Common Reasons Why You Can't Stop Eating

為什么你總在吃，還一直餓？

Hunger is complicated and can have many different triggers， said Dr Monique Tello， a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School， practicing physician and director of research and academic affairs for the healthy lifestyle program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

哈佛醫學院臨床講師、馬薩諸塞州總醫院執業醫師兼健康生活方式項目研究和學術事務主任莫妮克·泰洛博士說，饑餓感的產生很復雜，可能有許多不同的誘因。

Medical reasons

健康因素

First， it’s important to rule out any medical issues. Anybody who is feeling very hungry all the time and isn’t able to gain weight or is losing weight should see a doctor， Tello said.

Conditions that could cause constant or excessive hunger include hyperthyroidism，diabetes，damage to the hypothalamus.

首先，排除健康問題，這點很重要。泰洛說，如果一個人一直感到非常饑餓，且體重未增長或正在減輕，就應該去看醫生。

可能導致持續或過度饑餓的情況包括甲狀腺功能亢進癥、糖尿病、下丘腦損傷。

Psychological reasons

心理因素

If there isn’t an underlying medical issue， the problem could be in the mind.

Ever-present food marketing on TV and the constant stream of “food porn” on social media can trigger people to eat often and a lot.

Tello said， “The more people eat， the larger the stomach gets. The stomach can stretch to accommodate large amounts of food. Then if it’s empty， it signals hunger. ”

如果沒有潛在的生理問題，那么問題可能出在心理上。

電視上不斷出現的食品廣告和社交媒體上持續不斷的美食誘惑會促使人們經常大快朵頤。

泰洛說：“人吃得越多，胃就越大。胃可以擴張以容納大量的食物。如果胃是空的，就會釋放饑餓信號。”

A person’s state of mind can play a role， too. Stress can increase levels of ghrelin， research has shown， and being sleep deprived is associated with higher levels of the hunger hormone.Boredom， anxiety and depression can also send people looking into the refrigerator when they’re not truly hungry.

人的心態也會起作用。研究表明，壓力會提升胃饑餓素的水平，睡眠不足與饑餓激素水平升高有關。煩悶、焦慮和抑郁也會讓人在不太餓的時候想吃東西。

Lifestyle reasons

生活方式因素

Sometimes the best answer to the question “Why am I always hungry?” is the simplest one: You’re eating too little， exercising too much， or both.

有時候，對于“為什么我總是餓著肚子？”這個問題，最佳答案也是最簡單的：你吃得太少，運動太多，或者兩者兼而有之。

Solutions

解決對策

Don’t make yourself hungrier than you need to be: Limit your exposure to TV and social media. Try to watch your favorite shows without being exposed to advertising， Tello said.

Consider intermittent fasting: It can reconnect you with true， biological hunger; make it easier to recognize feeling full.

Feel fuller by adjusting the quality of your diet:" Aim for a satiating diet higher in fiber， protein and healthy fats， Tello advised. Such choices will keep you more satisfied， longer.

不要讓自己產生沒必要的饑餓感：少看電視和社交媒體上的美食。泰洛說，試著跳過廣告，去看你最喜歡的節目。

考慮間歇性禁食：這樣可以讓你重拾真實的生理饑餓感；更容易識別飽腹感。

通過調整飲食質量讓自己更飽：泰洛建議，應以富含纖維、蛋白質和健康脂肪的飽腹飲食為主。這樣的選擇會讓你更容易產生飽腹感、餓得更慢。

Word Bank

trigger /'tr?ɡ?(r)/ n. 誘因 v. 觸發；引起

rule out 排除，消除

accommodate /?'k?m?de?t/ v. 容納；為……提供空間

deprive /d?'pra?v/ v. 剝奪；使喪失

No one can deprive you of such simple pleasures.