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I'm sure some foods are inherently addictive, but I hesitate to put the blame on specific foods because I gained most of my weight from eating sushi rice… a pot

I'm sure some foods are inherently addictive, but I hesitate to put the blame on specific foods because I gained most of my weight from eating sushi rice… a pot at a time. My experience suggests to me that food addiction is primarily psychological in nature and is often the result of a history of "experience coupling" (examples to follow) and a genuine misunderstanding of what feeling "full" truly feels like. Most obese people I know have no idea when they've eaten enough food and often don't stop eating until they're in pain. I'm not sure if this problem is physical, but as a formerly-obese person I can state with confidence that I still don't quite know when I've eaten enough. There is no feeling of "full" for me; just pain vs. no pain. "Experience coupling" examples… * Feeling the need to eat popcorn while watching a movie * Feeling the need to eat peanuts, hot dogs, and beer at a baseball game * Feeling the need to meet with friends at restaurants, coffee shops, etc. * Feeling the need to eat cereal by the fistful when trying to work through a tough algorithm (<-- personal anecdote) * Feeling the need to snack on road-trips

inglor_cz 6y ago
"have no idea when they've eaten enough food and often don't stop eating until they're in pain" Our hunger / satiety feelings are driven hormonally by hormones called ghrelin and leptin. Ideally, those two take care of a perfect equilibrium. If something messes this self-balancing mechanism up, feelings of hunger and satiety may no longer respond to actual caloric intake - a recipe for a slow-motion disaster.
- johnyzee 6y ago
  Worth noting that satiety (to a large degree controlled by leptin) is triggered much more by fat than by other macro nutrients. So white rice, and all other carbs, are worse on that axis too - high in calories but not very filling, thus promoting overeating. The decades of war on fat have contributed to people indulging in these foods.
  - hoka-one-one 6y ago
    Why do you think this? I've never seen a satiety index that scores butter over white rice.
    - dota_fanatic 6y ago
      You can resolve this for yourself experimentally. Or just look at the math (pulled from google's nutrition facts): Eat two cups of cooked white rice, ~412 calories, 316 g. A day later with the same starting conditions, eat 316 g of butter, or ~2,265 calories. I bet you're going to feel way more full after eating the same "amount" of butter vs rice. As for 500 calories of rice vs 500 calories of butter, hopefully someone else can chime in with references, but again, do the experiment for yourself: how soon after eating an entire meal of rice vs butter do you find yourself getting hungry? This is complicated by what kind of macro ratios a given person's gut is used to, but generally, I find myself ready for more after the rice much sooner.
      - hoka-one-one 6y ago
        Wow! So butter is healthier than white rice?
        TACIXAT 6y ago
        Satiety has nothing to do with health. As well, one is going to affect your blood glucose, and the other might mess with your arteries. It's not such a black and white healthier or not. It also depends on your body, for example, if you are in ketosis you will process that fat differently.
robotnikman 6y ago
I have been one of those "Experience coupling" eaters (eating while reading) and decided to try and experiment on myself last month. I decided to no longer eat while reading, watching TV, browsing my phone, etc. I noticed I ate much less than I would usually eat, enough to stick to 1500 calories a day rather easily.
milesvp 6y ago
You may know this, but, white rice has one of the highest glycemic indexes (along with white bread). High GI foods tend to be addictive, in that spikes in blood sugar are sort of a double whammy, the sharp rise help cultivate future cravings (the body produces dopamine in anticipation of big “positive” effects in the body, in this case to help encourage finding similar high calorie food stores in the future), while the almost immediate drop in blood sugar is a signal that we’re hungry, despite possibly having a too full belly, and already having a high baseline blood sugar level. As to the rest of your comment, yeah, associative memories are a bitch when it comes to compulsive behaviors. I personally have to keep things out of the house otherwise I too would always eat popcorn and candy with every movie...
thorwasdfasdf 6y ago
please note: sushi rice is not just plain white rice. Sushi rice often has sugar added to it, that's a big part of what makes it so addictive. And then, in the sushi itself, they often add oils, mayonaise (also made from oils), and sugary syrups on top too.
- acuozzo 6y ago
  > Sushi rice often has sugar added to it I know since it was homemade! I'm glad I didn't become diabetic.

inglor_cz 6y ago

"have no idea when they've eaten enough food and often don't stop eating until they're in pain" Our hunger / satiety feelings are driven hormonally by hormones called ghrelin and leptin. Ideally, those two take care of a perfect equilibrium. If something messes this self-balancing mechanism up, feelings of hunger and satiety may no longer respond to actual caloric intake - a recipe for a slow-motion disaster.

johnyzee 6y ago
Worth noting that satiety (to a large degree controlled by leptin) is triggered much more by fat than by other macro nutrients. So white rice, and all other carbs, are worse on that axis too - high in calories but not very filling, thus promoting overeating. The decades of war on fat have contributed to people indulging in these foods.
- hoka-one-one 6y ago
  Why do you think this? I've never seen a satiety index that scores butter over white rice.
  - dota_fanatic 6y ago
    You can resolve this for yourself experimentally. Or just look at the math (pulled from google's nutrition facts): Eat two cups of cooked white rice, ~412 calories, 316 g. A day later with the same starting conditions, eat 316 g of butter, or ~2,265 calories. I bet you're going to feel way more full after eating the same "amount" of butter vs rice. As for 500 calories of rice vs 500 calories of butter, hopefully someone else can chime in with references, but again, do the experiment for yourself: how soon after eating an entire meal of rice vs butter do you find yourself getting hungry? This is complicated by what kind of macro ratios a given person's gut is used to, but generally, I find myself ready for more after the rice much sooner.
    - hoka-one-one 6y ago
      Wow! So butter is healthier than white rice?
      - TACIXAT 6y ago
        Satiety has nothing to do with health. As well, one is going to affect your blood glucose, and the other might mess with your arteries. It's not such a black and white healthier or not. It also depends on your body, for example, if you are in ketosis you will process that fat differently.

robotnikman 6y ago

I have been one of those "Experience coupling" eaters (eating while reading) and decided to try and experiment on myself last month. I decided to no longer eat while reading, watching TV, browsing my phone, etc. I noticed I ate much less than I would usually eat, enough to stick to 1500 calories a day rather easily.

milesvp 6y ago

You may know this, but, white rice has one of the highest glycemic indexes (along with white bread). High GI foods tend to be addictive, in that spikes in blood sugar are sort of a double whammy, the sharp rise help cultivate future cravings (the body produces dopamine in anticipation of big “positive” effects in the body, in this case to help encourage finding similar high calorie food stores in the future), while the almost immediate drop in blood sugar is a signal that we’re hungry, despite possibly having a too full belly, and already having a high baseline blood sugar level. As to the rest of your comment, yeah, associative memories are a bitch when it comes to compulsive behaviors. I personally have to keep things out of the house otherwise I too would always eat popcorn and candy with every movie...

thorwasdfasdf 6y ago

please note: sushi rice is not just plain white rice. Sushi rice often has sugar added to it, that's a big part of what makes it so addictive. And then, in the sushi itself, they often add oils, mayonaise (also made from oils), and sugary syrups on top too.

acuozzo 6y ago
> Sushi rice often has sugar added to it I know since it was homemade! I'm glad I didn't become diabetic.