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Overeat and your brain will want more!
September 2, 2009
I was not at all surprised to read that overeating actually stimulates a metabolic response in your brain that induces cravings and forces you to eat more and more and more.
It’s like a vicious cycle that you cannot break because when you are overeating and continuously craving more food (so you are overeating to compensate for the need to overeat) you are increasing your chances of obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance!
I could give you a basic explanation of how this works, but I thought I’d let an expert who understands the biology behind this phenomenon explain it in clear terms.
I thought this explanation from Dr. Jonny Bowden could help a lot of people understand the relation between food and weight.
>>> Dr. Jonny Bowden explains why you WANT to eat more food:
We’ve long known that inflammation is a huge part of every degenerative disease from Alzheimer’s to heart disease, and it’s a big part of obesity as well.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California-San Diego found that overeating can induce inflammatory responses that underlie Type II Diabetes and obesity.
Here’s how it works. There’s a part of your brain called the hypothalamus which is like the command center for regulating appetite, feeding behavior, energy and body-weight balance. And there’s a hormone in the body called leptin which has a lot to do with regulating appetite. Leptin talks to the hypothalamus, but when communication lines are down and the hypothalamus doesn’t get the message that “we don’t need any more food”, the hypothalamus can promote or induce either obesity or Type II Diabetes (or both).
Overeating turns on a (normally inactive) protein in the hypothalamus that screws up the communication that would normally keep obesity and associated metabolic problems at bay. When you eat “normally”, this protein keeps its mouth shut. When you overeat, the protein acts like a drunk at a karaoke bar.
So what’s the big news? We’ve known that eating too much makes you fat since forever.
It’s not just that excess calories go right to your butt and thighs. That would be bad enough. But those excess calories actually upset and inflame metabolic processes that underlie disease.
There’s a Confucius-inspired adage used by the long-lived healthy people in Okinawa: Hara hachi bu. It means “eat until you’re 80 per cent full.”
In other words, leave the table before you’re stuffed. You won’t get fat, you might just live longer, and you’ll probably protect yourself from some really nasty metabolic consequences.
If you’re looking for a way to boost your weight loss, consider checking out Dr. Bowden’s super-charged training program: Diet Boot Camp
Photo by didbygraham
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September 3rd, 2009 at 8:41
Ok, this line captured my attention and will ensure that I push myself away from the table when I’m 80% full. “When you eat “normally”, this protein keeps its mouth shut. When you overeat, the protein acts like a drunk at a karaoke bar.”
September 4th, 2009 at 21:40
I’d like to ask something about this. I used to eat burgers and pizza, large coke and ice cream, for about two to 3 times a week and would rather stop if I’m “90 percent full. I eat my meals, 3 times a day and I wonder why I’m still slim. Is something wrong with me? Is it because of my metabolism? Is it bad? What can I do?
September 4th, 2009 at 23:57
Princess,
You seem to have a fast metabolism and you are lucky that you can eat any types of food without ever gaining any weight.
Lucky you!
September 7th, 2009 at 2:44
Eat Smart Age Smart,
Really? Thank God for that. Well I seem to be addicted to reading all of your articles because I can relate on each post. I am now looking at your burger articles. I hope you can post more.
Thanks again!