When I’m upset, why do I reach for the ice cream instead of the celery sticks?
Not once have I gained an ounce by gorging on less-tasty foods.
Why is that the tastier the food, the harder it is to watch the waist?
There are multiple links between taste perceptions, taste preferences, food preferences, and food choices and the amount of food we eat. The "set point" for the body weight seems to be determined by psychological factors. Palatability elevates body-weight set point and particular sensory and nutrient combinations in foods can facilitate overeating
So what am I supposed to do? It is possible to outwit the body weight set point, but it means figuring out that what I you really crave, can be not food at all. Why?
It has to do with endorphins. We often overeat to comfort ourselves during periods of stress, pain, or boredom - the situations that endorphins are created to ease. Eating is only one of the ways to make them release into the blood. Besides, they can directly control eating: the less endorphins -- the worse overeating (Am. J. Psychiatry 148:1086-1090; 1992).
Every time you feel the urge to the refrigerator, ask instead "What is it I really need? A glass of water? A walk? A hug (to say the least)?" The truth is, all these will increase endorphin levels without packing on the extra pounds. My goal? The next time I get in a fight with my husband, I won’t turn to Ben and Jerry for comfort.
