Looking for ways to stop overeating? I might be able to help in your health quest. Here are 13 clever tricks to curb overeating and heal your gut for a fit lifestyle.
Everything You’ll Find In This Post
- The Struggles Of Overeating
- Why You Need To Stop Overeating
- 13 Simple Ways To Stop Overeating
- How Do I Stop Overeating At Night
Hi, there! Welcome to another blog post centered around eating habits.
Honestly, I’ve been pouring out words on positive food habits for quite some time now, but it still baffles me how much there is to discuss and talk about.
The topic I’ve picked for this post is something I struggled with for many years before ridding myself of it.
So, everything I’ll share today comes straight from my own frustrating experience.
The Struggles Of Overeating
Overeating is a super draining habit to put up with. It induces food guilt and robs us of the joy of savoring our meals.
We conjure up so many eating techniques in our heads, firm in our resolve to put down our forks at the right moment this time.
But in the end, we somehow end up ditching those plans for an extra plate of spaghetti. 😬
If you find my words relatable, I want you to know your frustration is valid.
It can be really annoying to figure out how to eat in the ‘right’ amount.
But not to worry, because I’ve entered the stage today with my sleeves pulled up.
We are going to unravel some magical ways to stop overeating, and I swear you’re going to love all my tricks. 🧙
A word of caution though:
There is no place for self-doubts and guilt here. Only an abundance of self-love and confidence is encouraged.
So, go ahead and take a minute to open your mind to your healing tendencies.
It’s you and me against some stubborn habits, and heck yeah we’re going to break free!
Why You Need To Stop Overeating
To strengthen your resolve of nurturing healthy food habits, it can help to be aware of the harmful effects of overeating.
Here are some top reasons to convince your mind to quit overeating:
- Overeating ruins self-confidence.
- It distorts our relationship with food.
- Your body isn’t meant to be overfed.
- It causes stress and tension.
- You might suffer from digestive issues.
- It results in bloating.
- Overeating at night disturbs your sleep.
- You become prone to weight gain.
- Your gut health takes the major brunt of this habit.
Still unsure about how to convince your mind? Read: 11 ways to change your mindset for healthy living
What Are Some Ways To Stop Overeating
First and foremost, I am going to have to ask you to kill your guilty feelings regarding overeating.
Sabotaging your self-worth is not going to help you break your bad habits. You have to learn how to be kind to yourself.
Heal your negative food thoughts with self-love, and bring your logic to the forefront to help you break the cycle of overeating.
It’s all about recognizing your food patterns and triggers, followed by proper action plans to break free.
This post is all about the 13 best ways to stop overeating. The more you practice these tips, the better you’ll get at making the right food choices.
Let’s dive in. 🐬
13 Simple Ways To Stop Overeating
1. Drink Plenty Of Water
It is a known fact that most of the time when we reach for food at odd times, we’re actually thirsty.
Knowing this, it becomes crystal clear that drinking water regularly is the first step to breaking the cycle of overeating.
The amount of water you consume every day directly impacts your food consumption.
That’s why I say that proper hydration is the best antidote to overeating.
Here are some helpful tips to use hydration as a way to avoid overeating:
- Aim to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day.
- To reduce the chances of overeating, drink a glass of water an hour before every meal.
- Use a water-tracking app to keep yourself in check.
- Don’t gulp your water in one go. Instead, take small sips.
- Drink green tea for hydration and other health benefits.
A super-healthy post to bookmark for later: 5 amazing drinks to reduce bloating and feel good
2. Use Smaller Cutleries
This tip is all about tricking your brain into believing it’s getting plenty of food to satisfy its urges.
If you use big cutleries, your food sizing will be large every time you take more servings.
But by choosing to eat on smaller plates, you naturally consume less.
Prefer small-sized dishes over large ones, and eat out of bowls whenever you can.
Be attentive to your food and eat slowly. Pause for a minute after your first serving and re-fill only if you’re still hungry.
You might enjoy: 10 health tips for winter to keep you strong
3. Eat More Protein
Listen closely when I say this, peeps – You need protein to tap into your body’s massive abilities.
We all know protein promotes muscle growth, helps in weight maintenance, and is the best way to heal your body after an injury.
But the best thing about it is that curbs hunger, reducing your chances of overeating.
Up your protein intake by consuming eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, fish, and quinoa.
Try to start your morning by consuming a protein-rich breakfast. It will help you stay fuller throughout the day.
A post I highly recommend: 8 healthy food habits for a beautiful lifestyle
4. Exercise Regularly
Working out is a perfect way to gain power over your body, as well as your mind.
