Overeating happens to the best of us, even when we’re trying to cut calories and watch our weight. If you are bad at stopping when you feel full, there are ways to feel more satisfied without wolfing down extra calories.
Experts give these tips to help you stop eating before it’s too late:
- Eat slowly. It takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, and 20 or more minutes for an obese person.
- Be aware. Don't eat when you are driving or at the computer - when we're distracted or hurried the food (and calories) we eat tend not to register well in our brains.
- Make the first bites count. Satisfying your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites may help you stop eating when you're physically comfortable.
- Keep up appearances. Using a smaller plate and paying attention to the presentation of a meal can increase your awareness of the food in front of you, and tells the brain the portion is enough.
- Choose satisfying foods. The higher the fiber, protein, and/or water content of a food or meal, the more likely it is to be satisfying in your stomach without going overboard on calories.
It all begins with a plan. You can’t cook a ton of food every night and expect not to overeat. Duh! Choose healthy foods, keep the portion small, take your time, and before you know it overeating will be a thing of the past.
