How to Control Overeating

If you want to control overeating, you need a slight change of perspective. It is not food that you have to cut back on; instead, you need to target and destroy food triggers that eventually lead to overeating. For many people suffering from overeating, this distinction is rather blurred. But you’ve got to admit that there are many times when you eat even though you are not feeling hungry. And, when the feeling overtakes you, you simply make a beeline for the fattest food available. Have you ever wondered why you don’t ever feel like binging on lean salads and half-cooked vegetables? After all, if it is just hunger, even these foods should appeal. They do not, because you want comfort foods; foods that make you forget the raw, burning pain you are carrying within you, knowingly or otherwise.   

Here are some ways in which you can control overeating: 

Ø      Try not to be alone during the times when you know that a craving is about to hit you. Be aware of your these times and equip yourself to handle these time zones.  

Ø      Enroll in some activity that will keep you occupied and will take your mind off depressive feelings. 

Ø      Search for an effective stress buster other than food. Music, chanting, meditation, reading – it could be anything. 

Ø      Reward yourself with things other than food. A new dress, a relaxing massage or a weekend near the beach, but not food! 

Ø      Do not pick up your comfort foods when you go shopping. On the contrary, make it a point to leave these sirens of desire alone. 

Ø      Do not make food the center of your social activities. Business lunch, family get-togethers, movie with friends – these are all excuses to go out and eat. Instead of eating, make some other activity take center stage. A visit to the opera, a meeting at the massage parlor – just sit down and cough up new ideas. 

Ø       Never, ever keep your comfort foods within arm’s reach. If you love choco-chip ice cream but cannot find it in the fridge when you get up for a midnight snack, you won’t eat it. It’s simple! 

Ø      Do not restrict yourself to the point where your self-control collapses and you crash over to the other extreme. Small portions of your favorite foods are necessary to keep your resolve alive. So, if you feel a craving for Doritos, have a small portion: just take care to keep it small! 

Controlling a habit that is deeply ingrained will take time; and there will be setbacks on the way. The trick is to unlearn the bad habit and re-learn a better one, one day at a time. If others can do it, so can you! 

The quickest way to learn how to control what you eat is to get a copy of my book, the Emotional Eating Solution, where I show powerful techniques to stop overeating forever.