3 Ways to Avoid Over Eating

Overeating is when a person continues to eat after they are full or if they are eating when they do not feel hungry. Overeating is often the result of boredom, stress, or a bad habit. Learning to overcome overeating will make living a healthy lifestyle much easier and will motivate your weight loss journey! Overcoming overeating is not an easy feat, but with these three tips and your willpower, you will kick this bad habit to the curb!

Eat Small Meals or Snacks

Throughout the day, eat small meals and snacks that are abundant in healthy nutrients! Overeating is more likely to occur if you feel extremely hungry when you start eating. A ravenous appetite results in excess consumption of unhealthy foods because your body is trying to fill a caloric void with anything that is quick and easily digestible.

If you eat small nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day, your body will never get to this “starving” state of hunger, allowing you to make health-conscious decisions about what to eat! Carry some freshly cut vegetables with you or your favorite mixed nuts to make for a nutritious snack when you are feeling hungry.

If you do make it to a ravenous point of hunger, drink a full glass of water twenty minutes before you eat. It will help calm your appetite, so you are less likely to binge during your meal.

Purge Your Pantry

Another strategy to avoid overeating is to clean out your pantry! Everyone has trigger foods for overeating. A trigger food is a type of food that continually tempts you. For example, if you eat one potato chip, do you feel satisfied or do you keep eating the chips until the bag is gone? If you experience the temptation until the bag of chips is gone, chips are a trigger food for you.

Temptation can happen with all sorts of foods. Chips, cookies, ice cream, and crackers are all common examples of trigger foods for overeating. Purge your pantry of these foods. Donate unopened items to the local food shelter. Throw away all unfinished items. It seems wasteful to throw away uneaten food, but remember that this food is only making you unhealthy and is an obstacle in your journey toward a healthy lifestyle. Throw them away! It will be emotionally and physically beneficial to you.

Are You Hungry or Bored?

If you find yourself reaching for a bag of potato chips or a box of donuts, think about why you want to eat. Do you actually feel hungry, are you watching TV and craving munchies, or are you just bored? Learning to understand your physical need for food is important to lead a healthy life. Eating out of boredom or out of habit will not help your body.

If you are bored, do an engaging activity for a while. Read your favorite book or take a walk around the block. If you still are thinking about food during the activity, you are probably hungry. In this case, make yourself a nutritious snack. An apple with peanut butter or carrots with hummus are great snacks to avoid an unhealthy episode of overeating.

For extra support and inspiration on your weight loss and fitness journey contact me. I would love to help you with your transition to a healthy and happy lifestyle!