Do you find yourself eating all the time, or feeling hungry all the time, or generally just eating too much? The purpose of eating food is to fuel our bodies with the proper nutrients to allow our body to function as best as they can. Get rid of overeating with the following ways listed below. Free yourself from thinking about your next meal and start living a life of comfort and adventure!
1. Eat Slowly.
Listen to your body and eat slowly. What’s the rush? You need to allow your body to realize that you are eating to stash digestive enzymes and “signal” to your brain when your body is satisfied. In order to feel full, your brain needs time to react to chemicals that are released when food or beverages are in your stomach.
The faster you eat, the more you will eat without realizing that you may already be full. The signal that goes from your stomach to your brain does take approximately 20 minutes, so chew more slowly to avoid overeating.
2. Eat Fibre Rich Food.
Cut back on food with high sugar and low fibre content. There are many tips and tricks that you can do to achieve a fibre rich diet.
Start by removing as much processed food as possible and put nutritiously healthy dietary choices at the forefront. The high content fibre allows the food to move a lot slower in your digestive tract, which increases your bodies’ ability to absorb the essential nutrients it needs while keeping your blood sugar level balanced. As a result, you will be satisfied for longer periods of time and have a slower constant supply of energy to keep you going for the rest of the day.
3. Eat at the First Signs of Hunger.
If you are done eating and feel like you have eaten too much or suffer from the same tiredness as eating Thanksgiving turkey then you have eaten way too much. Start eating as soon as you begin to experience the first signs of being hungry. Try not to put off eating or you will risk eating more than needed. If you have put off eating until you feel weak and irritable, this means your body is looking to eat anything to alleviate the symptoms.
At this point, you will feel the need to shovel food into your mouth rather than relaxing and enjoying the experience of eating your meal. Remember to slow down and start off eating smaller portions or the sudden stretch of food in your stomach will cause discomfort. This does not help you get rid of overeating, so eat at the first signs of hunger!
4. Drink Water or Light Soup before Meals.
Before you sit down for a meal, try drinking a glass of water or a light bowl of soup to fill your stomach and kick start the chemical secretions that tell your body to prepare for digestion. With the sensation of fullness in your stomach, you will avoid having your eyes become bigger than your stomach. Do you not want to drink just plain water? Switch up your meal with a green juice or smoothie to give your body an extra boost of energy.
5. Enjoy Your Food and Taste It.
The culture we live in can be a hectic one where we want meals fast so we can quickly devour it to get a meal out of the way. Instead of eating your food without actually tasting it, take a step back and allow yourself to really savor your food. By doing so, you will enjoy the experience of eating and have more control over what you are eating.
Visualize the food that you are eating and image how it energizes your body. If it helps, close your eyes when you are chewing and allow your taste buds to take over.
6. You Don’t Have to Finish Everything on Your Plate.
Against what you have been told growing up, you do not have to finish everything on your plate. People grow up with the mentality that they must finish everything that has been placed in front of them on their plate. Yes, it can be wasteful if you have only eaten half of your meal and you already feel full, but what is stopping you from packing up the other half of the meal? Some food tastes great even if they are “leftovers.” It is important to remember to eat until you’re full NOT eat until your plate is clean.
7. Allow the Food to Settle.
If you have finished your entire meal and still feel hungry afterwards, stop eating and give your body time to register that you are in fact full. Sometimes a little time is all you need to feel satisfied. If 20 minutes have passed and you still feel hungry, start off with something lighter, such as a fruit or vegetable. The increase of fibre content found in the flesh and peel of fruits and veggies will help bulk up the food in your digestive tract.
8. Track What You Eat.
Keep a food journal if you want to be conscious about what you are putting in your body. Sometimes visually seeing what you eat can help you become actively aware of the food that you consume on a daily basis. You will be able to keep track and alter some of your food choices for meals that will keep you feeling satisfied for longer periods of time. Jot down where you are, what you are eating, how fast you finished, and how you feel after eating. Use this information to find out your hungry trigger points so that you eat at the first signs that you are hungry.
Enjoy the food that you consume and allow your senses to fully indulge in what you are eating. Don’t just settle on a quick meal to get eating out of the way. Life does get busy, but set some time aside for tasting the flavour and texture of your meal. Remember to eat slower and fuel your body with healthy nutritious meals. Happy eating!