Food is an essential part of life, and it is something that you cannot take away from your lifestyle. It is difficult to live without food, but the same is true with too much of it. When you eat food, you take in energy for your body, but overeating is a different subject.
Whether you have an eating disorder or not, it is crucial that you eat in right amounts. Especially with the presence of the online market, ordering food has been made easier for people and more temptations to eat more than necessary. Though not all, online food shops, like SnackNation, only deliver healthy and delicious snacks to your doorstep.
Overeating has become a prominent problem in some places in the world. If you are one of them, here are seven effective ways to stop it.
#1. Eat Without Distractions
The dining table is the best place to eat your food, but most people cannot eat at the dining table due to work reasons. Even so, it should not be the reason not to do it at the right time and place.
When eating, there can be a lot of distractions that can lead us to eat too much. Some of these distractions can be:
- Texting or chatting
- Calling with your mobile phone
- Working on a laptop or tablet
- Reading books or magazines
Though these distractions can help you save time as you multitask by eating and working or reading at the same time, it can also lead you to lose focus with your food. When you cannot concentrate on your food, you’ll begin to eat a lot more than usual.
The next time, you should find a clean table to eat and keep your books or electronic devices under the table or beside you. When you spend time focusing on your meal, you’ll savor it and get full with just enough food to fill your stomach.
#2. Write It Down
People think that going on a strict diet is the best and only way to stop overeating. That can be true in one sense if you keep track of all your food intake and follow a strict schedule. On the other hand, it can also lead to overeating if you cannot maintain the right attitude with your diet.
The best way to help you is to write things down. This does not only allow you to remember it easily, but it also allows you to maintain a good eating schedule.
Take notes of almost everything you need to do for the day and create a schedule of what to eat now and what to eat later. Do not get complacent and ban everything you love eating that you think is dangerous for you. Every diet is good for your body, but it only works best when taken in moderation and not taking more than necessary.
#3. Reduce Stress in Work
One of the most common reasons of overeating is that people are doing too much in a relatively short period of time. Working long hours in an office can lead to stress and fatigue, which then leads to overeating. It is beneficial to break down your schedule and know your limits.
It is not only physical activities that cause stress to one person, but emotional and mental issues can also be a problem also. Coping with your overall health is very important as this can lead to a change in your diet schedule. You need to know what causes you to be stressful and avoid those things to prevent overeating.
Furthermore, when you cannot avoid stressful activities, take time to rest and take frequent breaks in between. Quick rest and sufficient sleep are essential to control overeating.
#4. Drink Water Every Before Meal
As repeated by almost all medical professionals, you need to drink at least eight glasses of water every day. Drinking an ample amount of water does not only refresh your body, but it can also stop you from overeating. You should add water to your schedule, making sure that you drink before and after meals.
Drinking water before meal slightly fills your stomach, which helps you to limit your food intake. Furthermore, it helps you stay hydrated and fight fatigue, which contributes to overeating.
#5. Make Use of Your Leisure Time
Overeating is a common problem for both employed and unemployed people. There are no limits as to how overeating gets into a person’s life, and it should be prevented by making use of your leisure time. Aside from eating, you should force yourself to engage in physical activities or improve your current skills.
The most common way to spend your leisure is by going to the gym, since exercising does not only let you lose weight, but you also stay away from eating unnecessary food.
Another way to spend your leisure time is to improve your current skills, which can be drawing, writing, computing, e-games, or simply job-related tasks. You can also read books to boost your career and have control over your urge to eat more than necessary.
#6. Change Your Lifestyle
Change always starts within you, and you alone can know how much is enough. No one can really force you into changing your attitude but you alone. It is imperative that you should know yourself and know your limits.
You can start by listing your weaknesses and types of food that gives you the strongest urge to overeat. Then, avoid these things and use your excess time wisely, by adding activities to your leisure time. This way you have full control over yourself and stop overeating efficiently.
#7. Choose Your Companion Wisely
The people that you go with are vital factors in preventing yourself from overeating. Unless you have friends who are food conscious, you should change your frequency of meeting with your friends.
There will always come a time where you need to get together with your friends and spend a night out. The only way to prevent overeating is to change your attitude towards events like that. You can either eat before going out to control your urge or decline the invitation.
The Bottom Line
Everyone can be affected by it. It is difficult to stop overeating, as our brains are always telling us to eat to stay alive. Though this is the case, it is important to know that we are responsible for our actions and we have to do something about it by changing our lifestyle by choice.
