The first thing a person wants to do after quitting a diet is to eat fatty, unhealthy food. It’s hard to continue a diet especially after goals have been met. If that final pound is shed, the patient may choose to binge eat, causing weight gain from overeating. Some factors in daily lives tend to lead to overeating and obesity.
Overeating from Inadequate Sleep
Overeating and weight gain can simply be caused by poor sleep habits. Sleeping replenishes several hormones in the body, and it renews the energy in important organs like the brain. In the case of overeating habits, poor sleep habits affect leptin and ghrelin. These two hormones are triggers for the brain that induces hunger and that feeling of a full stomach. In clinical studies conducted at the University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine, people who received poor amounts of sleep had a decrease in leptin, which is the hormone that creates a full stomach feeling. Conversely, these people had an increase in daily levels of ghrelin, which is the hormone used for hunger. These two combinations are associated with overeating and weight gain.
Stress Causes Overeating
High stress environments cause people to have an increase in cortisol levels. Cortisol increases hunger if it is left to circulate in the body for prolonged periods of time. Additionally, fat cells excrete cortisol, so weight gain and overeating are even more common with people who are already overweight and stressed out. Cortisol also plays a role in fat storage. Together with insulin, the hormone can lead to more severe health problems like heart attack and stroke.
Dieting and Overeating
It sounds counterintuitive – dieting causes overeating. However, when people deprive their body of food, the thought of overeating consumes the brain. When dieters do not allow the body to eat healthily, the brain craves fatty foods. If the patient tends to be an overeater, the best defense is to allow a “cheat meal” once a week. This will help control overeating and weight gain from binge eating. Dieters should also maintain a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to avoid cravings.
These three conditions were clinically tested and observed in patients at the University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine. Anyone who has a tendency for overeating should evaluate life habits and consider changing them to stop overeating and avoid uncontrollable weight gain. The patient will not only stop overeating, but she will have more energy and better health.