Overeating is a serious problem for plenty of folks. While several attribute overeating to deficiencies in willpower, it’s more technical than that. Scientists say folks who binge present different brain activity than people who don’t.
Fortunately, you will find ways to prevent overeating that don’t depend on willpower or rewiring your brain. Let’s explore nine of them.
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Eat breakfast.
Skipping breakfast is a big no-no. Research indicates individuals who don’t eat breakfast are more susceptible to overeating later in the afternoon and have an increased incidence of coronary heart disease.
Another study showed that eating eggs each day can allow you to eat less through the day.
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Slow down.
Eating slowly and mindfully is one of the best strategies for combating overeating. Eating slower helps you’re feeling full faster.
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Use smaller plates.
The bigger the plate, the more you eat. Most standard dinner plates remain 12 inches in diameter. Switch to a 9-inch plate, and you’ll eat less.
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Focus on your emotions.
You will need to become aware of one’s reasons for consuming processed foods to realize why you overeat. For example, perhaps you eat compulsively to make yourself feel much better or to combat stress. Identify your triggers, and you will be more likely to create personalized strategies to manage them.
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Exercise more.
Research indicates that your responsiveness to food cues is significantly reduced after exercise. In other words, you’re less inclined to desire to indulge once you see a photo of a giant ice cream sundae.
Not forgetting the truth that exercise is a keystone habit that will change your life.
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Choose nutrient-dense foods.
“Nutrient density” means the total amount of nutrition packed into a particular level of food. For example, you can eat a giant plate of broccoli to get the same amount of calories in a tiny cup of ice cream because vegetables are generally more nutrient-dense.
Stay away from foods like sweets, cheese, and soda, which don’t offer many nutritional bangs for your buck. Choose well-balanced meals like vegetables, fruits, lean meats, healthy oils, and beans instead.
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Pack healthy snacks for when you’re on the go.
Healthy goodies are an important tool to assist you in preventing overeating. Studies reveal that snacking on sensible dinners like nuts can permit you to prevent food cravings. So bunch balanced goodies like insane, vegetables, fresh fruit, and vegetables with hummus and bring them with you to function, school, or other places you feel the day.
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Enable one cheat meal each week.
Cheat meals are once you prize yourself for eating balanced by splurging on something you love. That doesn’t mean a free-for-all at the buffet. But having one or two items of pizza is okay. Completely depriving yourself causes it to be much more likely you’ll surrender to food cravings and overeat.
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Plan for setbacks.
Implementation intentions help you want bumps in the road. The fundamental setup for an implementation intention is this:
If this happens, I’ll do that.
For example, if you discover yourself getting stressed and reaching for a case of chips even though you’re not hungry, write down the following implementation intention: “If I get stressed and take chips, I will grab an item of fruit instead” or “If I get stressed and take chips, I will get a go instead.” This could be a powerful strategy that uses proven principles of behavioral psychology. Only a little planning goes an extended way.
Overeating can be quite a tough thing to overcome, but these methods will help. The more you can work to produce healthier habits, the more likely you will be to overeat. Take one step at any given time, give attention to the small wins, and you’ll crack this bad habit for good.
