How to STOP OVEREATING (+ food diary template)

People wanting to lose weight know that there are a number of challenges that they need to overcome. One of the most common problems is the habit of overeating. If you are struggling with this, it can make losing weight even more difficult.

So what can you do to stop overeating? There are a number of habits you can practice but the first, and probably most obvious, is to slow down and think about the internal causes of your behavior. Most often, there is an emotional background of overeating. One of the best way to find the solutions is to analyze your own emotions around food and food choices, along with how and why you are eating.

In this post, I will touch upon both emotional and nutritional solutions. Let’s dive into it!

Start by journaling

Write down how much you’re eating, when you’re eating, and what you’re feeling when you’re eating. This can seem silly at first, or even embarrasing, but as you continue the practice and learn to be honest with yourself, you will see patterns emerge. When the patterns are established, it’s easier for you to know what are the right steps for you to take in order to keep yourself from overeating.

Most importantly, try to figure out what triggers your overating pattern.

A stressful meeting at work? boredom? procrastination? Being aware of your habits of overindulging is the first move in reining in the behavior. That’s why I highly recommend to start a food diary (journal) as it helps you identify your eating habits, and correct them if necessary.

I’ve created a simple printable “Food Diary to improve eating habits” that I use myself. And I’m happy to share it with you in hope that it will help you figure out the reasons for overeating and find effective solutions in your particular case.

This is an example of how to fill in this printable. I think that the most important parts to focus on are “Feelings/mood” and “The reasons of eating” as they will reflect the true causes of your eating behavior. Try to fill them in as detailed as possible.

At the end of the day, you can look at this sheet and analyze what happened, why did you eat a certain food, what did you feel, were you really hungry or not? And try to find solutions.

Maybe you will find that you tend to overeat when you chat with friends at a cafe. Then choose to order something light (like a salad and a tea) just in order not to consume lots of calories. And after that, have your proper meal when you at home alone and can focus on your food entirely. Or maybe you will find any other trick. It’s up to you!

Print it out and journal every day. It’s better to track your food regularly for a week or so. When you find out your eating pattern, think about how you can improve your habits.

Change the way you eat

First of all, eat more slowly as it seems to decrease hunger and lead to higher levels of satiety between meals. Give your brain and stomach time to communicate and figure out if you’re still actually hungry or not. They say your brain needs at least 20 minutes to feel satiety so don’t rush or you may end up overeating.

I remember when I was a child my grandmother (she is a doctor) always told me to chew every bite of food at least 30 times. Of course, I was little and didn’t care much, haha. But now I always remind myself of this valuable advice. This habit doesn’t only allow you to eat less but also help improve digestion.

It’s very important to practice mindfulness in order to stop overeating. Don’t get distracted by watching TV, reading or having conversations. Try your best to focus on eating, enjoy your meal, take time to feel the smell and taste of your food.

Add foods that balance blood sugar

Feeling hungry and full is largely related to the behavior of your blood sugar and insulin patterns in your body. It’s really important that you consider the types of foods you’re eating and how they can influence your blood sugar and insulin levels. Foods are measured on a glycemic index based on how they influence these function. The higher they are on the index, the quicker they raise and dramatically drop your blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops, you get hungry.

There are a number of foods to consider adding into your regular routine that can keep you healthy and satisfied without affecting your blood sugar levels.

Start with veggies! You can eat them raw, roasted, or cooked and they are great because they are packed with additional nutrients to keep you healthy. They also add a lot of color, flavor, and texture to your food, which makes finding new ways of preparing them exciting. Along these lines, you should be incorporating more greens into your diet such as kale. When roasted, kale is a great low carb alternative to chips.

Consider adding apple cider vinegar and cinnamon to your diet, as both substances have traits that help slow down the rate food transitions from your stomach to the rest of your digestive system. They also help to add flavor to a range of foods without extra calories.

Note: Taking ACV before a meal can reduce your blood sugar levels after the meal and therefore prevent hunger/cravings.
I personally find that cinnamon tea in the evening helps me cope with late-night cravings for sweets that I still have sometimes.

Adding berries and pomegranates into your diet can help you satisfy a sweet tooth without loading yourself down with additional sugar. These foods are also nutrient-dense, which means they are packed to bursting with essential vitamins and antioxidants that help your body’s clean up systems run at full speed and keep you healthy. For comparison, if you were to eat an equal amount of ice cream, you would double the amount of carbs. And more sugar means insulin spikes, which in turn mean weight gain. Melons and berries fit into another class of foods that are great for managing the amount you eat, and that group is foods high in fiber. Eating more fiber helps you to feel fuller longer can keep you from binge eating snacks that could completely unhinge your diet.

Staying hydrated with low-calorie drinks such as infused tea and water does double duty. It helps your body feel full because sometimes you can mistake thirst for hunger, and it keeps flushing the toxins from your body that can slow down your weight loss. Higher amounts of water keep all of your systems running smoothly and can make you healthier and feel better overall, as well as help you to improve your energy levels. If you feel full from being hydrated properly, you’re less likely to overeat and this can help you keep your blood sugar and insulin levels balanced.

Add more protein and fiber

Try to also incorporate foods that are higher in protein in your diet, as these will help you on a number of levels. It’s great for your muscles because it helps to build muscle mass, and the more muscle mass you have the more calories you are likely to burn when you’re at rest. Protein helps to keep your metabolism balanced and it can also help you feel fuller longer because they take longer to break down and digest. Protein is also extremely useful on the cellular level as it helps the systems inside the cell function correctly and keeps them healthy.

Along these lines, it may be worth looking into practicing volumetrics when you’re eating. Basically, this is a practice that includes eating low calorie, high-fiber foods to help reduce overeating. These foods can include healthy salads and non-starchy vegetables. If you’re not sure how to go about incorporating this practice in your life, try this: drink a glass of water and add a serving of your favorite veggies or salad as your appetizer before a meal. These foods are lower in calories, but by their volume, they fill you up faster and make it harder for you to overeat those foods that are packed with extra fat and calories.

Remember, overeating doesn’t just cause weight gain, it can slow down all the systems in your body and generally make you feel worse. It can rob you of your energy, making it harder to get up and be active. Overeating can lead to a number of negative health risks, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, along with excess weight gain.

I hope you will try some of these tips and find a way to beat overeating. Make sure you’ve downloaded a Food Diary above. As overeating has an emotional connection, it’s important to figure out the inner causes of your eating habits. Give it a go!

Please let me know what trick helped you the most. And make sure to share this post with friends using the social media links below.

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