Let’s face it, the extra pounds you’re carrying around are due to overeating — plain and simple.
Why do you overeat? Here are a few likely reasons:
- Habit: Whether you realize it or not, you eat in a learned pattern rather than out of need. You clean your plate because that’s what your mother taught. You eat what is served without stopping to check if you are full. You butter two pieces of toast for breakfast rather than questioning if one piece would do the job.
- Absentmindedness: You forget to pay attention when you eat. Mindless munching while watching a movie, snacking while driving or picking at food while cooking — these absentminded calories really add up.
- Something deeper: Sometimes you use food for recreation or to change your mood. These calories may lend you a temporary sense of comfort or pleasure, but ultimately your body suffers from the indulgence.
Here are 3 steps to overcome overeating — read these, and apply them to your life.
Step #1: Pay attention
Be aware of what and how much you eat. This simple concept will save you from hundreds upon hundreds of calories each week.
To apply this rule, don’t eat while your attention is distracted by another activity. Only put food in your mouth when you are hungry and conscious of it. This means turn off the TV, get out of your car and, no matter what you do, don’t graze in the kitchen while cooking.
Step #2: Practice balance
Be aware of the types of food that you eat during each meal and make sure that your plate is balanced. When you eat a balanced diet filled with lean protein, whole grains, lots of veggies, a few daily servings of fruit and limited fat and sweets, your body will be satisfied and you’ll lose the urge to overeat.
This means you shouldn’t always eat carb-based meals and you shouldn’t always eat high-fat meals. Make a mental checklist of the food groups that you’ve eaten each day. Did you eat lean protein? Did you have plenty of vegetables? Did you refrain from eating more than one or two primarily carb-based meals? This mental checklist will save you from making food decisions that you’ll later regret.
Step #3: Be tuned in
Your body will always tell you when its hunger has been satisfied — you’ve just gotten so good at ignoring the signs that you barrel through your meal only to feel like you’ve been hit by a ton of bricks once all that food hits your stomach. It’s time to take a deep breath and listen to your body.
An important part of being tuned in is to eat slowly. Once you start to pay attention, you’ll notice a point when each bite becomes less and less satisfying. That is your body’s way of letting you know that you’ve had enough and that each continued bite is simply overkill (yes, even if you’re only halfway through that plate of pasta).
By learning how to control your eating habits, you’ll find weight loss to come simply and naturally.
No more clean plates!
We all know that portions are now larger than ever. Do you really need to eat all of that food? Of course you don’t. It’s time to release yourself from the obligation to eat every morsel on your plate. Start by always leaving one or two bites. Soon you will find that you naturally stop eating when you’re full — even if your plate isn’t empty.
Ready to change your eating habits? Contact us today.
