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Stop overeating - Top tips on how to stop overeating
1. Stop Overeating when you're tired
Most people overeat when they're tired for two reasons. Firstly, if you haven't had enough sleep you probably snack on high sugar foods like cakes and chocolate for a quick energy boost during the day.
Secondly, if you're working late or staying up past the time you normally go to bed, eating can often be a way to distract yourself to keep awake.
Overeating tip - It's fine to snack when you’re tired, just choose foods that give you longer lasting energy, like a wholemeal scone or banana sandwiched between slices of wholemeal bread, and it include it in your calorie allowance.
2. Stop Overeating because you’re upset or bored
People often overeat when they're upset or bored because of the "diversion factor". We temporarily take our minds off whatever the problem is - whether it's a row with a loved one, work stress, loneliness or by giving ourselves a "treat" of food.
Overeating when you're upset or bored doesn't improve the situation, and the extra weight gain will just make you feel worse about yourself. It can also leave you feeling that everything in your life is somehow out of control.
Overeating tip - Learn that you have a choice. If you want a tub of ice cream when you bored, you can have it - but accept that you’re choosing to eat it and that, calorie wise, you might regret it afterwards. By making decisions around food more consciously, you'll start to break away from your conditioned pattern of eating when you're upset, and separate eating from emotions.
Acknowledge that you're upset or bored rather than hungry. When you're tempted to reach for that chocolate bar, ask yourself if it's really what will make you feel better.
3. Stop Overeating because you graze throughout the day
These days we have less time for ourselves and don't take proper lunch breaks. If you work in an office you may eat while surfing the internet, or you could eat on the run when chasing around after your kids. All these things mean that people are less likely to register what they've eaten, so it's more likely they'll overeat later.
Another time you may not realise you overeat is when you're standing up. It can happen alot of the time when you're preparing a meal in the kitchen, you have easy access to the cupboards and fridge doors and often there are packets of food at eye level.
Grazing can pile on the pounds if you don't take note of how many extra calories you are consuming. One good way of keeping track of this is keeping a food diary, you may be suprised how much you're eating without really noticing.
Overeating tip - If you have to graze, choose healthy options like fruit or raw vegetables. Plan your grazing so you can include it in your calorie allowance, instead of eating unaware. Make a food diary to help you keep track. Chewing gum is the perfect grazing distraction.
4. Stop Overeating because you keep on eating after you're full
People carry on eating when they're full for all sorts of reasons. Maybe you grew up in a family where everyone had second or third helpings and it's become a habit. Or perhaps your children have left home but you're still preparing the same amounts of food - and eating it yourself. Another reason could be that when you’re socialising you eat more than you need to just because everyone else is.
Continuing to eat when you're full can leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable. And by keeping going, all you’re doing is increasing your calorie intake. As a result, if you're on a diet you might need to cut back on calories - to keep within your allowance - at a time when you really are hungry. So don't make it harder on yourself just because you’re not thinking.
Overeating tip - Decide how much you want to eat before you sit down to a meal. When you've finished that amount, accept that you'll probably feel you could eat more. But if you slow down and ask yourself whether you're really still hungry, you'll find you can stop.
Watch your second helpings. Cook extra veg with your meals - then if you want a second helping make sure its vegetables.
Listen to your stomach. Remember that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full. If you wait a while after you've eaten your meal, chances are you won’t actually feel like having another plateful.
5. Stop Overeating because you're not organised
Our work environments are getting more demanding. Work often takes a priority over everything else, and we don't have time to organise our home life. Maybe you get home in the evening to find you don’t have anything low fat in the fridge, and then defrost a high calorie pizza or order a takeaway. Or you end up binging on the high fat snacks in the back of the cupboard when there's nothing else to eat.
Overeating tip - Stock up on low fat foods - try buying frozen veg so you always have it in, and keep a supply of calorie-counted ready meals in the freezer for when you're too tired to cook. When you do cook, make bigger portions and freeze some for other days.
Plan meals in advance. If you know what you're going to eat, you can buy food at the start of the week and will have no excuse to dial for a takeaway when there's nothing left in the fridge.
6. Stop Overeating by using an appetite suppressant
You may have tried all the tips above, but find you're still over eating when you shouldn't.
You could benefit by using a natural appetite suppressant such as Hoodia Gordonii Extract or Proactol. To find out more, we have made a review a page which will help you decide if an appetite suppressant or fat binder could help. Read our - fat binder review
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