Overeating can come with a lot of side effects: feeling sluggish, bloated, and maybe even heartburn. If you do it enough, you’ll gain weight and become predisposed to a wide variety of health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. If you’re prone to indulging, then it is important to create systems or habits in order to avoid overeating.

Fun fact: I love food! Specifically, I LOVE eating. The perfect slice of pizza or serving of fries is so euphoric for me! However, much like anything else in life, eating needs moderating. It’s a lesson I’ve had to learn a few times. Let me share an anecdote of a time my father-in-law took my husband and me out to dinner on our anniversary. The food was so fantastic that I ate way past my limits. When we left the restaurant, I literally thought I would have to be taken to the hospital because my stomach hurt SO bad. I was walking around hunched over in pain while my dear husband went to the pharmacy to get me medicine to ease the pain.

While this was the most pain I was ever in, it wasn’t the first or last time that I pushed my body’s limits and suffered the consequences. I say all this to say that I’m also prone to overeating. So I’m not here to judge but to share what has helped me to have more success in avoiding overeating.

Drink Water While Eating

Drinking water while you eat is one of the first tips you’ll hear every time the question is raised about avoiding overeating. How is this helpful? Well, your body takes time to realize you’re getting full. So if you start your meals with a glass of water, you initiate that response time sooner. When you drink water while you’re eating, the breaks you’re taking between bites to drink also allows more time for your body to recognize you’re full. This wasn’t an easy suggestion for me to apply personally because I do not like to drink water. However, I’ve found ways to enjoy it which I shared in this blog post.

More Specifically Hot Water

In the last year, I found that hot liquids keep me full WAY longer than regular water alone. Have you had that same experience? So while I drink cold water throughout the day, I also drink equal amounts of tea. When I feel like I’m starting to get hungry, I drink some tea first because drinking water doesn’t keep the urge at bay for very long. I’m not encouraging you to starve. The fact of the matter is that until trained, our impulse control or “hungry” signal might be signaling more often than it should. If you drink tea and you feel better, then problem solved. If you’re still hungry, then likely, you’re supposed to eat.

This also applies to the food you eat. While a good sandwich or salad can be enjoyable to eat and very satisfying, I find that soup allows me to feel full for a very long time. Soups, like tomato soup or butternut squash soup, can be low in calories but delicious and filling. And it’s not just soup. You can try this with sandwiches or other meals too. For example, make the hot version of a deli sandwich you enjoy. You may find that you don’t need to eat as much to feel full as compared to eating the cold version.

Mindful Eating

Another way to avoid overeating is by paying attention to your food. Look at what you’re eating so your brain registers it. Eating while you’re simultaneously doing something else makes it harder for your brain to realize how much you’re consuming. So make mealtime mealtime by decreasing the distractions while you’re eating.

Eating a balanced meal combining fats, proteins, and carbs can also help you avoid overeating. This works because they all break down in your body differently. Digestion of carbs starts in your mouth while protein digestion starts in your stomach. Fat digestion starts in your small intestine. How does this apply in real life? Think about when you eat a roll versus you eat a relatively similar size of chicken or steak. You’re hungry again much faster when you eat just the roll. By balancing your meals, you put your entire digestive system to work so the signal to be hungry again doesn’t trigger so fast.

Of course, everyone’s body is different so the balance you need is individual. If you find that a certain category of food seems to cause discomfort, cramping, or the runs, you should discuss this with your doctor.

Portion Control

Once you’re approaching fullness, stop eating and pack the rest up for later. This was quite the concept for me. I have such an issue with this when I really enjoy what I’m was eating. This happens too because as kids, most of us were conditioned to finish off our plates. We were never taught to avoid overeating. In fact, you were likely praised for finishing off your plate.

Fortunately, I learned the concept of portion control from my husband which I share more about in this post. When we would eat out, he would either just immediately pack away half the plate or pack away whatever was left after he started to feel full. He did that no matter how little was left.

That is what you can do when eating out. However, the best way to manage your portions is to plan your meals ahead of time. I am a big fan of meal prep. It saves time, money, and will likely lead to your being a healthier person.

Avoid Temptation

Recognize your triggers and work to avoid them. I learned rather quickly that the break room and the goodies that always found their way there was a trigger for me. So I know make use of a portable food warmer, the Hotlogic Mini, to heat up my food at my desk. That way I can avoid stepping foot in that break room as much as possible. In order to be successful in your goals, you have to have a plan.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU.

Create a Routine

I have a set time to eat throughout the day. I eat breakfast at 10 AM. Lunch at 1 PM. I carry two snacks to eat when I’m hungry. That can be apples and peanut butter, apples and cheese, carrots and hummus, etc. I usually have dinner around 7 PM and usually a mini ice cream cone for dessert.

Having a routine also allows me to identify what may cause me to overeat. I ask myself, “Why am I hungry so early?”. The answer is usually because I’m not drinking as much as a normally do. So then I increase my water intake, rather than look for something to eat.

So create habits as routine breeds success. It will make it easier for you to make choices on a daily basis and identify things that may throw you off course.

Are you prone to overeating or know people who have expressed this is an issue for them? What do you find helpful to avoid overeating? Share in the comments below.

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