Staying Fit
Have you ever eaten so much that you felt like your stomach would explode? Almost all of us can recall times we’ve eaten past the point of fullness, whether overindulging at a favorite fast-food restaurant or gorging on a holiday meal.
Overeating often seems to happen around the holidays, when we gather with family for celebrations that revolve around special foods we may not eat on a regular basis. “It’s easy to get swept up in the joy and celebration of the holiday, or to turn to food as a way of managing anxiety and stress — both are things that contribute to overeating,” says Kate Craigen, director of clinical integrity and a clinical psychologist at Monte Nido & Affiliates, a national eating disorder treatment organization.
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If it becomes a habit, frequent overeating — especially of unhealthy foods — can lead to an eating disorder or excess weight gain. Carrying too much weight increases your risk of heart issues, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, many types of cancer and premature death.
But even in the short term, overeating has an effect on your body, experts say. Here are six things that happen to your body when you eat too much, and what you can do to feel better.
1. Your stomach expands and presses on your other organs
Think of your stomach as a balloon that expands when you eat. When it’s empty, it looks a lot like a raisin, says Matthew Hoscheit, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic: “It’s shriveled up, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in the abdomen.”
As you eat, your stomach stretches to accommodate the extra food, and your whole abdomen swells. That’s why you start to feel like you need to undo your top button or belt, says Jennifer Earles, a registered dietitian for Novant Health Bariatrics Solutions in Charlotte.
If you keep eating, your stomach expands so much that it starts pressing on your other internal organs. “It’s an uncomfortable feeling,” Earles says.
2. Your metabolism revs up
To help your body break down all that food, your metabolism will temporarily speed up after a big meal, says Brittany Werner, a registered dietitian and director of coaching with Working Against Gravity, an online nutrition coaching company.
That switch into overdrive can cause some people to temporarily feel hot, sweaty or dizzy after eating too much, Werner says. “That’s your body trying to do its job,” she explains.
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