How You Can Stop Overeating
Do you ever find yourself feeling a little too full, or eating when you’re not really hungry, but at the same time, you’re struggling to stop overeating?
Overeating is really common and there are a few reasons why that’s so!
Sometimes it could be because there was a special event like at a wedding when you weren’t paying too much attention to what you were eating. This happens to all of us and that’s normal and expected! We’re not perfect and you don’t need to be because that’s not the goal.
Other times however, you may find yourself overeating on a more consistent basis.
Consistently overeating can leave you feeling not well physically, more disconnected from your wants and needs, and also be a sign that you haven’t found how to practice healthy and balanced eating in your daily life.
You’ll learn why overeating can be so common and a few practices to start using to help you stop overeating.
OVEREATING VS. BINGE EATING DISORDER
How do you know if you’re overeating or if you’re binge eating? Let’s chat about the difference between the two so you can begin to determine where you fall.
Overeating
The definition is exactly what the title entails, overconsumption of food. Overeating is a common occurrence for many individuals. Whether that entails taking an extra serving of a favorite meal or indulging in more dessert than usual, it still involves a sense of control.
You know what you are doing when you are overeating and you often can understand the why or the how behind why it occurred (more on that below).
If it only happens periodically and you don’t feel as though you have lost all control over your actions, you are overeating.
Binge Eating Disorder
On the other hand, Binge Eating Disorder occurs when we do not have any control. It’s sometimes brought about by emotional triggers, but this is not always the case.
tIt also happens regularly and frequently. Perpetually consuming exceptionally large meals followed by an immense sense of guilt, self-loathing and regret are characteristics of binge eating.
Binge eating episodes can often occur without hunger and continue far past the point of discomfort. Those with Binge Eating Disorder also often eat alone for fear of judgement from others due to their large portion sizes.
Binge Eating Disorder is a medical condition, it’s one of the most common eating disorders in America.
WHAT CAUSES OVEREATING
There are a few common reasons people tend to overeat, and I’m going to walk you through that so you can see if any of these are common in your life.
Distractions
One of the simplest reasons you may be overeating is because you’re distracted.
When you’re “distracted eating,” you aren’t fully present to experience your food — to fully enjoy it, notice where your hunger levels are at, and what you need.
This often happens when you’re on your phone, watching TV, at your desk working, driving, rushing to get from one task to the next, ruminating thoughts in your mind, feeling zoned out, or doing anything else while eating.
When you slow down and remove distractions from your meals, you’re able to more consciously experience your food — the way the food tastes, how it feels, what it looks like and how it smells, along with how you’re enjoying it, your hunger cues, and how your body feels before during and after a meal.
A key part of learning how to stop overeating will be to learn how to eat without distraction so you can be fully present.