Get an excellent control on overeating and lose weight faster.
Overeating does more harm than good. In the long run, it can make you gain weight, and also get Diabetes, Hypertension and Cholesterol. What’s worse, we may be doing it without realizing.
Answer these questions with a Yes or No to identify if you are overeating.
- Do you eat even after feeling full, so you don’t have to throw food?
- Do you eat the entire packet of biscuit, chips etc. in one go?
- Do you eat because you are bored, stressed, happy or sad?
- Do you experience gas, bloating or tiredness after eating?
- Do you skip breakfast or any other main meal frequently?
If you’ve answered with a Yes to more than 1 question, chances are, you are overeating. And this can become a habit, which may cause obesity, diabetes, hypertension etc. in the long run. Controlling overeating is one of the best ways to control weight.
Here are a few diet tips to help you control overeating, and make you lose weight faster.
- Do not skip breakfast – Breakfast improves our metabolism and reduces our cravings. When you eat a nutritious breakfast, it keeps you full and also keeps your mind off food. This in turn will help you reduce overeating and make you lose weight.
- Stop eating when you are full – A lot of times we end up overeating because we do not want to throw the food. To avoid this, take lesser quantity of food on your plate. If there is leftover food, then keep it in an airtight container and have it later, or recycle it and make it into a new dish (like daal paratha with leftover daal) or better still, pack it and give it to some needy person.
- Observe portion control to lose weight – Even if you are eating healthy, do not overeat. Stop at a handful of nuts. Do not have more than 2 biscuits or a handful of chips. Junk food should only be had occasionally and not on a daily basis. When eating your regular meals, choose smaller sized plates. It will make you take lesser food, avoid overeating and help you lose weight faster.
- Avoid emotional eating – Food is for nourishment. Eat food only when you are hungry, not when you are bored, alone, feeling depressed or happy. Emotional eating makes us overeat and gain weight. Utilize your free time in doing something productive or pursuing a hobby, that ways you’ll make better use of your time, feel happier and also keep your weight in control.
- Chew your food 32 times before gulping it – There is a saying, that you should chew your drink…and drink your food. In this fast paced world, a lot of us gobble our food instead of sitting calmly and chewing it properly. Doing so gives us gas and bloating as the solid food chunks rot in our intestines before they can pass out of it. When you chew your food minimum 24 – 32 times, it helps food mix properly with the saliva, brings the food to a liquid consistency, eases digestion and the chewing also makes you feel full. Thereby making you stop overeating and helping you lose weight a lot faster.
- Drink water – A lot of times, our body confuses thirst for hunger. And that makes us head to the kitchen or pantry and indulge in a pack of junk food. What’s worse, dehydration makes us crave sugary food. So the next time you feel like eating anything in-between your meals, ask yourself, are you thirsty or hungry? or better still, have a glass of water, and then decide if you still need to eat anything extra in between your meals. Chances are, you may probably not need to. Try having minimum 2-3 lts of water daily. You can even add a few sprigs of mint or a slice of tangerine to your water bottle and give a nice twist to the taste.
- Have fruits and vegetables – They add fibre to your diet and reduce hunger. Have fruits as your mid meal snack.
- Have protein rich meals and snacks – They keep you feeling full for longer and reduce cravings, so you will stop overeating, and lose weight faster. Boiled chickpea salad or green gram chilla are excellent options for a protein rich breakfast or snack.
Food should only be had for nourishment, indulgences and overeating when done occasionally is ok, but these practices should be avoided on a daily basis to help you stay in your healthy weight. Sitting and eating in a relaxed manner, chewing your food properly will improve your digestion, keep lifestyle diseases at bay, and also keep you in your healthy weight.