6 Simple Tips to Stop Overeating
6 Simple Tips to Stop Overeating
Don't you hate when you're on a diet, and you struggle with staying within your calorie count? How about eating great all day, then night falls, and you find yourself indulging in everything in sight. You know you'll never reach your goals if you continue to overeat.
How can you avoid the dreaded hunger pangs where you can't help yourself but eat more food than you're supposed to? Dieting can be difficult, but being hungry is miserable, and always leads to overeating. There are ways around that, and being able to stay within your daily calorie allowance doesn't need to be impossible.
Staying focused and on track is essential to reaching and obtaining your fitness goals, so eating correctly is critical, and there are no ways around that fact. You must learn how to eat enough calories to feel satisfied, but still coming up with a calorie deficit.
Continuously overeating will eventually allow the body to gain weight and push you further from your goals. Your body requires a certain amount of calories a day, to function correctly, and to go over those calorie totals will cause weight gain.
Calorie totals are based on your height, weight, age, and your daily activity levels. You burn more calories, the more active you are, and fewer calories, the more your body is at rest. Being realistic with your daily activities will allow you to set your calories more accurately.
To lose weight, you must have self-control and eat within your allotted calorie numbers. There are tricks to avoid overeating and not feel deprived. Use these tips to guide you to staying on track and smashing all of your weight loss goals.
#1--Slow Down
I don't know about you, but I'm always in a hurry, even when I'm not in a hurry. I have one speed, and it's hurry up and go. Eating, for me, is no different. I will sit down to eat with loved ones and inhale my entire meal when they have barely eaten three bites. I'm always frustrated waiting on everyone else to finish so we can move on to doing the next thing.
There are several reasons why eating fast can cause you to overeat. First, if you're like me, everyone else is slowly eating, and I'm finished so, out of boredom, I pick at the left appetizers or the fries they have on their plate. I graze the entire table for anything to eat, so I avoid just sitting there watching them eat.
The other big reason to slow down your eating is your stomach and brain need to be in line. When you eat too fast, you're not giving your brain enough time to send out signals that your stomach is full. It takes, on average, twenty minutes for the brain to send this signal.
Learning to savor our food allows us to enjoy the food. We eat mainly for pleasure reasons, and if we are mindlessly eating, we aren't enjoying the taste of the food, leaving us feeling unsatisfied. Feeling unsatisfied leads us to want more, and here we are overeating. Slow down and chew your food and appreciate every bite you take. It truly makes a difference.
#2--EAT BIGGER MEALS
Some swear by spacing out smaller meals throughout the day, and it may work for them, but if you're struggling with overeating, narrow your calories down to three big meals per day. Dieting is hard, and trying to figure out several meals a day compared to three big meals per day can alleviate a lot of prepping and planning.
Feeling fuller after a bigger meal will help you from grazing with snacks. Filling your stomach up at one meal will prevent you from mindlessly eating in between your three meals. You will also learn how to control your appetite to hold you over until your next meal, instead of falling into a pattern of continually needing to be eating something.
I, personally, like to hold all of my meals off until lunch time. Some may call this "intermittent fasting." I want to eat more in the afternoons and evenings as I have less of an appetite in the mornings. Therefore, having three big meals works perfectly for me, as I eat up until I go to bed, keeping me from feeling deprived at night.
Don't be rigid with your eating habits, and you'll soon see that overeating will be a thing of the past. Eat at times, when you know you'll be the most hungry and don't eat when you're not. Following your body's signals will help prevent you from overeating.
#3--SLEEP MORE
Have you ever noticed that when you stay up super late, the next day you're starving the entire day? There's a reason for that. Your body releases a hormone called Ghrelin, which stimulates your appetite. Ghrelin increases when you've had an insufficient sleep. Your body feels tired. Therefore it wants more calories to gain energy to get you through the day.
The body also has a hormone called leptin, which decreases your appetite. Getting a full nights rest, at least seven hours of sleep, allows the body to repair and restore, leaving you feeling more energized throughout the day and your mind off of food.
Allow yourself to rest more so that you're not battling hunger all day. Your body requires plenty of sleep to function correctly. You cannot trick the body into thinking it's fully rested. If you're struggling with overeating, get some sleep.
#4--TRACKING
Being aware and in check with how many calories you're consuming a day will help you see where you can cut back on unnecessary calories. Tracking your calories throughout the day will allow you to see exactly what you're eating and just how much you're overeating.
If you're guessing at your calories, you most definitely will be overeating. Watching your portion sizes is vital when you want to lose weight and stay within your calorie allowance. Weighing and measuring your food is the only real way you'll know if you're overeating.
