Is overeating something you struggle with? Do you need some fresh tips to motivate you to make healthy changes? Look no further. These five strategies will give you a lot to work with because they are designed to apply to a variety of situations in which overeating occurs - at home, restaurants, and at work. They are short so you can easily remember and apply them. Need more support? Leave a comment and I will respond. I am a life coach and work with clients to help them solve their overeating problems. I have gone from a size 12 to a 4 and, believe me, I know what it's like to feel like you've hit a wall, to self-sabatoge, and to get discouraged. Hit me up with a comment and I will be happy to help.
1! Get your hand out of the bag! If you're going to eat some chips or something that comes in a bag, don't just grab the bag, sit down on the coach, and start munching. Try putting the food you want in a bowl or on a plate and then putting the bag away. That way, you won't unintentionally overeat and consume excess calories. Same thing goes for ice cream. Don't eat ice cream out of the carton. If you do, the spoon may hit the bottom of the container before you realize what's happening. Try putting ice cream in a bowl and then the carton back into the freezer.
2! Visualize yourself doing the right thing. If you're feeling tempted to overeat and you don't want to, try visualizing yourself doing something else. For example, if you're craving ice cream but don't want to give in, come up with something else you can do. If you want to treat yourself, why not do something else like go for a nice walk outside or curl up in bed with a book? Picture yourself, step by step, like you're watching yourself in a movie, getting outside for that walk. Where will you walk to? What will you see? What do you need to grab so you're ready to go? Visualize putting on your walking shoes and coat in crystal clear detail. If you prefer the curl up in bed with a book option, what book will you read? Will you put on your pajamas and get comfortable? Visualize the whole thing. Now, instead of visualizing silky ice cream sliding down your throat, you've replaced it with new enticing images that will make you happy and fulfill you in other ways.
3! Box half of your restaurant meal. Most restaurant entrees have over 800 calories and leave you feeling stuffed and uncomfortable if the entire meal. If you habitually eat out and finish off the meal, it's easy to put on an extra 10, 15, or more pounds. We've all heard the advice to box half of your restaurant meal so you don't eat the whole thing. Here's a new twist. Ask the waiter to bring half of your meal already boxed when he or she brings out the food. Then, take the box, and stick it under the table by your feet so you won't see it. Out of sight, out of mind. Now you won't feel tempted to start picking at it when your meal is done. And you have lunch for tomorrow!
4! Take your after dinner conversation away from the table. You're at a dinner party or you are having guests over for dinner. You enjoy a great meal together, have some dessert, and keep chatting away at the table. There's still some mashed potatoes left and some extra brownies from dessert. So, you pick it. A little potatoes here, a little chunk of brownies here. Before you know it, you've eaten an extra two brownies, piece by piece, and an extra serving of potatoes, completely unintentionally! Next time to avoid that problem, suggest going into the living room to continue the conversation. Getting away from the food will save you from consuming extra calories you don't want or need.
5! Remember your worth is not derived from cleaning your plate. Were you raised as a kid to believe that you were only good if you finished everything on your plate? Don't place all the blame on your parents. They were probably raised that way, too. Lots of kids have been trained to eat everything, even after they are full. They are also trained that if they eat everything, only then can they get dessert. Flash forward to adulthood. Lots of adults are still holding onto that belief that they have to finish what they have left on their plates, but it's not true. Stop when you're full. Throw it out if you don't want to finish it, or put it in the fridge for later. Even if it's just two bites. You are not a human vacuum cleaner that needs to take care of scraps. Give yourself permission to rewrite the rules and not finish everything, even if you think eating a little extra won't hurt. A little extra calories every day leads to a lot of extra pounds over time.
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