People who have a bad habit of overeating run the risk of significantly gaining weight and developing chronic diseases related to overweight and obesity. Putting an end to unhealthy eating habits is not easy at all: a considerable dose of determination and perseverance is required. Many people struggle to change their eating habits and stop overeating. While being able to eat less can be a significant challenge, it is certainly not an impossible achievement: there are in fact some simple steps you can take to change your behavior and stop overeating once and for all.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Reduce Portions
Step 1. When eating at home, use smaller plates
By using smaller plates you will be able to effectively reduce your portions by avoiding overeating.
- Normally, dishes intended for appetizers and side dishes are smaller than common first and second courses, and can prevent you from overdoing the portions.
- Some studies have shown that even the color of the plate is able to influence our level of satisfaction and satiety. Using blue plates will allow you to feel satisfied with less food. If you want to stop eating too much, start using blue plates at every meal.
Step 2. Remove the tureens and serving plates from the table
Fill your plate and immediately bring them back to the kitchen; in this way it will be easier to resist the temptation to do an encore.
- Put all the dishes on the kitchen counter instead of keeping them available on the table.
- Placing leftovers in the refrigerator before you start eating is a great way to avoid overeating. Even when you get up from the table to tidy up the kitchen, you won't have any other food to munch on.
Step 3. Use scales and dispensers
To make sure you stick to the recommended portions, it's a good idea to weigh and measure your ingredients before preparing or serving them.
- Each person requires slightly different amounts of food, but in general you can take advantage of the following daily guidelines. For each food group, one serving consists of: 90-120 grams of protein, 30 grams of grains, 100 grams of vegetables (or 200 grams if it's leafy greens) or 80 grams of fruit or a small whole fruit.
- In general, an adult should include protein in every meal or snack. He should also eat 1 or 2 servings of fruit and 3 or 4 servings of vegetables every day. Daily servings of cereal should be 1 or 2, but not necessarily included with every meal.
- If possible, use a digital food scale: you will get very precise measurements with extreme simplicity.
- On the market there are also plates, tureens, ladles and disposable containers equipped with dosing notches. When you prepare your meals, you will know exactly how much you will eat.
Step 4. At the restaurant ask for small portions
When you eat out, it's not easy to eat little or limit yourself to just one dish.
- As a rule, the menus of the restaurants offer appetizers and delicious desserts, moreover the main courses are almost always generous. Not only will you be served too large portions, you will also be tempted to order numerous dishes.
- Consider ordering an appetizer as a main course. Portions are usually smaller, but enough to make you feel full.
- Pay attention to extras, such as bread and breadsticks on the table. It is easy to eat large quantities when hungry and waiting for your plate. The best thing to do is to ask the waiter not to serve the bread or to limit its consumption.
- Before ordering, discuss portion sizes with the waiter. If the dishes on offer would suit two people, ask them to serve you only half and pack the rest so you can take it home.
Part 2 of 3: Reduce Hunger Through Diet
Step 1. Avoid diets that promise miracles
Many diet plans promise noticeable weight loss in a short time: these are dangerous methods that force you to constantly feel hungry and dissatisfied, and which can induce dangerous reactions such as binge eating.
- In general, losing weight too quickly is never healthy. It is generally advisable to limit weight loss to 1/2 to 1 kilo per week.
- Often such diets exclude entire food groups, limit meals or drastically reduce the number of calories allowed. For these reasons, you may be tempted to eat even more than normal in the long run.
- If you're trying to lose weight, stick to a well-balanced diet plan that provides your body with all the nutrients it needs. In addition to helping you lose weight, it will allow you to feel less hungry and more satisfied.
Step 2. Don't skip meals
Whether you're trying to lose weight or cope with a busy daily schedule, when you skip a meal you put yourself at risk of feeling overly hungry and overeating.
- It is normally recommended to have at least three meals a day. Depending on your daily routine, you may also need a snack or two.
- As an alternative to the traditional three large meals, you could choose to have four to six small meals a day.
Step 3. Eat only when you are hungry
When you eat only out of habit and not because you are really hungry you risk ingesting more food than necessary, overloading and straining your body.
- Learn to identify the signs that characterize real hunger. Many people tend to eat for a wide variety of reasons other than feeling hungry, so it's important to learn to recognize when it comes to true physical hunger.
- Typical sensations of physical hunger include: stomach cramps, a feeling of emptiness in the stomach, mild nausea or dizziness, and irritability.
- In the absence of any of these symptoms, you may want to eat for some other reason, such as boredom or stress. Try to hold back and wait for real hunger to come.
Step 4. When you feel satisfied, stop eating
In addition to eating only when you are really hungry, you can take advantage of another important mechanism made available by the body: the sense of satiety. Its job is to let you know that you can stop eating and to prevent ailments related to overeating.
- When you feel full or satisfied, it means that your body is sending an important message to the brain: "I have received enough food for now." Each meal will provide you with the energy you need to face the hours that separate it from the next one.
- The sense of fullness includes a wide range of symptoms: from the feeling of satiety to that of bloating to an annoying malaise. Normally, when you overeat you end up feeling uncomfortably bloated and heavy.
- Try to stop eating as soon as you start feeling satisfied. Basically you don't have to feel hungry anymore, you have to feel the sensation of having food in your stomach, but you don't have to feel any swelling or discomfort.
- Most people tend to finish everything in front of them instinctively, whether they are still hungry or not. Listen to the signals your body sends you to know when it is best to stop eating.
Step 5. Make your meals last at least 20-30 minutes
It is important to note that when you eat too fast you are much more prone to overdo the quantities.
