For many, certain triggers can lead to overeating causing bloating, health issues and weight gain. It can be triggered from a multitude of things including stress. This is one of the biggest reasons why people have problems losing weight and keeping it off. After eating, if you feel uncomfortable, tired or have stomach aches, you’ve overeaten. You’ve consumed too many calories than your body can burn off so you gain weight. Due to that feeling, you don’t have the energy or the drive to exercise it off. Overeating can happen to the best of us. Here are 6 tips to help prevent overeating.
1. Drink Water
Your mind can play tricks on you. Sometimes, you brain can confuse thirst with hunger and food cravings. If you feel hungry between meals or have an urge for a specific food, try drinking a large glass of water. Then wait a few minutes. You may find that the craving fades away. A further indication that your body was just thirsty.
In addition, water is a natural filler. Drink a glass of water before you eat. When you drink a glass of water before a meal, your stomach holds it. This leaves less room for the food you eat so you eat less.
2. Get Your Mind Off It
When you’re bored, anxious or have other emotional triggers, you tend to crave food. This can also happen when you’re watching TV, in the car, working or while reading a book. I tend to snack more when I’m on my computer. Because your mind is distracted, that one chip turns into the whole bag. Your brain can’t send the signal telling you that you are full.
By knowing your triggers, you can shift your mind. Maybe eat a healthier snack, something with high water content like fruits or vegetables. You can also break up the monotony by the changing pace such as listening to music, getting up for a few minutes, etc.
3. Plan Your Meals
Consider meal prepping. Plan your meals for the day or the upcoming week. By knowing when and what you are going to eat, you eliminate uncertainty. In addition, since the meals are already prepped, you can control the portion. Think about it, if you know what you’re going to eat later, you’ll be less tempted. In fact, you’ll be less likely to make compulsive, impulsive and unhealthy choices. Thinking about what you’ll eat later can even lessen your cravings.
4. Avoid Being Hungry
Ever heard of hangry? It’s when you get so hungry that you’ll eat whatever’s nearby and gorge on it. My mom used to say it’s when you get so hungry that your stomach is angry. Hunger is one of the biggest reasons why we experience cravings. This tends to happen when you skip meals. Skipping meals causes your blood sugar to drop. Due to this, the ghrelin hormone releases causing you to over-indulge. If you find yourself getting more irritable, hunger may be the cause. Take a break and eat a healthy snack, preferably a protein snack. This will raise your blood level and hold you to your next meal.
5. Avoid Stress & Fatigue
Hormones affect our appetite tremendously. When you’re stressed or sleep deprived, you disrupt your body’s hormonal balance. This unbalance leads to poor appetite regulation and strong cravings. Stress kicks up your cortisol levels promoting hunger and overeating. While lack of sleep causes you to feel hungrier the next day.
During the day minimize your stress. Do stress management activities such as meditation, walking or talking to a friend to help you deal with underlying issues. Even more, make sure you are getting 6-8 hours of sleep at night. Not only will getting a good night’s sleep reduce your cravings the next day, it can reduce your stress levels. This step can also lead to healthier looking skin.
6. Eat Slower
Don’t eat like you’re in a race. You may not realize it, but it takes time for your food to properly digest. Researchers estimate that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full. When we slow down and chew our food, it’s starts the digestive process. Nutrients are released in the stomach and release hormones to the brain. These hormones lets the brain know you are full and turns off the hunger signal. Try to stretch your meal to be a full 20 minutes. Additionally, stop eating when you’re about medium full. Cut your bites into smaller pieces and add an extra 3 chews to each bite.
Bonus Tip: Don’t Grocery While You’re Hungry
The 6 tips above for preventing overeating are great, but there is one more I feel that needs to be added. A grocery store is one of the worst places to be when you’re hungry. They feed everyone’s cravings. When you’re hungry, you tend to want to buy everything in sight. As a matter of fact, grocery stores are set up for impulsive buying. They provide easy access to unhealthy food by placing it at eye level. This is especially true at the checkout line. Then you get home and gorge. The best time to grocery shop is after you’ve eaten or when you have a shopping list. You’ll be less likely to impulsively buy. Also, keep the blinders on when you check out.
