating when we no longer feel pleasure (less of 3/10 for example, see graph). And yet, it is possible let this happen to you!
He is completely possible to explain why your curve does not look like the physiological evolution cited above. The beliefs food, among other things, considerably modify the evolution food pleasure and disrupt the regulation of our eating behavior. Pleasure then becomes more of a danger than an ally. Fortunately, it’s never too late to reconcile with pleasure!
Even though it can seem curious to think so much about pleasure and its evolution during food intake, it is a very interesting for any epicurean or person wishing to regulate his weight. The benefits are multiple: better digestion, adapted quantities, and above all taking pleasure, listening to oneself and serenity.
You now know that pleasure is not unlimited. Its reduction is also called SATISSION, a word that is not always used wisely. We often confuse satiation with satiety. The latter just marks thestop hunger. In general, our stomach is no longer crying out for hunger, we are full, it’s our head that is asking for a little more. It’s up to you now to make yourself feel satisfied at the right time, not too early so as not to be frustrated, not too late so as not to have a stomach ache.
Good tastings at all.