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Will You Stop Overeating

Table of Contents Why Do You OvereatWhy Should You Stop OvereatingWhat Happens When You OvereatWhat Happens After You…
woman trying to stop overeating
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Don’t feel bad if I tell you to stop overeating. May be you think that you’ve all the rights to do what you want to, and you know what you’re doing.

Well, I don’t think so. Many of you do not know what you’re doing. You probably do not bother to stop overeating thinking of it as a harmless behavior.

If such is the case, then think again!

Overeating IS harmful. It does more harm than good. Sometimes you do not come to know when eating turns into overeating and you make yourself vulnerable to a host of diseases.

I know not everybody overeats. Or maybe you do it only rarely or occasionally when you’ve a party, celebration, or when you’re on a vacation. Or does it happen more often?

Recent studies show that if you indulge in overeating for as little as a month, its impact can result in long-term weight gain.

But seriously, do you know what tempts you to overeat?

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Why Do You Overeat

You overeat because you like the food. You love the taste, the feeling, and can’t stop yourself from having more of it. And then, of course, now everywhere you’re served larger portions!

True, but there’s more to it.

You cannot stop overeating because you ignore the body’s call to take such an action. Your senses get the better of your intellect. You do what your mind, the king of all senses, says.

This is not the only reason. You also go on binge eating or compulsive overeating because you might be under stress, anxiety, or suffer from depression.

You begin to treat overeating as a coping mechanism to face the negative mental states. Even boredom and skipping meals leads to binge eating.

More reasons are lack of self-respect, low self-esteem, lack of motivation, lack of self-control, feelings of guilt, emotional problems, inability to express yourself, trauma, and others.

These all add to the miseries of overeating, emotional eating, and other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Whenever you overindulge, there’s a surge in the blood sugar levels. The pancreas then spills out more insulin, which lowers the blood sugar levels.

The brain gets alarmed by this sudden lowering of the blood sugar, which acts as a false message. Now, in order to increase the glucose levels, the brain creates craving for sugary food.

So, you start eating more even if you’re not hungry. This binge eating cycle continues, unless you make efforts to break it.

Why Should You Stop Overeating

Overeating causes the body to gain extra calories and additional fat deposits around the waist and other parts of the body. This leads to weight gain.

If your weight spins out of control, you risk obesity. With it come many health disorders and diseases that you would not want to even know about.

They are –

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  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Chronic back pain
  • Heart disease

Aren’t these eye-openers and strong reasons enough to ring the alarm in your mind to stop overeating?

Maybe a better knowledge of the working of your digestive system and how overeating happens might help you stop yourself from overeating.

What Happens When You Overeat

Your stomach has a limited capacity. When you overeat, you stuff your stomach with food. Beyond a certain limit the stomach muscles start stretching and expanding.

When the body senses that your stomach muscle is stretching beyond its limits, hormones get into action and send a signal to the brain to ring an alarm for you.

This is to tell you to stop eating!

But you’re either busy talking to somebody, engrossed in watching TV, or surfing the Web and you ignore or don’t even notice the alarm.

So, what happens is that your stomach balloons up and causes pain and discomfort. However, frequent overeaters and their stomach muscles get used to this phenomenon.

With the excess of food in the stomach, it becomes difficult for the digestive enzymes to act upon the food and digest it.

Since the process takes more time now, the stomach remains full and causes additional misery. The food isn’t pushed into the small intestine unless it is properly liquefied.

Too much of food in the stomach and its bloating makes it push against the diaphragm that lies just below the lungs. This may bring some pain and difficulty in breathing.

If your meal consisted of fatty food, chances are that the valve between the stomach and esophagus, your food pipe, opens up.

It causes the acidic liquid from the stomach to flow back into your mouth and give a sour taste. There’s also a sensation of burning better known as heartburn.

If the stomach bloats extraordinarily, then there are three things that can happen. The person vomits, suffers from diarrhea, or the stomach ruptures.

But in case of compulsive binge eaters, the stomach muscles become too weak to throw up the excess food, so that food remains in the stomach, and part of it converts to fat.