I have personally found that I eat better whenever I am on a regular workout schedule.
There is strength to be found in exercise, both mentally and physically, which is why you should add it to your routine to develop a better connection with your mind.
Through exercise, you reaffirm your need to lead a healthy lifestyle, which is a beautiful thought line we need to stop overeating.
Go for regular walks, try yoga for mindfulness, and turn to youtube for fun workout videos.
Remember you need not be a fitness enthusiast to do this. Just start slow and keep going.
As long as you are moving, you are winning.🚶♀️
Having trouble getting yourself up and moving? Learn how to motivate yourself to work out when you’re stuck in a rut.
5. Practice Mindful Eating
This is a golden piece of advice I dish out in every food-related post on my blog, and for good reasons.
If you want to build a healthy relationship with food, you need to start eating mindfully. And let me tell you that mindful eating is no joke.
I seriously bow down to anyone who has mastered this art, because it means they’ve unraveled a blissful health zone that has many benefits.
Mindful eating means being aware of your food choices as you buy, prepare, serve and eat it.
By learning this practice, eating becomes a joy, and every negative habit surrounding your food slowly dissipates.
To put it simply, it is your one-stop solution to ridding yourself of overeating.
Now, please do me a kind favor. Head over to my post on mindful eating right now. It is jam-packed with tips that will make you a pro at mindful eating. 😎
6. Keep A Food Journal
Food journals have become popular among the masses for health regulation.
It is believed that your diet makes up about 80% of your fitness, so it makes sense to keep a track of the things you eat.
But, a food journal has many purposes other than food tracking.
Here are some journaling ideas you can use to discard overeating:
- Use a journal to write about your food-related emotions.
- Fill your entries with gentle reminders of healthy eating.
- Encourage yourself to practice food gratitude.
- Ask yourself why you overate at certain points, and figure out ways to avoid repeating this pattern.
- Carry your journal with you to the dining table, and keep it in sight as you eat.
- You can also use it to plan your daily meals in advance, promoting mindful eating.
- Discard your negative food-related emotions in your entries.
- And lastly, use it to stop relying on food for emotional comfort.
For all the creative journalers out there, here are 50 amazing bedtime journal prompts. Don’t forget to try them during your next nighttime journaling session.
7. Don’t Skip Your Meals
I get that some of you might feel the power in the idea of skipping your breakfast because it’s a way for you to control your food habits, right?
Or maybe some of you are trying to lose weight, and think it might be a good idea to miss out on dinner.
But the truth is that not eating your meals on time is never a good idea.
If you miss your breakfast, you’ll overeat your lunch, and if you forgo your lunch, then your dinner will be the heaviest meal.
And hence continues the process of overeating, something that we are actually trying to avoid.
So, say no to the idea of skipping, and instead focus on eating healthy and fine. 😇
8. Eat Slowly
Boy, I had trouble doing this.
It was like the moment food appeared on the table, I had to launch myself at it as if I had not eaten in days. And this habit always ended up with me eating way past my gut limits.
I can guarantee you that slowing down your eating is the best thing you can do to curb overeating.
As humans, we are blessed enough to have access to delicious food. So, make each bite count.
Put your forks down while you chew, use a timer to increase your eating period, and show your food gratitude by slowing down.
Think you rush through your day at the speed of a train? Here are 11 amazing ways to slow down and live a blissful life.
9. Get Rid Of Stress
There is no doubt that stress is detrimental to your health. But did you know it promotes overeating like a madman?
If you have a habit of stressing yourself out on a daily basis, chances are you’d want to deal with it through comfort eating.
And obviously, there is no value in trying to heal your tired thoughts through food.
When you eat, you should do it with the purpose of joy and fulfillment, not as a desperate resort to turn off your brain.
Teach yourself the importance of good mental health, recognize signs of mental burnout, and take proper measures to reduce your stress.
For a better understanding, read: 11 important signs you need a mental break in life
10. Fix Your Other Unhealthy Eating Habits
If overeating is the only food habit troubling your health at the moment, that’s great! You certainly have your work cut out for you.
But if you’re anything like me, chances are there are some other bad habits you need to cut loose.
Unhealthy food habits prefer working together as a squad. The moment you target each of these habits, the rest of them weaken on their own.
That’s why I say you should work on ditching ALL of your unhealthy eating habits.
Go slow and steady, act patient, and be okay with the idea of slipping a few times.
In the end, using the right techniques and a healthy mindset will definitely make you succeed.
To know more about how to execute this idea, read: 9 bad eating habits you need to quit right now
11. Detach Your Emotions From Food
In the past, emotions were mostly what triggered me to overeat.
