4 Tips to Prevent Overeating

Are you ready for a truth bomb? 

Overeating happens to ALL of us at times, myself included! 

Does that surprise you? 

Here’s another truth bomb though - Just because you struggle with overeating today doesn’t mean you’re destined to overeat on a regular basis for the rest of your life.

Sure, it takes practice, patience, and consistency, but if overeating is something you struggle with, then follow these 4 tips to help you over-eat less often and create healthier habits moving forward. 

1. Keep your most tempting treats out of the house, OR if they must be in your house, keep them in an area that’s hard to reach. This philosophy is easy enough to understand — out of sight means out of mind. Please note this is NOT the same thing as completely eliminating your favorite foods. Instead, I’m suggesting you enjoy your fav indulgences in moderation outside of your house (like going to your favorite ice cream shop for a scoop of ice cream, instead of keeping the entire carton at home… Or enjoying some tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant instead of polishing off the entire bag at home)

2. Plan ahead for mostly healthy meals with your your favorite indulgences sprinkled in (both at home AND out of the house!) I’ll be honest - most cases of overeating come down to either a lack of planning OR using food as a coping mechanism. If you loosely plan your meals ahead of time, you’ll be less tempted to order a pizza or hit the drive-thru after a busy, stressful day.

3. Most of the cravings and urges you have to overeat are a result of stress, emotions, and/or poor eating habits. Learn to be okay with FEELING your feelings, and find more productive ways (like journaling, deep breathing, crying, etc) to process your stress and emotions. When faced with the urge to overeat, set a timer for 10-20 minutes before eating anything to give yourself time and space to process what’s REALLY going on.

4. Remember that overeating happens. As I like to say, Thanksgiving happens every year 😉 Immediately after overeating, come up with a game plan that focuses on regular movement, a healthy meal, and honoring your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Don’t allow one choice to lead to a downwards spiral of choices.

Just like we all overeat from time to time, we also all have the power to make changes to prevent it from happening all the time. 

Which tip can you start implementing today?