What Happens After You Overeat

You experience a sick feeling after overeating. The stomach gets bloated and you have a food hangover.

Besides having an upset stomach, you may experience passing gas, belching, mood swings, burning eyes, and other discomforts.

How to Stop Overeating

If you feel you’re a compulsive binge eater, the first step is to get medical help. Contact your general practitioner or health care provider and seek help and suggestion.

You might be put under medication or given psychological therapies. The medical professionals will also suggest you take a self-help programme.

If you’re overweight then a weight loss plan and training from an expert will help and do you good. You can also take the following precautions, measures, and make them part of your habit, routine, or lifestyle.

  • Keep a food diary
  • Track what you eat
  • Eat little and often
  • Eat food high in complex carbohydrates
  • Eat slow
  • Practice mindful eating
  • Avoid eating sugary foods
  • Cut out alcohol and caffeine
  • Do not engage in dieting
  • Have healthy and balanced meals
  • Manage your stress
  • Avoid temptation
  • Exercise daily
  • Fight boredom
  • Get enough sleep
  • Listen to your body
  • Do relaxation exercises like breathing and meditation
  • Get control over your mind
  • Be happy
  • Get support

There can be many other tips, suggestions, and ways to force yourself to stop overeating. If you know of any, do share in the comments.

Remember, cutting down on overeating saves you money and time. It definitely betters the quality of your life as you remain away from the dreadful obesity related diseases.

The consequences of overeating are bad. The best way to stay away from them is to stop overeating.

Obesity is spreading fast all around the world. Part of it is due to our overeating behavior, carelessness, and lack of responsibility in taking proactive steps to avoid it.

Over to you –

Do you overeat or have experienced overeating? Do you know of anybody who suffers from overeating disorders? How do you or they try to stop overeating? Share your thoughts and experiences and help others.

 

Photo Credits: FreeDigitalPhotos

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Disclaimer: We're not offering any medical advice here. These ideas are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always seek a professional medical opinion from a physician of your choosing before making any medical decision. The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute to the advice given by your physician or another healthcare professional.

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  1. Hi Harleena, Thanks for bringing up such an important topic. I was raised in a house where junk food was always around. I admit, I was a huge overeater and had trouble not “grazing” on food all of the time. After my metabolism caught up with me, I started gaining weight fast. It was hard to break these habits, but I have managed to loose over 60lbs. on my own with a lifestyle change. I threw out everything unhealthy in the house, and replaced it with healthy alternatives. This kept me from snacking on junk when I thought I was hungry. You bring up documenting your food intake, which I also did. At the beginning of every meal, I took a picture and made a quick album I could reference easily. Just browsing through it made me realize how much food I was consuming. After a while I got used to eating smaller portions, and actually craved healthy foods.

    Thanks for sharing the great tips! 🙂

  2. Well organized post Harleena!

    Overeating is a kind of gluttony. We just can’t help ourselves unless we’re able to control our tendency to eat more. I just wanted to ask whether overeating be the result of depression and laziness? I always feel hungry that eventually makes me to eat frequently. Will it cause me any harm in the future?Best regards!!

  3. Hello Harleena,

    You tackled the topic of overeating from many angles. You reminded me of how Tony Robbins explains our behavior on the basis of our Neuroassociations. Many people have associated “eating” with “pleasure”. I personally have linked “eating” to good health, energy, vitality, and pleasure to some extent.

    But, those who see “food” mainly as pleasure, stress relief, emotional comfort, need to work on their neuroassociations. They can weaken the link between food and pleasure by assigning enough pain to it. Human beings are motivated by too huge forces: Pleasure and (avoidance of) Pain. If the pain of overeating (the pain of having poor health) is greater than the pain of not overeating (the pain of not enjoying the amount of food you want), then you will stop overeating.

  4. At times I overeat. I knew over heating is bad for health but didn\’t know how.I learned everything from this post. I understood digestive system better now than when I learned during high school. :DI\’m gonna visit aha-now soon!! :)~Thejas

  5. It is important to stop over eating and I believe that this habit is found in many people theses days. It can be due to lifestyle or even stress.Thanks a lot for all this information.

