Evolutionary Origins of Overeating, and How to Exhibit Self-Control in Eating
Jan 01 '01 (Updated Jan 04 '01)
I hope to shed some light on how the eating habits of human beings evolved to be what they are today, and then get into what we can do to exhibit self-control in a diet.
First I am going to bring you back thousands of years ago, when human beings were relatively new in the environment. If they came across food, they had to consume it right away. Not only would foods spoil quickly, but humans were also in competition for their foods with other animals (carnivores wanted any meat the humans would eat, and other animals were very much interested in any fruits or berries that the humans horded). Much more recently, even a hundred years ago when refrigeration was unheard of, humans were essentially required to eat food when it was available.
What does this have to do with modern dieting? is this even written in the correct category?
Up until recently, our species has been required to eat food as it has become available. This principle has become evolutionarily advantageous. Those humans who eat food now instead of later have been naturally selected for. Although I keep referring to ‘humans’, the same principle is true for any and every member of the animal kingdom.
In recent decades, in our culture at least, humans have found themselves in an interesting situation -- food is available all the time!
Have you ever wondered why diet programs and exercise clubs do a lot of advertising around Thanksgiving and Christmas time? Simple answer – because people are inclined to eat more during these time periods. Humans, like any other animal species on the planet, eat more during the fall when the food is plentiful. Before modern times and refrigeration, it was very beneficial to overeat during the fall because this is when food was available. (Think about why thanksgiving was chosen to occur in the fall).
Fortunately (or unfortunately), our ecological niche has changed in the past century or so. It is no longer beneficial to eat when food is available simply because it is there, nor is it beneficial to put on 10 or 20 pounds in the fall because winter is coming.
The next logical question is, ‘does simply being aware of these points help me lose weight?’ Unfortunately, the answer is ‘no’. But being aware of some of these points can help you understand a possible biological basis for some of the eating phenomena observed in our culture.
For those who are trying to lose weight, based on the above-mentioned ideas, I would have to recommend specifically eating less in the fall. Although self-control would have to win over impulsiveness – but this is a basic premise of many exercise program where you have to stick with a diet or routine. Psychologically (hate to use that word in another epinion), there are several ways to teach you self-control. These basic ideas can be applied to diet programs.
First, you should reward yourself for following a certain plan. Although the sheer pleasure that you feel from seeing the expectant results you wanted are great, you should also set up another way to reward yourself.
Second, you should commit to following your diet/exercise plan. This may seem intuitive “If I start the program, I am making a commitment to finish it”. But, one should keep in mind they should have very well laid out steps along the way to the end goal. This will help in not getting lost along the way.
Thirdly, and obviously, these small steps should be very realistic.
Impulsiveness, or acting on something with an immediate reward ‘wins’ over waiting for that larger – yet far away goal when someone cheats on their diet/exercise program. By realizing the previous three steps, one can help themselves internally recognize that waiting out for that long-term-goal is better and more rewarding than cheating on the diet/exercise program.
The first part of this epinion outlines animal feeding habits, and how they have been engrained in all animals (including you and I). Although this information might not help a specific diet, sometimes it is comforting to know that overeating is not a fault in an individual person, yet a more global causal factor might be at work.
These last few points discuss general tips for beginning a diet program and outline a few ways to help yourself exhibit self-control rather than being impulsive.
Have some thoughts about my thoughts? Email me or simply leave a comment here.
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