Diet

How to Stop Overeating

Food is great. I want you to eat good food and enjoy it. However, if you are trying to lose weight or improve your digestion, you need to eat the right amount of food. Let’s talk about how to stop overeating.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat right and exercise regularly. Most people feel comfortable doing one of those things and not the other. Some people seem to have no problems keeping a balanced diet, but when it comes to exercise they are lost. Luckily, I have tons of online workouts to help you with your fitness if that is the area you struggle with.

Other people can make themselves workout, but when it comes to diet, they have no control. Binge eating disorder is a serious problem for nearly 3 million adults in the US. However, I would bet that most of the population has had at least one binge eating episode. I certainly have had a few in my life.

Today I want to help us all figure out how to avoid binge eating. Here are six steps that will teach you how to stop overeating.

Step One: Drink a ton of water

Some people overeat because they genuinely feel hungry all the time. Or so they think. However, thirst can be disguised as a feeling of hunger. So there is a chance you are not hungry all the time, but instead you are dehydrated. So drink more water! Drink consistently throughout the day and have a glass of water before every meal to prevent overeating.

Step Two: Write down, or take a picture of everything you eat 

There are many apps nowadays that can help you track your food.  My personal favorite app is myfitnesspal. It is super easy to use. Just enter everything you eat in a day into the app and it will show you how many calories you eaten and the macronutrient stats of that food.

If you don’t like tracking your food that way, try taking pictures of what you eat throughout the day. Then, before you go to bed, take a look at everything you’ve photographed and see if you are happy with your meals. 

When keeping a food log, it is important that you be honest. If you eat something bad, document it. Having an honest list will make it easier for you to see what foods are preventing you from reaching your goals and feeling healthy.

Step Three: Don’t buy the things that you know you will eat too much of

If you are someone who can eat an entire bag of pretzels in one sitting, don’t buy pretzels. If you have a weakness for sweets  – don’t keep any in your house. I’m not saying to completely take these foods out of your diet, but you should only enjoy eating them when you go out to eat.

I love chips and salsa, but I also have no self control. Instead of taking that snack out of my diet, I bring a bag of chips and a jar of salsa to friend gatherings. This way I can eat my favorite food, but I can share it with other people. If I had that bag of chips to myself at home, it would be gone in an hour. Everyone knows how terrible it feels after you’ve stuffed your face. So don’t even put the temptation there.

Step Four: Don’t let yourself get bored

When I have a busy day, I don’t really get hungry. That’s because I’m moving and doing things, and I’m NOT BORED. If you are at home and have nothing to do, find something active or productive to do. Otherwise you will probably end up sitting on the couch and eating.

Step Five: Don’t beat yourself up over a “bad” meal

If you have a “bad” meal: drink some water, log it in your food diary, and move one with your day.

Step Six: Chew slower

If you take your time eating, you will realize when you are full.

See, it’s really that simple. I hope these tips have helped you figure out how to stop overeating.

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