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Nov 16, 2022 · The #1 Thing You Should Do After Overeating, According to Dietitians . Just like Taylor Swift famously sang, "Shake It Off," says Lisa Valente, M.S., RD. "The best thing you can do is take a breath, let it go and move forward." She adds, "Don't try to reset or restrict, try not to stress and just go right back to 'normal' whatever that looks like.
- Don’t beat yourself up. One over-the-top meal won't ruin your health. Plus, too much guilt about eating habits can lead you to deny yourself. This can make you feel deprived and then cause you to binge again in an unhealthy cycle.
- An easy stroll will help stimulate your digestion and even out your blood sugar levels. Or go for a leisurely bike ride instead. But don’t overdo it.
- Don’t chug it by the liter until you feel sick. Just sip on a cup of water (about 8 ounces) after a big meal. It can help your body get rid of excess salt you likely got from your meal.
- That means no naps (unless you can do it standing up). First, you lose the chance to burn off some of those calories you just ate by, say, doing the dishes or going for a walk.
- Overview
- 1. Get rid of distractions
- 2. Know your trigger foods
- 3. Don’t ban all favorite foods
- 4. Give volumetrics a try
- 5. Avoid eating from containers
- 6. Reduce stress
- 7. Eat fiber-rich foods
- 8. Eat regular meals
- 9. Keep a food journal
There are ways to improve eating habits. For example, you can try to track what you eat and choose more filling foods like proteins. Your doctor can recommend the best approach for you.
Eating too much in one sitting or taking in too many calories throughout the day are common habits that can be hard to break.
And while some people see these behaviors as habits that can be broken, they may indicate an eating disorder in others.
Over time, eating too much food can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of developing a chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart disease.
Regardless of whether you have an eating disorder, breaking the cycle of overeating can be challenging. However, some techniques can help.
The 23 tips below provide a starting point to reduce overeating.
Whether it’s working through lunch in front of the computer or noshing on chips while catching up on your favorite TV show, eating while distracted is a common occurrence for most people.
While this habit might seem harmless, it can contribute to overeating.
A review of 24 studies found that being distracted during a meal led people to consume more calories at that meal. It also caused them to eat more food later in the day, compared with people who paid attention to their food while eating (1).
Summary Make an effort to turn off or put away potential distractions like phones, computers, and magazines. Concentrating on your meal during mealtime can help prevent overeating.
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.
Preparing healthy options like a sliced apple with peanut butter, hummus and veggies, or homemade trail mix can encourage better choices when snacking.
Another helpful tip is to keep unhealthy snack foods like chips, candy, and cookies out of sight so there’s no temptation to grab a handful when walking past them.
Restrictive eating patterns that eliminate many of your favorite foods may cause you to feel deprived, potentially leading you to binge on forbidden treats.
Diets that concentrate on whole, unprocessed foods are always best, but making room for an occasional treat is perfectly healthy.
Swearing to never have a scoop of ice cream, slice of pizza, or piece of chocolate again is not realistic for most people.
That said, in the case of food addiction, a person may need to permanently abstain from trigger foods. In this case, it’s a good idea to find healthy substitutes that are satisfying.
Focus on providing your body with mostly healthy, nutritious food while giving yourself the freedom to truly enjoy a treat here and there.
Summary Eating patterns that are too restrictive may drive binges. The key to a sustainable, healthy diet is to concentrate on eating whole, unprocessed foods most of the time while allowing for a treat here and there.
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.
Eating chips out of the bag, ice cream out of the carton, or takeout straight from the box can lead to consuming more food than is recommended as a serving size.
Instead, portion out a single serving size on a plate or in a bowl to help control the number of calories you consume in one sitting.
Use measuring tools to train your eye on what a normal portion should look like for different types of foods.
Summary Instead of eating food straight from the package, portion it into a dish. Try measuring out appropriate serving sizes to help train your eye to identify how much food is recommended as an average portion.
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 (2).
There are many simple ways to reduce your everyday stress levels. Consider listening to music, gardening, exercising, or practicing yoga, meditation, or breathing techniques.
Summary Stress can lead to overeating, so reducing the stress in your everyday life is one important step to reduce overeating.
Choosing foods that are rich in fiber, such as beans, vegetables, oats, and fruit, can help keep your body feeling satisfied longer and reduce the urge to overeat.
For example, one study found that people who ate fiber-rich oatmeal for breakfast felt fuller and ate less at lunch than those who consumed cornflakes for breakfast (4).
Snacking on nuts, adding beans to your salad, and eating vegetables at every meal may help reduce the amount of food you consume.
Summary Add fiber-rich foods to your diet to keep your body feeling satisfied longer. Studies show this may help reduce the urge to overeat.
When attempting to lose weight, many people cut out meals in hopes that it will decrease the number of calories they take in.
While this may work in some instances, such as intermittent fasting, restricting meals may cause you to eat more later in the day.
Studies have demonstrated that eating more frequently throughout the day may decrease hunger and overall food intake (5).
For example, some people may skip lunch to restrict calories, only to find themselves overeating at dinner. However, eating a balanced lunch may help reduce the chances of eating too much later in the day (6).
Keeping track of what you eat in a food diary or mobile app may help reduce overeating.
Many studies have shown that using self-monitoring techniques like keeping a food diary may aid weight loss (7).
Plus, using a food journal can help identify situations and emotional triggers that contribute to overeating, as well as foods that are likely to provoke binge eating.
Summary Studies have shown that tracking your food intake may help you lose weight. It will also help you become more aware of your habits.
- Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
Overeating means that you’re eating more food — and taking in more calories — than your body needs. You may find yourself eating when you aren’t hungry. ... When you eat too much too fast ...
- Familiarize yourself with recommended portion sizes. Portion size is critical. To keep your eyeballs in check, take advantage of nutrition food labels and reputable sources' recommended amounts of foods.
- Include a fiber source with meals and snacks. "Fiber is helpful for satiety, the feeling of fullness after eating," says Arrindell. For instance, let's compare a plate of roasted vegetables versus several pieces of cheese.
- Avoid skipping meals. Intermittent fasting — the foundation of which is skipping meals — is a trendy diet right now, but for some people, it may lead to a feast-or-famine mentality that inadvertently leads to overeating.
- Know and limit the foods that are easiest to overeat. We've all wondered if there are foods we should write off completely. Just give us the list! But here again, Arrindell says it's not that simple.
Feb 7, 2023 · In social situations, you may be more distracted, nervous or feel pressure to eat while everyone else is eating, even if you’re no longer hungry. Large portions. When you’re at a restaurant or eating buffet- or family-style, you’re more likely to eat larger portions. Certain medications can make you less likely to know when you’re full ...
Jun 19, 2013 · You need to eat 3,500 calories to gain one pound of body fat. One unplanned treat -- a slice of cake, some fries, or even a rich meal -- probably won't make a major difference on the scale.
