Do you struggle with portion control?
Understanding the reasons why we tend to overeat can help manage portion control and assist in developing a healthy relationship with food. There is absolutely no reason why we should be physically hurting after every meal. Some common reason for over eating include:
- Stress/anxiety
- Habit
- Boredom
- You’re a foodie
- Restriction
Below I share some things I’ve found helpful to avoid overeating on a constant basis.
1.Eat Slowly
Eating slowly, breathing, and tasting your food before swallowing will help you assimilate that which you put in your body giving you time to feel satisfied. Not too mention, masticating our food throughly aids digestion since our saliva contains enzymes that help us breakdown food before it even enters the digestive tract.
2.Hydrate
Sometimes we think we’re hungry but we’re actually thirsty. Drinking sufficient amounts of water can help replenish your body realizing that you never actually needed to eat again but instead were just thirsty. Of course if you haven’t eaten for hours at a time then you may in fact be hungry. But if you ate 2-3 hours before and think you may be hungry, there’s a great chance you may actually need to hydrate.
3. Listen to Your Body
Don’t wait until you’re uncomfortable to stop eating. Most of the time we correlate satisfaction with the feeling of literally being bloated full. When you have to say to yourself, “I can’t put another bite in my mouth” then you already over ate. Get to know your body and the sensation you get from enough food vs. too much food.
4. You Will Eat Again
As a food lover, over eating has less to do with anxiety, habit, or boredom but rather a love for the different flavors and textures we get from delicious food. It’s almost like we fear not ever tasting that piece of heavenly cake again or that extra slice of pizza. Guess what…you will eat that again. Food is not going anywhere. There’s always later and there’s always tomorrow. Remind yourself this next time you want to grab another cookie but you’re already full.
5. Measure It Out
If you know you have a weakness for french fries, tell your server to bring you a little box so you can pack half of them to go before you start getting down on that overly portioned meal. In fact, do this with all your meals. Even at home. Serve yourself an adequate portion(palm/fist size rule) and pack the rest for tomorrow. Remember, you will eat again!
6.Veggie it Up
This is a way to find balance since vegetables are very filling. The extra fiber in veggies helps us feel more satisfied and so we’re less likely to over eat.
Developing a healthy relationship with food requires time and effort. We need to create a new set of good habits that get easier to follow with time. Will there be times we eat a little too much ice cream? Sure…..and do not feel guilty about it. Just make sure it doesn’t become a habit.
We can’t always make “perfect” choices but it’s important to note that the biggest issue with portion control struggles is in the constant habit of it. Are you doing this everyday? Are you doing this every other day? Or….is it only now and then or during special occasions?
Overall, try to apply some of the tools from above and I promise you will reap the rewards.
“To learn to listen to our bodies is to love ourselves”
xo,
Vilmaliz
#VBFITMETHOD
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