Why You Can't Stop Eating After Meals and What to Do About It
By Katherine Metzelaar, MSN, RDN, CD
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It’s happened to you many times. You eat a full meal, but afterwards you just can’t stop eating.
You get full from your meal, maybe even overly full and think, “ok, I have had enough,” only to find yourself grazing for hours afterwards. This graze can sometimes turn into a binge eating experience. You wonder how this could have happened seeing that you had “enough.” You feel like you should have been satisfied and able to stop eating.
But, here’s the rub: there are often very specific reasons why this happens. It’s not something that occurs randomly and it is most certainly not because you lack control. So let’s talk about four common reasons why you can’t stop eating after meals and what to do about it.
Reason #1: You didn’t have enough energy dense foods at mealtime.
Filling up on voluminous foods at mealtime is a common cause of continuing to eat after meals. For many, part of dieting and existing in a dieting culture is adhering to the recommendation to eat more fruits and vegetables as a way to “fill you up.” As a Dietitian I am not saying that there is not value in fruits and vegetables as they can be an enjoyable, pleasurable and fun additions to your diet. Rather, when you over focus on the consumption of voluminous foods (fruits and veggies) and don’t first address getting your energy needs met from more energy dense foods (carbs/fat/protein), you will feel temporarily full, but this doesn’t last. This is because you cannot trick your body into making it think that it’s had enough. Once you digest the more voluminous foods you will notice yourself wanting more, searching the fridge and reaching for foods that will provide you with more energy.
A way to address this is to be sure that you are having variety of foods at mealtimes, that you are having enough energy dense foods, and that you are not filling up on fruits and vegetables so you can assure your body is getting its energy needs met.
Reason #2: You didn’t fill your “appetite tank.”
Dissatisfaction at meal times can be at the root of you continuing to eat after you have had a meal. Because of this I find that thinking about filling two “tanks” every time you eat to be helpful. One tank is your “hunger tank” and the other is your “appetite tank.” When you are eating, often times you are only thinking about filling up your hunger tank, and this is a good first step! You want to get your hunger needs met and stop denying your hunger. You need this tank full. And, if you are not also thinking about filling your “appetite tank” this can lead to continuous eating after meals. The difference between hunger and appetite is hunger is the physical need for nourishment and the physical sensations associated with it. Whereas I define appetite as the things that you desire in taste, texture, temperature, color and experience. Both tanks often need to be full in order for you to feel a greater sense of satisfaction at a meal.
Being sure to have foods, tastes, textures and temperatures that you enjoy, as well as assuring that you are getting a variety of different kinds of foods, can be helpful in working toward filling your “appetite tank.” Filling this tank along with your hunger tank can help you to feel a greater sense of satisfaction after your meal, which can lead to less continuous eating/grazing.
Reason #3: You have not had enough food throughout the day.
Let’s use dinner as example. It is really common to move through your day without consuming enough food. You get distracted, stressed at work, think that maybe today you will just choose to eat less. No matter the reason, you haven’t eaten enough. So you come home and have a larger meal and you feel full, maybe even bad for having had more than you had intended. Then to your surprise, you find yourself wanting more food even though you feel like “you shouldn’t be hungry” and that “you have had enough.” But despite your desires and what diets of the past have told you, you cannot trick your body. Your body will do everything in its power to get its energy needs met if they have not been met during the day. This means that even though you have had a full meal, your body actually needs more food because it hasn’t gotten what it needs.
Assuring that you have food consistently throughout the day and that you are adequately nourished will help you to feel more satisfied after meals and may help to decrease grazing.
Reason #4: You are restricting your food intake in thought or in action.
The impact of food restriction on your experience with food is one that cannot be underestimated. Despite your best efforts for things to be different, if you are restricting your food intake in thought or in action it will impact your experience with food. For many, all it takes is the thought of “I should have less of this” or “I am not going to eat that piece of bread, I have had enough carbs today” for this to feel threatening to the brain. And when this happens your brain and body respond to assure that you are going to get consistent access to those foods. Restriction creates a “last supper mentality” meaning that the restriction causes you to feel like you are not going to be able to have that food again and you must take advantage now. Be mindful that this is often not a conscious thought or decision, but rather something that is happening in the background.
One of the best ways that you can undo restriction is by undoing and challenging food rules, unpacking your beliefs about food and your body, and working toward decreasing your restrictive food thoughts and actions.
Feeling like you cannot stop eating after meals is not due to your “lack of control” and it’s most certainly not because there is something wrong with you.
By addressing, exploring, and unpacking the reasons that most commonly contribute to feeling like you cannot stop eating after meals times, you will begin to see a shift. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what may be causing the continuous eating, but focusing on these four areas is a good place to start.
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Do you struggle with feeling satisfied after meals?
In diet culture, many of us are taught that we “should” feel full or after eating certain foods or amounts. The reality is that satisfaction looks different for everyone once they are able to tap into their innate ability to eat intuitively. At Bravespace Nutrition we work with clients virtually helping people who are struggling with food and body image. It’s possible to change your relationship with food and your body, free up headspace, and live your life with more presence, abundance and peace. Learn more about Bravespace Nutrition, our philosophy, and the services we offer.