  6. I have a tendency to overeat. I do it mindlessly or because I feel like I have to finish everything on my plate. In the past I have found it very helpful to keep a food journal. It has stopped me from overeating because I knew I would have to go write it down and that made me think about my choices more.

  7. Hi Harleena,

    Overeating can be a problem. I’m on a healthy eating attempt :)right now. I don’t like the sweets so much, but can get into the chips and anything salty. Great post on no overeating.

  8. Excellent article, particularly about what happens when we overeat.

    It is not easy to stop overeating, hence the fact that diets don’t work (in fact, only 5% of all dieters actually succeed in losing weight and keeping it off), but there is hope.

    The Get Thin for Good online food addicts recovery program can help you change the way you think about food, and in so doing, lose weight permanently.

    Thanks again for a great article.

  9. Hi Harleena,
    Your post couldn’t have been more timely! Yes, I admit it, I do overeat, usually for stress or boredom reasons. And yes, this past year has not been too kind to my waistline! Reading your post has once again reminded me that I need to find other outlets to my stress besides eating. I was on a great “run” last summer into the fall as I literally was running. But then I injured myself, then got sick, then cold weather – I let the excuses pile up for these extra pounds besides what the true cause is: just plain old overeating.

    Now to refocus myself and get back on track! Thanks for the gentle reminder! And on that note, I think I need to go for a run!

  10. Overeating is really a bad habit at all but most of the people are struggling with this problem.Thank God I am not between them.

  11. Harleena – Sorry I was not at my “blogging best” these days. I have been busy at work lately and found very little time other than that.

    This article made me think back about a time when we went to an Indian buffet around here, and i ate so much that I just had to skip my next 2 meals 🙂

    Yes, overeating can be really dangerous as you have so clearly mentioned above. I love desserts and I tend to overeat them. However these days, I have put a check on that and stop myself from embarassing myself like that.

    Great read as usual.

  12. What a popular topic Harleena and there is a reason for it. I know that here in the US weight has gotten way out of control.

    One of my favorite shows is the Biggest Loser and this year they are also concentrating on childhood obesity. It’s an epidemic and I wish that someone would be able to get this under control. It’s just become way too easy to eat fast food instead of sit down and have a good healthy meal.

    I’m not an over-eater but I’ve been known to overindulge during the holidays. I use to be a tad overweight as a child and then it stayed on me into my mid 20’s. I lost it all then but as I’ve mentioned to you before, I am an emotional eater. I’ve gained a lot of weight twice in my life but the good thing is that once I’ve gotten over that horrible time I have taken the weight back off.

    I really watch what I eat because I don’t want to be overweight. No one in my family is so we’ve never really had that issue. I would just love to see everyone else get this under control.

    Thank you for bringing this up and perhaps this will be the year more people take control of this area.

    ~Adrienne

  13. Hi Harleena,

    This was an excellent post on overeating and I really enjoyed reading it.

    As I was reading your post, I could relate to a number of the issues you described when I’ve found I’ve overeaten.

    I have quite a sensitive stomach so don’t really overeat much. The memories of discomfort which occurs is usually enough to put me off eating too much.

    Having said this, there are some times when my eating patterns are not so good and that is when I’m under stress.

  14. Too much of anything is never good and eating is not an exemption to it. We eat not just we need it, but because we love it. And worst, it becomes a hobby. This is where we tend to overeat and it is never healthy.

  15. Hello Harleena,

    I’m fortunate not to know anyone who has an eating disorder. I don’t think I’m an overeater but if I allowed myself, I could easily have a second helping of my favorite dessert.

    We have to eat right because diabetes runs in the family and we try to support our parents. We have a rule in the house that every Saturday is a our free day and we get to choose a not-so-healthy meal and dessert.

    I have noticed I eat more of my favorite desserts when I’m stressing to meet deadlines and the way I solved that problem is by not buying it in the first place so it won’t be in the house.

    Thank you for sharing this important information on this delicate topic. Hope all is well.

    1. Hi Galen,

      I’m glad you find the post informative.

