Do you want to eat better but find yourself making unhealthy decisions? If so, then this article is for you. Mindful Eating Exercises can be a powerful tool for anyone looking to change their relationship with food. As you read this article, I would like you to think about your own habits and how you can bring more awareness to the way that you eat. The exercises in this post are designed to help break patterns of mindless eating by drawing attention to what and when we’re eating.
There are many reasons why people binge and overeat, but these exercises can help you identify the root cause of your eating patterns.
Contents
Small Plates
You can try using smaller plates. This will help to trick your brain into thinking that you’ll overeat more because the plate is full of food instead of being empty on a larger plate. The same can be said for bowls and glasses as well!
Healthy Snacks
Keep healthy snacks nearby, such as yogurt or nuts in an easily accessible location like your desk at work. When hunger hits between meals, it’s easy to just grab whatever is nearby – which might not always be the healthiest choice (donuts anyone?). Having healthier options nearby will help keep you from overeating later when those cravings hit too hard to resist!
Water Before Meals
Drink water before every meal if possible. One way we overeat without realizing it is by filling up our stomachs with too much food and not enough water. By having a glass of water before each meal, you can help prevent overeating by making sure your stomach is full of both fluids and sustenance!
Emotional Eating
Put emotional overeating on the back burner. When we overeat out of stress, boredom, or sadness it can be a vicious cycle and lead to even more overeating with every bad mood we experience! Make sure you’re keeping your emotions under control and not letting them cause overeating.
Portion Control
It’s hard to stop overeating at dinner sometimes when everyone is telling you that “it won’t hurt”. But overeating large portions will only cause weight gain in the long run because your body doesn’t know how much food it needs any more than what one serving constitutes. It may take some time for this habit to change, but find ways – whether it’s smaller plates or leaving extras on your plate instead of eating them ‘just in case’ – to stop overeating portions.
Boredom Busters
One way to stop overeating is by finding something else to occupy your time with instead of eating when you’re bored! If that doesn’t work, try rewarding yourself after an hour or two without overeating, and then see if the boredom feeling goes away. Our brains have a hard time staying focused for too long on one task so it may take some trial and error but eventually, you’ll find what works best for your needs!
Lunchtime Obstacles
If lunch breaks at work are short and there’s no food nearby, pack a healthy meal in advance before heading out into the office world. This will give you more energy throughout the day as well as prevent overheating if the food is too tempting when you’re stuck at your desk. Whatever it takes to avoid overeating, do what works for you!
Limit Distractions
Try to limit distractions at mealtimes by turning off the TV and putting your phone away. Distractions can make overeating more tempting, so do what it takes to focus on your meal without the outside world tempting you from overeating.
Don’t beat yourself up about overeating or feeling guilty- it’s just one meal and not the end of the world! Instead, try to find what works best for you so that measuring doesn’t become a habit. Don’t let overeating be an issue in your life.
Eat Fiber Filled Foods
Eating healthy foods that are high in fiber will fill you up and prevent overeating. This is because the body can’t digest it as quickly, giving your stomach a chance to feel full before overeating again!
Limit Processed Foods
Processed foods often contain ingredients like sugar which can cause overeating out of habit or boredom. Limit these types of food intake if overeating has become an issue for you. For some people, this type of change may be difficult but worth looking into nonetheless!
Alcohol Intake
Lastly, have no more than one drink per day when possible and don’t save alcohol-infused meals until later on in the evening (the temptation might be too much!). We want to make sure everyone is able to avoid overeating!
Conclusion
Overeating is a difficult habit to break and these tips hopefully provide you with some helpful ways on how to avoid overeating. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution but by finding what works for your body, you’ll be able to lose weight quicker than ever before!
Overeaters are not doomed. They can still get rid of their nasty habits if they work hard enough at it – the only thing that really matters, in this case, is self-control which admittedly takes time getting used to having (just like anything new). All it needs now is patience and persistence because there will come times when cravings turn out more powerful than willpower or determination as we’ve discussed earlier so don’t give up too quickly
