How to Stop Overeating

If you’ve ever found yourself eating when you’re not truly hungry, you’re not alone. Overeating is a common struggle, and it often has little to do with physical hunger. In my article Emotional Eating: Physical Hunger vs. Brain Hunger, I explain the difference between genuine hunger and emotional cravings, helping you recognize the signals your body sends. But once you understand why emotional eating happens, the next step is figuring out how to stop overeating altogether.

Why Do We Overeat?

Many people think overeating is simply a matter of willpower, but in reality, it’s often driven by deeper psychological and habitual factors. Here are some of the most common reasons why we eat even when we’re not hungry:

• Uncomfortable Emotions: Stress, sadness, boredom, loneliness, and anxiety can all trigger overeating as a form of distraction or self-soothing.

• Eating by the Clock: If it’s lunchtime or dinnertime, we may feel the need to eat out of habit, regardless of whether our body is actually asking for food.

• Social Pressure: A family member offers you homemade cookies, and you feel guilty saying no. Or maybe you’re at a dinner party, and everyone is eating a second helping, so you feel compelled to join in.

• Past Food Scarcity: If you’ve experienced food insecurity in the past, you may have an ingrained fear of hunger and avoid it at all costs.

• Extreme Dieting History: If you've been on restrictive diets, your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues may be out of sync, making it hard to tell when you truly need food.

• Food as a Reward: Many people associate food with comfort and celebration, leading to eating when they're feeling accomplished, or even just as a routine treat.

• Distracted Eating: Eating without paying attention, when in front of the TV, while scrolling on your phone, or while working can lead to consuming more food than your body actually needs because you're too distracted to register how much you've eaten, or notice when you feel full.

• Wanting to Fit In: Eating is often a social activity, and saying no to food can make us feel like we’re standing out in an uncomfortable way.

The Effects of Eating When You’re Not Hungry

Overeating can have a range of effects on both physical and mental well-being. Some of the most common consequences include:

• Weight Gain: Consistently eating beyond your body's energy needs can lead to gradual weight gain.

• Disconnection from Hunger Cues: Over time, overeating can make it difficult to recognize true hunger and fullness signals, making mindful eating more challenging.

• Stomach Expansion: Regular overeating can stretch the stomach, causing it to take more food to feel full.

• Unhealthy Food Choices: Eating to 'fit in', out of habit, or for emotional reasons, can lead us to make unhealthy choices, eating foods that don’t align with our health goals or dietary needs.

• Digestive Discomfort: Overeating can lead to bloating, indigestion, and sluggishness, particularly when consuming heavy or processed foods.

• Emotional Guilt: Many people feel frustrated, guilty or ashamed after overeating, which can lead to a negative cycle of emotional eating.

Approaches to Reduce Overeating

Thankfully, there are several strategies to help curb overeating and develop a healthier relationship with food.

1. Practice Mindful Noticing

When you feel a craving or the urge to eat, pause and notice why. Is it true hunger, an emotional trigger, a habit, or social pressure? It could be a mix of multiple factors. The key at this stage is simply awareness—no pressure to change your behavior, just acknowledge your motivation for eating. If you still want to eat, go ahead!

2. Try the 15-Minute Rule

If you suspect your craving isn’t due to true hunger, wait 15-20 minutes before eating. This gives you time to process whether your body truly needs food, or if the craving will pass on its own.

3. Choose a Nutritious Alternative

If you still feel hungry after waiting, opt for a healthy, whole-food option like an apple or a handful of nuts. If it doesn’t satisfy you, the craving may be more emotional than physical - in this case, practicing minful noticing would be useful again - what is the underlying emotion or need? How could you respond to that emotion or need in a healthier way?

4. Hara Hachi Bu

Hara Hachi Bu is a Japanese phrase which means "eat until you are 80% full". It's a practice that promotes mindful eating and moderation. It originates in Okinawa - a 'Blue Zone' where people live extraordinarily long and healthy lives. This practice encourages people to pay attention to their body's signals while eating, and allows time for signals to travel from your stomach to your brain to signal fullness - this prevents over-eating, and leads to better health and digestion.

5. Eat Mindfully

When you do eat, slow down and fully engage your senses:

• Remove distractions—turn off the TV and put your phone away.

• Chew thoroughly (aim for 15-30 chews per bite) to aid digestion and help you recognize fullness sooner.

• Put your fork down between bites to slow the pace.

• Take a 'half-time break' during your meal—pause, take a few deep breaths, check in with how your body feels, and ask yourself how much food you need until feeling satisfied?

6. Avoid Highly Processed, Addictive Foods

Ultra-processed foods are designed to be addictive - food manufacturers want you to keep eating more! These foods often contain high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, which trigger the brain's reward process, making the foods harder to resist. Reducing these foods in your diet can help prevent overconsumption.

7. Remove Trigger Foods

If there are certain foods you struggle to eat in moderation, try to avoid having them in your home. When doing the grocery shopping, avoid that aisle altogether! If you must have them at home, put them away somewhere out of reach and out of sight, to minimise temptation. It's easier to make mindful choices when you’re not constantly battling willpower.

8. Avoid Triggering Situations

If you tend to overeat in certain social situations or when around specific people, consider setting boundaries or preparing a strategy in advance for managing those scenarios.

9. Use Smaller Plates and Portions

Research suggests that using smaller plates can help reduce overeating by making portions look more satisfying. It's like an optical illusion! You can fill your plate until it looks, but still be serving yourself a smaller portion. Combine it with slow, mindful eating and healty whole food, and you'll be surprised how effective it is. You can always get more if you’re still hungry.

10. Track Your Food Intake

Sometimes we snack and pick at food and end over-eating withut even realising/ Keeping a food journal or using an app to track what you eat can help bring awareness to portion sizes and patterns that lead to overeating.

Take Control of Your Eating Habits

Overeating isn’t just about food—it’s also about emotions, habits, and social influences. By practicing mindful noticing, slowing down your eating, and making small intentional changes, you can regain control over your eating habits and build a healthier relationship with food.

If you’re ready to take your health to the next level, my coaching services can help you uncover the root causes of your eating habits and develop a personalized plan to nourish your body in a way that feels right for you. Check out my services here.