Today I want to drop 5 tips to overcome overeating!
Before we dive into these, it's important to acknowledge that eating habits and eating behaviors is a not black and white issue with black and white answers; in fact, our diets as a whole are super complex and highly individualized. Which is one of the many reasons I offer 1:1 coaching - there is no one size fits all when it comes to long term weight loss and weight maintenance.
Overeating is also a complex issue and can be driven by several factors including (but not limited to) emotional or stress eating, greater availability to convenient, and highly palatable foods (fast food), inconsistent meal timing, going too long between meals, distracted eating and many more.
That said, this list of 5 tips to help overcome overeating may be helpful for the majority of you based on what I personally see many women struggle in my coaching programs.
Prioritize fiber and protein - Protein takes the longest to digest compared to carbohydrates and fats, helping you stay fuller longer. Fiber is also slow digesting which can help with overall satiety and help combat those late afternoon cravings. While I don't believe in following any strict food rules, it may be really beneficial for you to try to aim to have a source of protein at each meal or snack and aim for a daily fiber goal for 25-30 grams/day.
Eat consistent meals - We live in a very busy world and we're constantly on the go. It's really easy for several hours to go by without eating. Or maybe you skip breakfast in the morning because you don't have time and by the time you notice, it's lunch time. Implementing consistent eating times (while still having some flexibility) helps your blood sugar levels stay stable, which decreases the likelihood for cravings. Eating consistently throughout the day also helps regulate your hunger and prevents you from getting too hungry in-between meals, which brings me to my next point.
Don't wait until you're starving - This is very common. I get it, we're all busy & sometimes it feels like the last thing we have time for is to sit down and eat. But waiting until you're starving to eat often causes you to overeat and essentially ignore your internal hunger cues. You should feel relatively hungry by your next eating opportunity but not to the point where you feel absolutely starving.
Include foods you love & look forward to eating - A big mistake many people make is meal prepping "clean, healthy" foods that they think they should be eating. Broccoli, brown rice, plain chicken breast...gag. If you're not excited for your meals, you're not going to eat them and you'll find yourself stopping through the fast food line anyway. So it's important to include foods you actually look forward to eating.
Stop placing foods off limits - If you find yourself overeating a lot of "bad foods", it's likely because you've told yourself you can't eat them to begin with. A lot of times over-eating stems from placing that particular food completely off limits in the first place. Not only is this approach unrealistic, it's only going to place a more negative relationship with food.
Learning how to incorporate foods you love, that you'd otherwise place completely off limits is what I preach in my coaching programs. Balance with food is possible while still reaching your fitness goals. Click here to learn how with my free guide!