HEALTH
as large as a watermelon, when filled. When we
eat and our stomach is full, our stomach sends
a message to the brain to say ”Enough!” This
mechanism let us know when to stop eating.
But…
If we constantly overeat, we overstretch our
stomachs and need more and more food to feel
full.
THE 4 REASONS WE OVEREAT AND
DON’T LISTEN TO OUR BODY
1. We are distracted
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE WERE A
HEALTHY WEIGHT
As babies we are equipped with a natural regulatory system: when we are hungry, we cry and
demand to be fed. We drink our milk and when
we are full, we stop drinking. Babies will literally turn their heads, spit out the extra milk or fall
asleep when they have had enough. Try overfeeding a young baby – it’s virtually impossible.
AS SOON AS WE ARE OUT OF THE INFANT
STAGE, THE CONDITIONING STARTS:
Already, very little children are often force-fed because parents are worried their child is not getting
“enough” or will not sleep well if its belly isn’t full.
When we show some parents how small a child’s
stomach is (the stomach of a 3 week old baby is
the size of an egg!) and how much food they are
attempting to feed their child, they are shocked.
In addition to this over-feeding, we receive powerful conditioning from our parents and peers when
they share their, not always healthy, opinions
about food. These memories and beliefs are stored
deep inside our subconscious mind and make us
behave the way we do – especially when it comes
to eating!
OUR STOMACH SIZE CAN EXPAND TO
THREE TIMES ITS SIZE
An empty adult stomach is the size of a fist. But
it can stretch almost like a balloon to become
20 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW
We eat while doing something else: watching TV, reading, texting, telephoning.
2. We eat for “the wrong reasons”
We eat because we are emotionally hungry
and not out of “real” hunger. We eat because
we are stressed, upset or lonely. And so we
use food to suppress emotions, to comfort
and de-stress us.
3. We eat too quickly
It takes around 20 minutes for the brain to
receive the (