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Killing your appetite wont stop you from eating!
by John Barban MS
Appetite and hunger are only 2 of many factors contributing to our need to feed. And I would say maybe not even the most important ones.
Recent research shows that other social and psychological factors have a huge impact on not only when we eat, but how much we will eat. For starters the size of the plate, bowl, box or bag you eat food from will determine how much you will eat. A study done on people eating popcorn at the movies showed that eating from the jumbo sized bag compared to the small bag caused people to eat more. This result was consistent with all sorts of containers. People eat more from bigger bowls and larger plates. The troubling part about this research is that these people are completely unaware that they are eating more. They actually think they are eating the same amount as the people who were eating less with the smaller bowls, plates, and bags.
Other research shows that as long as food is within arms reach we will continue to eat it even if were not hungry. We have a better chance of eating less if food was more difficult to come by and took more effort. Even having to walk across a room will slow us down. But if that bowl of chocolate covered almonds is close enough to reach without moving, look out, itll be gone before you know it!
In the battle of the bulge, appetite and hunger are factors, but research is showing they definitely are not the only factors. And I would argue they are less important than the nutrition researchers, pharmaceutical and supplement companies think. Things as simple as a bigger container or being within arms reach of food will make us eat more. These influences have nothing to do with hunger. They are lifestyle choices that are much harder to control. In fact many of them are out of our control. For example there is no extra extra small bag of popcorn at the movies. All you have to choose from is huge, or super huge!
The bottom line is that fancy diets and products designed to kill your appetite and get rid of hunger cravings will leave most people very disappointed and wondering why they still cant lose weight.
John Barban is a Varsity Strength and Conditioning Coach. He works primarily with women and is the author of a new whole body conditioning workout for women called The 6 Minute Circuits Workout. You can find it at www.6minutecircuits.com. John is also a regular contributor at a womens exercise and nutrition resource www.grrlathlete.com and www.womensworkout.blogspot.com
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