You don’t overeat because you are lazy or weak-willed. There are many reasons for indulging in a bag of potato chips or carton of ice cream when you know it’s bad for you. Lack of sleep, stress, boredom, and meal-skipping our just a few of the reasons you overeat. Instead of beating yourself up over bingeing, follow these six simple tips to stop overeating and maintain your ideal weight.
Always Eat BreakfastEat more protein, fat, and carbohydrates in the morning to quash your appetite later in the day. Research cited in the British Journal of Nutrition found that people who ate breakfast were less likely to binge later in the day. Another study conducted at Purdue University showed that men who ate dietary protein at breakfast (eggs, sausage, yogurt, etc.) felt fuller than they did at other meal times. Feeling ling satiated after breakfast means you’ll snack less and be less inclined to overeat at lunch. Many people aren’t chipper enough to cook a big breakfast first thing in the morning. Fix your breakfast before you go to bed. If you can identify with this. Prepare yogurt with fruit and granola and leave it in a plastic container in your fridge. When you wake up, your healthy breakfast will be ready for you. You don’t need to eat first thing in the morning to reap the benefits of breakfast. Bring instant oatmeal or a whole wheat bagel and peanut butter to work if you prefer to wait until later in the morning to eat.
Drink More Green Tea and WaterDrink water, green tea or herbal tea before and between meals to fill up your stomach so you’ll eat less throughout the day. Hydrating with lots of no to low-calorie beverages keeps you satiated – and helps your complexion. There’s scientific evidence drinking water before a meal can help trim your waist. According to research conducted at Virginia Tech, obese people 55 or over who drank two cups of water before every meal lost 15.5 pounds at the end of three months compared to 11 pounds in the control group. Avoid drinking too much coffee, which can dehydrate you, and diet soda or diet energy drinks, which contain cancer-causing artificial sweeteners. The best alternative is using the organic drinks. Green tea contains flavonoids called catechins, which release fat from cells in the belly (and elsewhere) and speed up the liver’s ability to turn fat into energy. Studies show green tea promotes weight loss because it revs up your metabolism and acts as a natural appetite suppressant. It also stabilizes blood sugar and stops insulin from getting out of hand.
Eat Whole FoodsAvoid processed and packaged foods and fill your kitchen with fresh, whole foods. Processed foods are easier to prepare, but you’ll pay for that convenience with weight gain and poor nutrition. Eat beans, nuts, wild caught salmon, organic and grass-fed poultry, beef, pork, and lamb instead. Include as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible in your diet. Fresh produce is more expensive and doesn’t store as well as canned or frozen veggies and fruits. Frozen vegetables are usually okay, but frozen fruits tend to have high-fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy additives. Always read ingredient lists on frozen fruit and fruit juices. Hopefully, there’s more junk food in the vending machines at work than in your kitchen cabinets. So fill up on almonds or other healthy snacks before leaving home, so you won’t be tempted to buy high-calorie snacks on your break.
Eat Slowly and MindfullyThere’s a ten to 30 minute delay from the time you swallow your food to the time you feel full. That’s why you eat a lot of food before feeling satiated. And the faster you eat, the more you eat. Chew food slowly and taste your food instead of gulping it down. Try to chew each bite seven to ten times before swallowing to let your brain catch up to your stomach.
Try Adding These Hunger-Stopping Foods to Your DietGreek yogurt has more calcium than milk or plain yogurt. Calcium helps boost feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain producing more serotonin to keep you calm and happy. The happier you are, the less you’ll overeat.