Overeating is the biggest concern among people who want to shed pounds. Though the ground rule of thumb says that you should eat fewer calories than you burn, many of you struggle to track calories.
The amount of calories varies by food, and sometimes you mistakenly add in items with high calories assuming that they are low in calories. Although being ignorant about the total number of calories present in food, you fail to manage a healthy weight. Those people are also seen to struggle with it who feed on fewer calories food.
Your calorie intake is not just decided by the food items you eat at a particular time but by total calorie consumption. Even if you have a low-calorie item, you will fail to achieve your goal if you overeat. Overeating can drastically increase the portion size, which means increased calories intake.
Overeating will not just increase the risk of obesity, but it will also increase the risk of diabetes, acidity, etc. If you have sensed that you overeat and fail to control your desire to eat food, you should follow the following tips to achieve your target.
5 tips to prevent overeating
There is no particular symptom of overeating. If you keep tucking in regardless of your hunger, you are overeating. Here is what you should do to prevent overeating:
Limit distractions
Whether you are dining at home or at a restaurant, the distraction can significantly cause binging. When you use your mobile phone at mealtime, you do not realise how much you have finished.
Further, it acts as a break from filling in your stomach, and as a result, you keep eating more and more. When you are eating, you should try to focus on eating only. Keep your mobile phones away and turn off the TV and laptops if possible. When you do not get distracted, your stomach gets supplied without a break, so you feel fuller quickly.
Eat slowly
As the purpose is to cut back on your calories intake, eating slowly can prevent you from gorging. Although there is no solid evidence, it is believed that you get tired chewing when you eat slowly and give up in the middle.
This seems to be the best practice among many people who want to shed pounds. If it does not seem to be a favourable option for you, you should intermittently eat food in very little quantity. Some people have observed that this also seems to be the best way to shed pounds.
Instead of sticking to three times meals, they eat food three to four times but in very small quantities. If you love restaurant food, you should see the portion size. Food is generally served in large quantities in restaurants, and you tend to finish it off, which results in excess consumption of calories.
You should carefully focus on the quantity of food you are consuming. You should try to order in less quantity. If the minimum quantity is also much, try to share it with the one who has accompanied you.
Fight temptation
People often guzzle food because of temptation. As you hanker for a sugary snack, you lunge out of the couch and gallop to the kitchen to find a tasty, salty, and sugary snack. Snacking does not seem to be dangerous for your weight loss goal, but the fact is that such snacks are high in calories.
They do not include any nutritional value, only empty calories. Since you do not feel fuller after eating them, you keep eating. By doing so, you will just put on calories, and ultimately your weight will increase.
Temptation is usually the result of craving, and that is in your brain. You should divert your mind when you feel tempted to eat something. If you are actually hungry, you should eat nutritious food instead of processed food. Food with no nutritional value consists of empty calories and causes cravings. For instance, when you eat potato chips, you feel like gorging them.
Eat food high in fibre
Another reason for overeating is that you do not have a nutritious diet. Of course, when you feel hungry too frequently, you tend to eat more and more. This happens because your food does not consist of nutrients. It just contains empty calories.
They will not make you feel fuller, but you will gain pounds. Eat food that is loaded with nutrients and rich in fibre. Fruits and vegetables are high in fibre. They will make you feel fuller for a longer time. As a result, you will be less likely to feel hungry and the temptation to eat more and more.
- Avoid snacking on potato chips and other kinds of processed food. You should eat the salad instead.
- Include whole grains in your diet. Instead of white pasta, you should eat whole pasta.
- White bread should be taken off your menu. Replace it with whole brown bread.
- Nuts and seeds are healthy snacks.
- Oats and oatmeal are great nutritious sources for starting your day.
- Eat whole fruits because their skin or outer layer consists of some antioxidants and fibre. Fruit juice contains empty calories. It is not more nutritious than a plain sugary drink.
- Include beans and legumes as your staple food instead of pizza.
Eating high-fibre food will prevent you from overeating.
Reduce stress
You should manage your stress level because your body consumes more energy when you are stressed. Further, it causes acidity, and stomach acid sends hunger signals even though you are not feeling very hungry. Stress management is crucial to avoid binging on food.
The bottom line
Obesity is a concern, and many people spend a lot of money on treatment. Some people fund the treatment with short term loans for bad credit.
Treatments are not the most reliable method to shed pounds. Instead, you should focus on your diet and the quantity of food you take in. Overeating will result in putting on weight no matter how rigorous exercise you do.