- It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to signal to the brain that you are satisfied. For this reason, when you enjoy your meal slowly, you are less likely to overeat.
- Set a timer or find another way to track the passage of time to learn how to pace your meals.
- In between bites, place your fork on your plate or sip some water: small tricks like these will help you extend the duration of the meal.
- Control distractions during meals. Notice what's happening around you, and if you find something distracting you, including lights, colors, noises, music or people, try to stay more focused on your eating habits to avoid overeating.
Step 6. Fill half of the plate with healthy vegetables
To be able to reduce the number of calories consumed and avoid overeating, it is very useful to occupy half of the plate with fruit or vegetables.
- Vegetables and fruits are low-calorie foods that do not seriously damage health, even if consumed in excessive quantities.
- If at the end of the meal you still feel hungry and want to eat again, just have an encore of vegetables.
Step 7. Drink enough water
Water is an essential element for the proper daily functioning of the body. Plus, she can be a great ally when it comes to stopping overeating.
- Try to drink 8 to 13 glasses of water a day; alternatively you can opt for other transparent and moisturizing fluids. In addition to properly hydrating the body, water fills the stomach helping you to curb hunger.
- In addition to drinking the recommended amounts of water throughout the day, try adding 1 or 2 glasses before each meal or snack. Your stomach will soon feel full while being filled with a healthy, low-calorie liquid.
Step 8. Try not to use food as a reward
Often people make the mistake of rewarding themselves with a prohibited food for being able to stick to their diet plan for some time. Eating something harmful as a reward for your healthy diet is clearly counterproductive.
- Take a different strategy and, from time to time, indulge in something tasty, even without a special reason. This way you will be able to keep the right perspective on your new healthier eating habits and you will recognize the moments of permissiveness simply for what they are.
- If you want to reward yourself for achieving a goal or gift yourself for a special occasion, use a non-food activity or item. For example, buy yourself a new dress, go to a spa, go to a sporting event or buy a new electronic gadget you have long wanted.
Part 3 of 3: Managing Emotional Hunger
Step 1. Contact an experienced therapist
Sometimes the hunger that causes us to overeat can be psychological. In these cases, it can be more difficult to hold back and be able to change your habits on your own. The help of a trained therapist could prove to be of great benefit.
- Get advice from your primary care physician or search online to locate a therapist who specializes in eating disorders or related to emotional hunger. Thanks to his preparation and experience he will be able to be of considerable help.
- Talk to him about what you think is your main problem, describe how it arose and how it developed, and how you have tried to deal with it in the past.
- Note that while being followed by a therapist, it may take some time and practice before you can completely correct your overeating habit.
Step 2. Keep a journal
A food diary can be a great tool that can help you overcome problems related to excessive or emotional hunger faster.
- Start journaling a few days a week, or better yet every day. Write down your thoughts or even just a few ideas; you can decide to use pen and paper or to use an online application.
- You can describe what you eat, how much you eat, or the reasons you feel are driving you to overeat. In all likelihood, after just a few days or weeks you will be able to recognize your wrong food choices.
- It may be helpful to add a few notes about your feelings or how hungry you feel in the moments before eating. The act of sitting down and writing in your journal may force you to focus and be more aware during the meal.
- Make a list of the foods you can't say no to. Once you understand what are the causes that lead you to overeat, you can avoid situations that lead you into temptation and push you to break the rules of healthy eating. For example, if just walking into a movie theater prompts you to buy extra large popcorn, candy, and fizzy drinks, rent a movie to watch at home.
Step 3. Distract yourself
In times when the urge to eat something unhealthy arises or when you feel sad and seek comfort in food, try to distract yourself before giving in to temptation.
- Often the desire to eat may only turn out to be impulsive and fleeting. Simply waiting a few minutes may be able to stave off the hunger attack or make it much more manageable.
- Try to get distracted for about ten minutes. Get out of the house and take a short walk, read a book, or do some housework for a few minutes. Then re-analyze your desire to eat.
- Make a list of possible things to do to distract yourself from the craving for food. Keep it handy to be ready to deal with times when emotional hunger occurs.
Step 4. Prepare for the inevitable missteps:
whatever your goal or the change you want to make in your life, it's important to recognize that missteps and mistakes are essential.
- Don't let a transgression (or two) make you sad or angry. Mistakes are an integral part of the learning process.
- Even if you made a mistake, don't give up. Take advantage of the next meal or snack to recover. Get rid of "all or nothing" thoughts and don't assume that your whole day or schedule is ruined by making a mistake or two.
- Write about your transgressions in your journal or talk to your therapist.
Advice
- Learning to slow down the pace of your meals can greatly boost your efforts to stop overeating. The reason is that when you eat quickly, your body does not have the opportunity to transmit the satiety signal in time, which will therefore be perceived only when the stomach is already too full.
- Move wisely and prevent the possibility of overeating with a wise expense. Don't go to the grocery store when you are hungry or on an empty stomach, or you will tend to put a lot more in your cart than you need and choose unhealthy foods.
- Often the reasons that lead us to eat have nothing to do with real hunger. Learning to recognize the reasons for overeating will help you develop a plan to effectively counter them.
- Be prepared for times when you end up breaking the rules. Understand that everyone makes mistakes from time to time and that sometimes you will still overeat. The important thing is to recognize that this is only an occasional transgression, which does not prevent you from achieving your goals.
- Look for a support group in the area where you live. Ask your general practitioner for advice, they may provide you with the information you are looking for.
- Cut everything on your plate into small pieces - your brain will delude itself into eating more than you are actually doing.
- The size of the dishes is very important. By using small plates, your brain will convince itself that you are about to eat a much larger meal than it actually is.