There are many food tracking apps you can download to your phone, so you can have it with you no matter where or what you eat. Enter everything you eat and drink. Be sure to turn OFF the exercise allowance button on any of the apps, as these apps will continuously add calories to your daily allowance as the day goes on. Your phone is tracking every step you take and adding calories to your food app to allow you to consume more calories.
You do not want calories added to your daily allowance. You want to be in a calorie deficit at the end of the day, for the body to burn fat and lose weight. Again, if you consume too many calories, your body will gain weight. So be sure to turn off that tab on your food tracker.
#5--FIBER
Be sure to fill up on fiber. Fiber will keep you feeling fuller longer, keep you from feeling bloated and keep your digestive system in check. Fiber will prevent you from wanting to eat in between meals, saving you from overeating. You should be consuming anywhere from 20 grams to 35 grams of fiber each day.
Fiber is a powerful, natural appetite suppressant. There are endless health benefits of fiber, but there is nothing better than avoiding the feeling of starvation, especially when you're dieting and wanting to lose weight. Fill your diet up with high fiber foods such as raspberries, bananas, strawberries, mangos, and dark green veggies. Potatoes and beans are also great for getting fiber in.
Increasing your fiber intake will help you lose weight and maintain a healthier weight over time. Staying full is critical to avoid overeating. If you feel full and satisfied after eating, the temptation of snacking is alleviated. Your energy levels will increase, keeping you on track with your weight loss goals.
#6--BALANCED MEALS
If you're struggling with overeating, you may need to make wiser choices with the foods you are selecting. Processed foods are filled with calories and are less filling, leaving you wanting to eat more. Have you ever eaten a doughnut and ten minutes later, you're hungry again?
Begin swapping out your current foods with higher nutrients. Your body needs a balance of proteins, carbs, and fats. Each macro serves a purpose to your health and wellness. Proteins help with muscle recovery, keeping you nice and lean. Carbs keep your body fueled up for you to function throughout the day, and fats are vital for your organs, skin, and hair health.
Eliminating any of these macros from your daily diet will harm your health. Your body needs these macros to survive. A well-balanced diet will keep your body in check, preventing you from overeating. When you lack in macronutrients and micronutrients, you'll crave more food. Again, the body is smart and knows when it needs something, leading you towards eating more.
BONUS TIP:
Drink more water! When we are dehydrated, we tend to feel hungry when in all reality, it's the body trying to tell us it needs more hydration. Our bodies depend on water. Water increases our energy levels, helps with weight loss, supports digestion, great for skin health, boosts your immune system, and flushes out toxins.
The next time you start yawning or feel hungry, grab a bottle of water. Drink the entire bottle and see how you feel. Did your hunger subside? Do you feel less tired? Before a meal, drink a glass of water, and this will make you feel fuller, keeping you from overeating.
Overeating is a common occurrence when you want to lose weight and keep it off. When you're focused on reaching your goals and working hard, your brain becomes consumed with wanting food. As the old saying goes, you want what you can't have. The more you restrict your diet, the more you'll crave it.
Be sure to pin this to your board on Pinterest, so you can refer back to it when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck! This article will help keep you track.
We all know, to lose weight, we have to reduce our calorie intake, in a safe way. In this article, you’ll learn simple ways to reduce your calories without feeling deprived and starving.
“Sometimes the tiniest of steps forward ends up being the biggest steps of your life”
Be smart with your calories. Space out your meals, place your eating times where you already know you'll be most hungry. Pay attention to eating a well-balanced diet, so your appetite is in check. Have a bottle of water with you at all times and plan. By doing this, you'll be sure to avoid overeating, especially at the end of the night.
The more prepared you are, the less you'll be obsessing over eating food. You'll know when and what your next meal is and your body will adjust quickly to your new nutrition plan.
Overeating comes from lacking in enough calories, getting adequate rest, and eating healthy foods over processed, high sugar choices. I know it's hard to find balance, but adjusting your diet, one step at a time will get you exactly where you want to go. Have patience and track all of your food, so you know exactly where you're at with your calories at all times.
Start making these small tweaks today and take note of how much better you feel. If you need some fun, simple ways to keep you on track and inspired, please sign up below to be on the inside loop of tricks and tools too fast track you to all of your goals. I'd love to be a guiding light on your path to greatness.
Aimee Schwinabart is the founder of The Purely Fit—online workouts, nutrition, and fitness coaching that actually work! She specializes in short (super effective) daily workouts combined with customized nutrition plans to help real people shed excess fat to reveal toned, lean muscles. The Purely Fit approach to looking and feeling great prioritizes small, steady, super efficient workouts and nutrition upgrades to help you stay with it once and for all!
