It’s Monday – the start of a new week, another chance. This time you’re feeling inspired and you are determined to get it right. It’s three weeks until your holiday and there is absolutely no margin for error. You go in to work full of optimism; so far so good. Elevenses arrives and suddenly, a large cake appears from nowhere and a crowd gathers to sing ‘happy birthday’ to a colleague. Damn it! Your eyes glaze over the irresistible topping as the cake is cut to share. Your mouth waters, you feel anxious – you want it, you can almost taste it already.
Resist, resist, RESIST!
But one little slice won’t hurt, will it? Before you know it, you have chocolate all round your mouth and the post-binge guilt is slowly sinking in. It’s over. This week is ruined. Roll on next Monday!
What is it that makes us behave like this? Unfortunately, we can’t blame everything on a figurative Chimp in our minds – this sort of behaviour is fuelled by IMPULSE, the power of which is not to be underestimated.
Our desire to eat can be an all-encompassing sensation, driven by a two-pronged attack of both physiological and psychological urges. Dr David Lewis, author of Impulse, explains: “the former produces ‘homeostatic hunger’ and the latter ‘hedonic hunger’.” (Lewis) Homeostatic hunger is governed by internal regulators in the gut, blood and brain that emit warnings when we are experiencing low blood sugar levels. In this instance, eating soon restores order, hunger is satisfied and we are provided with sufficient energy to operate.
In contrast, hedonic hunger is controlled by the “middle regions” of the brain, which is the same area responsible for generating intense feelings of desire and, also, provoking impulsive behaviour. Lewis elaborates: “[our most desired] foods such as crisps, chocolates, cakes, burgers […] activate a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brainstem, a rush of activity that can begin long before you take your first mouthful.” When faced with fierce temptations such as these, the “perfect storm of reward producing chemicals (including dopamine, serotonin, opioids and cannabinoids) in the brain overwhelm our ability to resist.” Dangerously, these chemicals can also override any sensations of ‘fullness’ and evoke “a strong compulsion to have more of the same.” All of which can lead to some serious excess calorie intake and, subsequently, a belly full of guilt too!
So, how do you switch off these impulses?
Unfortunately, that’s not really an option – we are not robots. You can, however, modify your impetuous eating habits merely through accepting the inevitability that your mind and body will be under siege when taunted by tasty treats.
Here’s 3 ways to survive an unwanted scoffing attack:
- Remove yourself from the situation – fast!
- Take time to prepare alternative snacking options in advance
so that you don’t feel ‘hard done by’ when others are indulging - Grit your teeth and stand strong; the ultimate test of willpower!
Top Tip: NEVER go shopping when you are genuinely tired or hungry – a concoction of lower leptin and higher ghrelin levels, homeostatic hunger, hedonic hunger and aisles and aisles of glorious goodies can be the perfect recipe for unrestricted impulse buys that will inevitably haunt you from your kitchen cupboards for the rest of the week….
INDULGE RESPONSIBLY!
Asha 🙂
Lewis, Dr. David. Impulse: Why we do what we do without knowing why we do
it. London: The Random House Group, 2013. Print.
Little Umph Wellness 
[…] to high calorie and less nutritionally valuable foods; they were also less able to rein these impulses in. Consequently, hedonic hunger ruled unrestricted and subjects consumed almost 600 calories more […]
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