Types of Eaters

We all eat. It’s a part of life and when destructive eating patterns happen, they can be difficult to break because no matter what, at the end of the day, we do have to eat something.  Our bodies need nutrition and fuel, so there simply is not the option of never eating again. In an effort to gain self-control, we must determine the ‘why’ behind those destructive eating habits. To help you gain some insight, we have spoken to some of the common things and situations that cause people to overeat or eat things that are terrible for them.

The Habitual Eater

This is the person who finds themselves in front of the TV each night with either a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips. When asked why they do this, their response might be, “Well how else would I relax?” The habitual eater is often tired at the end of the day, having a pretty strict routine that they stick to each week. Food is often associated with relaxing and refueling. If this is you and you find yourself doing the same, unhealthy eating each evening (or maybe you can’t imagine skipping your morning cinnamon roll), then it’s time to switch up some of those habits. Try going on a walk in the evening with your family, playing cards with your spouse, join a small group. Switching it up will change up your routine, thus changing up your “need” for some of those unhealthy foods each day. Plan it out and get excited with your family for the fun activities after work that you get together.

The Emotional Eater

This emotional eater is the one who feels out of control of various situations in life and uses food as a coping mechanism. There is an attitude of everything else is crazy so I’m going to eat this because it’s the only thing that feels good right now. If you feel like you resonate with this type of eater, then I want you to know that you are valued, wanted, and needed. Your thoughts are valuable and the world needs them. If you’re feeling out of control of situations in your life and food is what you’ve turned to, it’s time to get some help and outside perspective. Even if it isn’t food that you’ve turned to, but some other type of destructive pattern, there are people who would love to help. Sometimes, a counselor is a very helpful person, sometimes we just need to sit down with a friend over a cup of coffee to hear them say, “Hey man, I love you. You’re going to get through this.” Pain is real. Emotions are real. But they’re not in control of you. There are seasons in life, but remember, they are just that. Seasons. Let those seasons come and go.

The Eat-All-of-the-Time Eater

This person… eats all of the time. We’ve been told time and again that it’s healthier to eat 6-8 small meals each day in order to keep your metabolism going strong. And yes, there is some great science behind that idea. This thinking can become problematic, however, when a person ends up snacking all day of every day. The body can become overworked as it is constantly needing to digest food instead of taking time to digest everything else going on in the body. Eating all of the time is especially tough when the foods being eaten are unhealthy. It’s also not helpful if you’re not an extremely active person. Check out this blog on intermittent fasting for more information on why not eating all of the time is most likely a healthier option. If you resonate with this type of eating and snacking, it’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself about the ‘why’ behind that decision. Are you active or working hard to become a body builder? Then yeah, perhaps small meals throughout the day will be helpful. If, though, you’re like most people and you’re snacking all day because there is always food around, then that is not helping you. Time to change up your habits. Start drinking water instead. Think through some meal planning so that you eat real meals that have real, good food.

The ‘Homegrown’ Eater

The homegrown eater is someone who eats meat and potatoes. Only. And if they must have a vegetable, then it’s most likely going to be an ear of corn. There isn’t anything wrong with eating plenty of meat, an occasional potato, or corn when it’s fresh grown. But if you’re sticking with that type of diet because it’s what’s familiar or simply because you don’t like “rabbit food,” might I lovingly tell you to get over it because there isn’t much nutrition in that. And we all need nutritious food. If you find that you are a picky eater in this way and prefer sticking with a meat and potatoes diet, then it’s for sure time to start taking a supplement. Our bodies can handle life when they are supported and have the nutrition they need to face the day. It’s also going to be fairly impossible to maintain a healthy weight with that type of diet. It’s time to change some habits and do what is good for you rather that just what you’ve grown up with. There are certainly more reasons that people eat things that are not the best option, but these are some of the more common reasons that people overeat or eat poorly. What do you resonate with? What are some ideas you have for changing what has been normal and creating a new normal for yourself when it comes to eating?