Tips to stop overeating

5 tips to help you stop overeating

Now all fitness clubs across the country are closed doesn’t mean you should throw your healthy lifestyle overboard. Situations that cause us stress can also get us to a point that we get demotivated and start overeating.

Here are 5 tips to help you STOP overeating:

1. Know your trigger foods

Pinpointing which foods can trigger overeating and avoiding them can help decrease the chances of overeating. For example, if ice cream is likely to trigger a binge or episode of overeating, it’s a good idea to stop storing it in the freezer. The harder it is to access something, the less likely you might be to overeat that food.

2. Give volumetrics a try

Volumetrics is a way to eat that focuses on filling up on low calorie, high fiber foods like non-starchy vegetables. Consuming foods that are low in calories and high in fiber and water before meals can help you feel full, which might decrease overeating.

Examples of volumetrics-friendly foods include grapefruit, salad greens, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, and low-sodium broth. Eating a large salad or bowl of low-sodium, broth-based soup before lunch and dinner may be an effective way to prevent overeating.

3. Reduce stress

Stress can lead to overeating, so it’s important to find ways to reduce the amount of stress in your daily life. Chronic stress drives up levels of cortisol, a hormone that increases appetite. Studies have shown that being stressed can lead to overeating, increased hunger, binge eating, and weight gain.

There are many simple ways to reduce your everyday stress levels. Consider listening to music, gardening, exercising, or practicing yoga, meditation, or breathing techniques.

4. Stabilize your blood sugar levels

Eating white bread, cookies, candy, and other carbs with high glycemic indexes will likely cause blood sugar levels to spike, then fall quickly.

This rapid blood sugar fluctuation has been shown to promote hunger and can lead to overeating.

Choosing foods with lower glycemic indexes will help prevent blood sugar spikes and may reduce overeating. Beans, oats, brown rice, spelt couscous, sweet potatoes, quinoa are all great options.

5. Plan ahead

Being unprepared when hunger strikes can make it more likely that you’ll make poor food choices that can lead to overeating. Keep healthy snacks on hand, and stock the fridge with healthy options to prepare your lunch and dinner (at home).

credits: Healthline