How do I overcome urges to eat?
To answer this question, we first need to understand why we eat in the first place. It’s probably safe to say, you likely already know the answers to that question. We eat for energy. We eat to stay alive. We eat to nourish our bodies. And, we eat to preserve our health. There are social reasons toosuch as a business lunch or a dinner party with friends. There are cultural reasonssuch as the Fourth of July BBQ and Thanksgiving dinner. And, of course, we can never forget to eat a piece (or two) of the traditional birthday cake during a celebration. Eating is even focused around religious observationslike Easter dinner, Passover, or a Bar-mitzvah. And, for some of us, eating plays a role in our romantic activities as wellthe infamous late night dinner date or breakfast in bed.
But why do we sometimes feel the overwhelming magnetic attraction to stop by the local fast-food joint and grab a double-cheeseburger and fries? Why do we feel the need to super size our meals when we’re depressed or have had a bad day? Where does the desire to gulp down every last bite of a restaurant mealwhose portions are grossly...