If I was happy, I’d overeat. If I was stressed, I’d again overeat. Basically, I rewarded myself with more food and would punish a bad day using the same method.
This went on for most of my teenage life until I realized that I was causing a blunder.
Neglecting your emotions is an encouragement to the part of you that turns to food for comfort. This is what we call emotional eating.
The easiest way to fix this is to stop rewarding yourself with food, and instead focus on your feelings.
Fill yourself up with self-care, get up close and personal with your emotions, and heal your tired heart.
Learn how to master emotional self-care using 12 simple tips.
12. Don’t Ban Your Favorite Food
The biggest mistake I did while trying to avoid overeating was to ban some of my favorite food items.
I’d read it basically in every health article that I had to quit ‘sugar’ if I wanted to get healthy, and that carbs would make me fat.
And I was desperate enough that I followed blindly.
Please, don’t make the same mistake.
Making certain food inaccessible to yourself would only result in an endless cycle of quitting and binging.
No food is bad. It’s your eating habits that make them appear bad.
It’s all about being in touch with your senses to know how much to eat, and when to stop.
If you’re tired of seeing your food in a negative light, learn how I healed my relationship with food using 5 gentle techniques that changed my health life.
13. Cook Your Own Food
Saving the most interesting one for the last. This is hands-down the most brilliant tip in this post.
To make portion control happen naturally, you might want to step into your kitchen and take charge of your meal preparation.
Doing so will expose your senses to the food in advance.
So, when you sit at the table to eat, you won’t feel an overwhelming urge to stuff yourself beyond your eating capacity.
You also get to be in charge of the ingredients this way, which means you have the option of making your food healthy.
Bookmark to read for later: 7 simple ways of eating healthy during the holidays
So these were my 13 ways to stop overeating. Time for the bonus section of this post. ✨👀
How Do I Stop Overeating At Night
Overeating at night can be troublesome for your gut and hence result in restless sleep and digestion issues.
Many of us often overindulge during our dinner time. Midnight snacking can also be a real pain in the stomach to deal with.
I had a similar struggle, so I know it can be hard to break these habits.
Most of the tips that I’ve covered in the previous section will help you curb your eating urges during the nighttime.
But since this is the bonus section, here are a few more tips to help you curb mindless eating at night:
- Plan your dinner in advance.
- Don’t carry your worries to the dining table.
- Read these health affirmations before your meal.
- Listen to health podcasts while you eat.
- Build a nourishing nighttime routine.
- Go to bed early.
For a soothing bedtime, read: How to sleep better at night (10 perfect ways)
A gentle reminder before I wrap up this post:
Life-changing habits aren’t formed overnight. Be prepared to put in some time and effort; three months later you’ll thank yourself.
Try These 13 Ways To Stop Overeating
Stay hydrated, use small cutleries, and load up on protein. Exercise regularly and master the art of mindful eating.
Try keeping a food journal (it really helps) and stop skipping your meals. Slow down your eating and work on reducing your stress.
Rid yourself of other unhealthy eating habits and separate your emotions from your food.
Don’t ban food items, and if possible, cook your own meals to eat healthy and be fine.
So, that was all from my end. Now I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on overeating by leaving a comment behind. I’d love to hear from you.
Liked the post? Pin it to save for later. 😀
Anita says
These are great ideas. I struggle with drinking enough water each day – the tips will definitely help me out. Thanks for sharing!
Akansha says
Hey, Anita. Thank you comemnting! I am sure you’ll be able to increase your water intake each day. Just aim to have one more glass each week and you’ll get there. Hope the tips help!
The Curious Dig says
These are really useful tips and I love your honesty about where you struggle too!
Akansha says
Thank you. I try to be transparent about my own problems so that people can relate. It feels really good to be acknowledged for the same. 🙂
Susan says
It’s a daily struggle as my pants are getting tighter as I type this. These are well thought out ideas for winning the battle!
Akansha says
I know the struggle, Susan. I really hope you’re practicing self-love through all this and being gentle with your body. Really hope the tips help you deal with overeating in a positive light. 🙂
Tasiahub says
I totally agree with point number one exp before eating anything.
And protein foods as well
Akansha says
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I’m glad to know you agree. Hope you found the other tips helpful too.
Christine says
You’ve created some excellent tips in this article. For me, I find exercise helps to suppress my appetite every time, along with drinking water. Thanks for sharing.
Akansha says
So, true. Exercise is a great way to boost your healthy spirits. And water is an amazing way to spread positivity throughout your body. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Hope to see you again.
tianna says
These are some great suggestions, thank you
Akansha says
Glad you found the post helpful, Tianna. 🙂