Good morning sweet tarts! Happy August 
Despite the serious sleep debt I’m currently suffering from, I woke up bright and early to get my week started. After a semi-indulgent weekend, a big Green Monster was just what the doctor ordered.
My smoothie contained:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
I also had some toast with almond butter.
how I avoid mindless (over)eating.
I recently received an email from a reader asking for tips to avoid mindless overeating, and I thought it was a great topic to address. I’m no expert when it comes to this, but I do sometimes feel like the advice given to overcome mindless eating is, well…mindless.
For example, if you Google something like “how to stop mindless overeating,” you’ll get a million and one pieces of advice ranging from drinking your body weight in water to learning how to knit. While it can be great to have so many tips to refer to, I’m personally a less is more kind of person when it comes to changing habits. So to avoid mindless overeating, I generally stick to a few simple “rules” that seem to work the best for me.
1. Eat balanced and eat enough.
When our bodies aren’t getting the proper fuel they need, they want to eat more to make up for it. It’s important not only to make sure you’re getting enough calories, but also that you’re getting quality calories. When you’re lacking in certain nutrients/vitamins/etc. you’re body will often experience more cravings (In fact, that’s why I think most “diets” fail, but we’ll save that for another post).
2. Plan your meals.
I’m not exactly a fan of strictly planning every single thing I’m going to eat. But I’ve found that when I have a mental note of what I’m going to eat during the day (including snacks and dessert, of course) I’m much less likely to mindlessly (over)eat. I suggest each morning jotting down a rough idea of what your meals for the day will look like. This helps because it separates the act of eating from how you might be feeling at any given point in the day.
3. Write.
I tend to eat mindlessly when I’m feeling stressed or anxious, but I find that writing really, really helps. Whether you get a journal or just scribble words onto a piece of scrap paper, I think that writing is the best way to release feelings that you might not even know you may be having. Write how out you’re feeling emotionally and physically. What’s bothering me? Am I actually hungry? Do I want to eat out of boredom, sadness, etc.? For me, most of the time answering these types of questions helps me realize that eating is not going to make me feel better.
- What are you tips for overcoming mindless overeating?
- What usually causes you to mindlessly eat?
i really like practicing being aware in the moment. i usually eat mindlessly when i go with a gut instinct to consume food, and rather than being aware of what i’m putting in my body, i just eat on autopilot. that’s no way to ENJOY the food!
Very good tips…especially to write down your emotions of why you may be overeating in that moment.
Stress makes me eat mindlessly for sure!
I am so bad at this. Well, my eating is not so much mindless as bored/loving food.
But I try to drink water or iced coffee (or hot coffee in the winter) which is a low-calorie way to feel like I am doing something with my mouth. I’m not gonna lie, eating is more fun though.
My favorite tip is to focus on your food… meaning no eating in front of the tv, no eating on the road, etc…
eat ALL food sitting down at the table… that way you are sure to be mindful of what you’re eating
As an expert in this field I LOVE your tips. Your readers will really benefit from that information. Mindless eating sounds so simple, just become aware right? A little practice and mindless eating will steer out of your life forever!
I love the tips! I think that making sure you properly fuel your body with the RIGHT foods, and never deprive yourself of what you really want every once in a while (ie: indulgences!) is a great way to stop mindless overeating. Also, focusing on the taste and texture of foods is a great way to enjoy and really get a feeling of when you’re satisfied!
I mindlessly overeat when I’m bored, so avoiding boredom helps me avoid mindless snacking.
Really great tips! I mindlessly overeat in the evenings when I’m stressed/tired. It’s a constant battle, but I’m getting better at avoiding it.
I think it all boils down to that first tip you give. I truly believe that is what will change everything.
I mindlessly eat at work when I am bored. So far, I have not been able to really prevent it so I just make sure to make the food healthy and fairly low calories that I am eating.
My biggest tip is not to multitask - when you’re eating, just eat…don’t be simultaneously reading or watching tv or browsing the web.
In addition to writing your thoughts as you mentioned, I think writing down what your eat is a great practice at least during the initial phase of trying to understand how to get past mindless over eating.
The first one is key for me. When I’m not eating enough, I get snacky and then end up overeating.
Also, to me, when I start searching through the cabinets with nothing particular in mind, I just step away and go do something. Clean, read, write, take my dogs for a walk. Something.
These are great! Thank you
Great post! I love that you emphasized that one should be eating quality calories. It’s like my husband asked me one time after we ate at Cold Stone, why am I still hungry, I just ate 1,000 calories? And I told him it was because those were empty calories. They are not filling at all because they do not have the nutrients that our body needs. Therefore, getting quality calories can keep us from overeating. Great tips!
I definitely have to plan my meals and make sure to eat enough calories to sustain my workouts and allow my body to build muscle and burn fat. I find when I don’t properly plan (as in bring my own snacks) then I give in too easily to poor choices. That’s why I bought a little disguise- it’s an insulated “purse” that looks just like a real, black purse that allows me to take snacks if I’m going to the movies or amusement park. It’s been an awesome companion and leaves me with no excuses when it comes to eating healthy away from home:)
def eating balanced and enough for me!! if i deprive myself of something I will ALWAYS be craving that forever and then when i see it…ummm no control LOL so if I want to indulge in something, its ok with me! just a few bites will feed that craving!
Writing helps me SO much. I could not agree with that more - when ever I am eating mindlessly I always pick up a pen!
The more I can interpret my body’s hunger signals vs my emotions, the less I want to emotionally/mindlessly eat. Yoga and meditation have been saviors in that regard!
Great tips! For me eating enough nutritious foods was the best weapon again mindless eating, just like you say in ur first tip
great tips Gracie! I need to be better about planning my meals! I snack so much trying to figure out what I’m going to eat for my actual meal.
Fantastic tips, journaling will stop a lot of people in their tracks. I found a website with inspirational images and quotes,and I often just bookmark the site and read updates to give myself a mental escape. Take your mind off food!
Making sure to eat enough at meals is a big one for me. If I skimp on a meal, I will want to snack all day long. I like to make sure to feel a heavy fullness after a meal (I know some people don’t like this, but that’s what works for me).
Great tips! I always try to ask myself if I am really hungry, or am I just bored or thirsty. I am also really working on not multi-tasking while eating. I am pretty bad about this.
Great post Gracie! You always have such great insight and tips for everything
Thanks for the post! I always mindlessly overeat at parties. I can’t resist chips and dip if they are right in front of me while talking to someone!
YES - that’s a great one! One that I definitely don’t abide by…