Know Your Weaknesses: Pinpointing which foods you have a particularly hard time limiting can help you decrease your chances of overeating. Make these foods harder to obtain by not keeping them in the house or buying them when you are shopping.
Don’t Ban All Your Favorite Foods: Eating patterns that are too restrictive may drive you to binge. The key to a sustainable, healthy diet is to concentrate on eating whole, unprocessed foods most of the time, while allowing yourself a treat here and there.
Avoid Eating From Containers: Eating chips out of the bag, ice cream out of the carton or takeout straight from the box can lead you to consume more food than you need. Instead, portion out a single serving size on a plate or in a bowl to help control the number of calories you are consuming.
Reduce Stress: Stress can lead to overeating, so it’s important to find ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Chronic stress drives up levels of cortisol, a hormone that increases appetite.
Practice Mindful Eating: Adopting mindful eating techniques is one of the best ways to prevent overeating. The practice of mindful eating stresses the importance of focusing on the present moment and being aware of your thoughts, emotions and senses while consuming food.
Eat Fiber-Rich Foods: Choosing foods that are rich in fiber like beans, vegetables, oats and fruit can help keep you feeling satisfied longer and reduce the urge to overeat.
Eat Regular Meals: Studies have demonstrated that eating more frequently throughout the day may decrease hunger and overall food intake.
Keep a Food Journal: Keeping track of what you eat in a food diary or mobile app may help reduce overeating. Many studies have shown that using self-monitoring techniques like keeping a food diary may help with weight loss.
Keep Your Goals in Mind: Setting short- and long-term goals and referring to them often may help you stay on track and reduce the urge to overeat. Knowing why you want to stop overeating and how overeating is keeping you from reaching your health and wellness goals can motivate you to break this unhealthy habit.
Replace Sugary Beverages With Water: Drinking sugary beverages like soda and juice could lead to weight gain and increase your risk of certain diseases like diabetes. Studies have shown that consuming sweetened drinks with meals may be linked to overeating as well.
This post is a small sample of the information covered each week in the StayConnected™ Mini-CE Coaching Calls. All coaching calls are recorded and StayConnected™ members have access to the entire archive through their StayConnected™ dashboard. It’s just one of the many benefits of staying connected to HLS.