Food is 80% of how you look and feel and it can effect everything from unwanted weight gain to depression to menopausal/andropausal symptoms...and a WHOLE Lot in-between. Have you ever eaten something when you weren't physically hungry...and halfway through you thought, Why am I even eating this? Sometimes, hunger ain't the reason. Our brains learn associations between food and pleasure, stress, reward, comfort, family, tradition and routine. After enough repetition, certain situations can practically become instructions to eat. Here are 3 I want you to THINK about: 1. The "Betcha Can't Eat Just One" Trick Remember that old Lay's slogan? #Psychology101 Certain highly rewarding foods can make stopping harder than we expect. Add habit, convenience, portion size and learned cues, and "I'll just have one" can quickly become half the bag. So before you automatically blame your "lack of willpower," THINK about what you're eating and what happens once you start. 2. The "I Deserve It" Trick Long day? I deserve it. Stressful day? I deserve it. Got a promotion? I deserve it. Made it through Friday? I DESERVE IT! Notice something? Whether life goes RIGHT or WRONG...food gets the reward. When food repeatedly becomes the way we reward, soothe or celebrate ourselves, our brains can begin expecting it whenever those situations happen. 3. The "I've Always Eaten This" Trick This one gets DEEP. Big Mama made it. Mama ate it. We've had it every Thanksgiving since you were 4. You've eaten it your entire life. And familiarity can make something feel unquestionable. Sometimes we're defending a food because of our relationship and history with it, rather than stopping to ask whether we still want it, need it, or how we feel after eating it.

Good day, I'm Anya from Texas. I am hoping to learn what SHOULD already be talked about (without prompting from me) at the doctor's. Glad for the resources, information and community.