23 Reasons Why Most Mothers Tend to Eat More

My dear fellow mum, are you guilty of overeating? Are you aware of what are the reasons why you are doing it? This blog post listed 23 reasons why mothers tend to eat more. They are in no particular order.

I am guilty of some of the causes and maybe you too can say “ So true, I can relate to numbers ___, ___, and ____.”

Suck in that gut and brace yourself because you are about to become AWARE of the TRIGGERS, MUM.

HUNGRY

You have a grumbling stomach while riding a public transport or driving the car. The lunch you ate at work wasn’t enough. The snack was eaten by your toddler while waiting for your children’s lessons to be over.

You are on the brink of the STARVING ZONE.

You came home and raided the fridge, cupboard or the pantry to EAT the leftovers or any junk food you can find. Good on you if you were able to prepare beforehand a HEALTHY SNACK.

Photo by Lachlan Gowen

Stress eating

Is something bothering you? When mothers are stressed, they are dealing with a mixture of strong negative emotions.

Sadness/depression due to:

Unemployment – I gave my résumé to many organizations but nothing is happening!

Employed – Yes… I got hired but it didn’t turn out the way I expected it to be. It is boring me to death!

Torn between working or staying at home – I should be working now but my toddler needs me more and I have to take care of him/her.

Angry/ Frustrated due to:

The person you trusted turned out to be deceitful.

Your children are driving you insane.

The promotion you were expecting was given to someone else.

Worried

Your health is becoming a major issue.

The bills you have to pay are piling up.

As a mother, you are overwhelmed between the responsibilities of your family and aging parents.

You didn’t have a healthy breakfast.

Whether you are an employed mum or not, the morning preparation is always the busiest. Chances are, there is an irresistible urge to overeat a not-so-healthy meal In the middle of the day.

Lack of sleep

Had a sleepless night? Good luck if you can think straight during the day. When you lack sleep, the tendency for the body is to eat more.

According to the website, www.health.com

Lack of sleep can disrupt hormone levels, making you feel hungry even when your body doesn’t need food.

Photo by Jackman Chiu

Vitamin and mineral deficiency

According to the website www. prevention.com, if you are craving for sugary and salty food, you have low levels of calcium and magnesium. For more info, here is the link.

Bored

Being alone at home is becoming mind-numbing so you open the cupboard and look for something to eat just to pass the time.

Cravings

You saw an advertisement on TV of an ice cream that looks delicious. Your mission became BUY THAT ICE CREAM NOW!

There was an ad online in your news feed of a chocolate coated cookie with a gorgeous man telling you to buy it. Imagination went wild as you take a bite of that chocolate cookie.

Moreover, you saw a picture on Instagram and Pinterest of an exciting food which you can easily buy. Nomnomnomnom

Photo by Courtney Prather

Negative self-talk

Your negative self-talk goes something like this, “I think I will be overweight forever. There is nothing I can do about it. Well, I don’t care anymore!!!!”

So begins the epic quest for more opportunities to make you eat more and prove to everybody that you are going to stay obese.

Homesickness

Homesickness is a sudden feeling that comes in waves. The hardest part is when your loved one in your country of origin is terribly sick. To cope, they will start to eat a lot of that particular food that comes from their home country.

So much money to spend

Are you wealthy? You have so much money that you can eat the best food money can buy. You go FOOD-TRIPPING. Maybe, you are well-exposed to exotic delicacies. Furthermore, you travel a lot so you have the chance to eat the local’s excellent dishes.

A reward for doing something great

Are you the kind of mum who rewards herself with food after doing an excellent job? You are on your way to the grocery store, expensive café or restaurant to look for the yummy food that makes you happy.

Photo by Brooke Lark

Deprived

Were you invited to a party in which the host has a long table of food to die for? (that’s an exaggeration by the way). As the Yo-gabba-gabba children show used to say “ There is a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy.”

Eating to your heart’s content because you seldom or rarely get the chance to eat the food is a reason for some mothers. Either the mum cannot cook or cannot afford to prepare that food.

Out of habit

The family is getting ready to watch a movie, a tv show or just 2 episodes from Netflix or (gasp!) the entire season. It is part of the routine to prepare:

Popcorn (check!)
Soft drinks or wine (check!)
Comfort food of your choice (check!)

sweet, salty, fried

You were so engrossed in what you were watching, you ate more.

Medical condition

According to www.rd.com one of the reasons why you overeat is hyperthyroidism. Here is the link.

If it is not a major medical condition, could it be hormonal imbalance perhaps? Menstruation is coming soon! Furthermore, could it be menopause?

FREE FOOD

Some mothers get excited when they hear FREE FOOD! An example of this is multicultural night prepared by the church or local organization. Just bring food to share from your own country and you are on your way eating at least 25 delicacies from 25 countries. Imagine that!

Photo by The Digital Marketing Collaboration

Moreover, you are just walking around the grocery store and you saw FREE SAMPLES! You are not that hungry but you try the ice cream, the biscuits, the crackers, the sausages, the bread with butter on it. You feel you are in food heaven with all those yummy samples!

Cooking

Some mothers start to cook because it makes them blissful and relaxed. They tend to have an increased appetite because they gobble up the food they are preparing, cooking and baking.

Photo by Olia Gozha

On-sale, dirt cheap prices

The stalls are closing soon. You see the prices going down.

The seller will start saying:

“ Buy it for one dollar!”

“ 2 for 5 dollars!”

“Buy one get one free!”

“30%- 50% OFF!”

If you are a mum who is easily tempted by what is ON SALE, you will buy more and therefore eat more.

Pregnancy

“Why am I eating too much these past few days?” Then it dawned on you the realization that YOU ARE PREGNANT! CONGRATULATIONS! If you are ready, the joy and the gratitude will fill you. If you are not, I bet there is only one word screaming in your mind “ NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Every child is a blessing. I wish you well on your journey.

Don’t get me started with breastfeeding. Eating food good for two.

Eat the leftover food of the family

It makes me cringe to see good food thrown away in the rubbish bin. At the back of my mind, I know a lot of people starving around the world.

You see a half-eaten chicken on your child’s plate because they couldn’t finish it anymore. One of the duties of dad and mum is to eat the leftovers. Both of you are avoiding wastage.

Had enough of dieting

Do you miss all the comfort food in your life? Some mothers gain back the weight they lost because of DISGUST. They feel they are deprived of the food they deserve to eat. Their reason is life is too short to eat cauliflower all the time.

Mindless eating

Eating with friends is such a pleasurable experience. If your friend beside you has a huge appetite during the night out, chances are you will be eating the same amount or even more than your friend. Chatting with close friends until the cows come home is filled with laughter and drama. It diverts your attention from the food you are putting in your mouth.

Photo by John Canelis