THE MAIN REASON YOU CANNOT GET IN SHAPE

HEDONIC HUNGER

We have two drivers which determine how much we eat which are 'homeostatic hunger’ and ‘hedonic hunger’.

The homeostatic system is regulated by communication between the brain and digestive system - this controls feelings of satiety and hunger in accordance to your body’s needs for energy (food).

The hedonic system is less about appetite and it can be an overriding, physiological mechanism by the body when we think about more ‘pleasurable’ foods. This is when we eat food in order to satisfy a pleasure and want for something, rather than actually being mindful of our body’s energy needs and whether we actually need to consume that food.

The hedonic system can be ver hard to control in some people which may be the main reason why they can’t lose weight as they don’t have the mental strength to resist the foods they eat for pleasure. I preach as a personal online nutrition coach that you can still eat pleasurable foods when losing weight, however, if you are someone who needs to improve their self discipline and relationship with food in order to lose weight, I would recommend binning and throwing out all the food temptations at the start of your diet, just so you have no chance of getting off track with your diet.