How To Prevent Overeating

Do you feel that your weight is increasing day by day? Do you feel that you eat more than required, especially when anxious or depressed? Do you feel that even on regular days, you suffer from indigestion and gastritis? Are chocolates and junk food a regular in your food chart? If the answer to all these questions is in the affirmative, you are in a big problem - the problem of overeating. You may not realize the ill-effects of overeating immediately, but in long run, the habit is certainly going to cost you a lot. Overeating leads to several complications in the normal biological cycle of the body. Thus, it is very important to get rid of the habit as soon as possible. If you want to know how to prevent overeating, the tips given below will prove useful.

 

 

If you have had your required meal of the day and are still having craving for more food, immediately after, avoid the hunger pangs by drinking water. You can also drink a glass of ice cold water just before you sit down to have your meal. It will help reduce your appetite. Drink as much as water you can, throughout the day. It will help cleanse your digestive system as well.

 

Begin your meals with a low calorie starter, rather than jumping on to the full course meal right away. You can precede your staple diet by an apple, raw vegetables or even a salad with low-fat dressing. This will not only help you cut down on your diet, but will also give a fiber boost to your digestive system. If you do not want to eat a snack prior to the meal, a bowl of broth-based soup will be a good option.

 

Do not avoid food for long hours. Never ever skip a meal, as this will lower your blood sugar level and you will have craving for more food, the next time you have your meal. So, don't go longer than 5 hours without food. However, make a point to eat low calorie mini meals several times a day,rather than having full meals 3-4 times. It is nice if you keep some carb and protein snacks with you, for satiating your hunger in-between full course meals.

                                                                                     

Most of the time, overeating is the result of depression, anxiety or fear. It is very important for you to understand that you must avoid eating for emotions reasons. You can do so by talking to a counselor or close friend, about your emotional crisis. It is very important for you to overcome your emotional disturbances in order to avoid emotional overeating. Try to distract yourself and engage in other things, like music, exercise or reading.

 

Make sure that you avoid junk food. First of all, they are high calorie meals and secondly, they are not at all nutritious. Junk foods can not be a substitute for your meals, in terms of satisfaction and nutrition, but they certainly add on to the calories consumed. So, even if you splurge on junk diet, you will feel hungry after sometime and end up eating more. So, the overall effect would be excess calories, without any nutritional benefit.

It is said that the right way to eat is to ‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’. So, if all your three times meals are ‘king size’, you need to be cautious about your health. For men, the average calorie intake should be 2550 and for women, it should be around 1940. If you consume more calories than what is required by your body, on an average, you are overeating. Count your calories when you eat and religiously follow the right food chart.

 

No formula can work wonders, if you do not learn to restrict yourself. When dining out with friends, learn to say ’No’; avoid munching burgers and pizzas when watching TV or having sweets for every happy occasion. Even if you are alone, make it clear to yourself that you won’t consume food more than required and you won’t cheat on your diet plan. The day you learn to control your taste buds, you will easily overcome the overeating habit.