How You Can Stop Overeating

What is setting you off?

Always identify your triggers. If a place sets you off, you want to avoid it. If a feeling sets you off, you need to find a plan B to avoid invading your cabinets for food. Emotions are usually a culprit when it comes to overeating. When were happy, we eat, when we are sad, we eat. Our emotions have a way of taking over all our inhibitions. There is why researchers found that 75 percent of eating comes from dealing with emotions. When you feel a negative emotion ride it out until it leaves and without going to food. Usually, the feeling will retreat.

Start eating better.

The single most important action to take to stop overeating is to eat healthier. This means to stop eating processed foods and eating more vegetables, nuts, whole grains and lean meats like chicken or fish. Cutting back sugar and caffeine will help you from being ravenous. Sugar gives you a high and then you crash. The next thing you know it, you are looking for more sugar to help build you back up. When there is sugar, there are calories! Snack on carrots with organic peanut butter, instead of sugary packed granola bars, candy, and crackers.

Portion your food better.

When you portion your food for the week, it can help you refrain from overeating. People who do this are able to keep track of their portions a lot better. This will also help you from skipping meals on the run. Additionally, it will help you resist snacking on foods high in calories. If time is not on your side, you can order meals or purchase meals that are portioned out already. 

Drink water.

"Filling your belly with water will naturally make you less likely to overeat," the author of the Flexitarian Diet Dawn Jackson Blatner explained to Health.com. She said that water helps you feel fuller, but it may be a sign of "symptoms of dehydration may actually be what's causing your rumbling belly." Before a meal, aim to drink up to a glass of water. Try this trick when you are dining out. This will help you avoid overeating and help you skip the appetizers.

Get adequate rest. 

A lack of sleep could be causing you to overeat. What happens when you are tired? You go for the sugary foods and for the caffeinated beverages to get through the day! These are the foods and drinks that pack on the pounds. Don't discount the importance of sleep as it is nutrition for the brain, WebMD explained. They went on to share that you need at least 7 hours of sleep. If not, the body will react and go for high-calorie foods to counterbalance the fatigue.

Stay away from the kitchen.

When those commercials come on, stay away from the kitchen except for mealtimes. How many times do we find ourselves wandering into the kitchen when we are not even hungry? Also, leave the food in the kitchen as eating meals in front of the television will make you consume more. When you feel the urge to go browse the pantry, go for a walk or play with the dog for a wholesome distraction.

Source for reference: http://www.beliefnet.com