      You’re right in that our emotional and mental states have direct impact on our eating habits. Mind, heart, and body are all so interconnected that disturbance in one can create problem behaviors in the other.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thought. 🙂

  16. Hi Harleena,

    Over eating is a problem for many and you have some great tips to help people. I guess I am not one that has a problem with this. I eat until I am not hungry anymore.

    Actually though I believe my eating habits come from when I was a child. We were what you would call poor and did not have a lot of food in the house. Store bread was a treat for us, like ice cream and even potatoe chips. And we were never made to eat something that we did not like.

    Now on the other hand my hubby was always taught to clean up his plate.
    He does have trouble with his weight. I don’t care how much or how little he puts on his plate he will always clean it.

    As parents when we say to a child ‘you are not leaving this table until you clean that plate,’ is this really a good thing to teach a child?
    I have always listened to my body and that really works.

    Great post Harleena, because over eating is habit like many things can become a bad habit.
    Debbie

    1. Hi Debbie,

      You send across an important message – the right eating habits should be installed when the child is still young. Though we’ve the power to change our habits, but we tend to carry most of our childhood habits as we grow up.

      You did go through your share of rough times, but it did help you develop a good habit – healthy eating. Though I also do not believe in forcing the children things to eat what they don’t like, I do force my kids to eat the veggies, but of course not to the extent of overeating. I feel not doing that would be making a compromise with their health.
      Again an example of how childhood memories and training are so important – I remember my grandmother telling me not to leave food on the plate as food is precious and the poor don’t even get that much. This advice ingrained in me and I tell the same to my kids – though it’s a different matter that they do not follow it always. 😉 But I get your point that if you make cleaning your plate a habit, you’ll probably also eat what is extra on your plate and end up overeating.

      But you know what happens with my kids – if left on their own, they would gladly dump the nourished food and prefer to eat junk food and light snacks, like all other children. So, I do keep an eye on what they eat and how much they eat. I tell them to take small servings and finish rather than take more than what you can eat and then leave it on the plate.

      But I do believe the kids should be trained to listen to their body early on and not made to eat more than what they require.

      Thanks for sharing your experiences, thoughts and views on eating habits and for making important contribution to the post. 🙂

      1. Harleena, I totally agree with you. You can not let children make there own choices when it comes to eating. You have to teach them to eat the right foods. As for vegetables there were some my kids would eat and others they would not. I fixed the green beans over the peas.

        Thanks for replying back and have a wonderful day.
        Debbie

  17. This is a problem I don’t have at all. I’m a healthy eater and watch what I put inside my body. I also teach my kids to eat properly and hope they grow up that way.

    1. Hi Anne,

      I’m glad to know that you’re a healthy eater and never have the problem of overeating. Yes, it is very important to pass on the good habits to your offspring hoping they carry it forward, and you do the very right thing.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  18. To be honest, This was a hard post to read. I am usually gentler with people. But sometimes people need to hear it harshly, i know. It’s just that blame is already such a problem for people. Just a thought.

    1. Hi Jodi,

      I’m sorry if you found the post as too direct, harsh, and hard to read. I understand your thoughts and feelings and I accept that I did not use my soft voice that I could’ve if I wanted, which is what probably you like to hear and are used to hearing.

      In fact, I deliberately used an eye-opening way of telling things and telling it directly on the face. I did not mean to hurt anybody’s sentiments, but being a parent and a school teacher, I sometimes find it right to resort to a stricter way of explaining things.

      I know there are different kind of people and some perceive blame in a negative way and it becomes counterproductive. But I’m happy with the general response I’m getting on this post, and feel good that it has done good to many. However, I’ll take your advice and avoid blaming if possible in the future posts. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and being honest about your feelings and thoughts. 🙂

  19. Hi Harleena, Excellent post. You’re right, we’re all guilty of over-eating at some point. We can’t resist that second piece of cake on our birthday. But when that “food hangover,” as you so aptly call it, becomes a habit then our habits have to change.

    I agree, when we overeat regularly we are feeding our souls, not our bodies. So much better to feed our souls with other nourishment and avoid the health risks that you laid out.

    Thanks for this important article, Harleena!

    1. Hi Carolyn,

      Thanks for liking and considering the post as important. 🙂

      Well, maybe we can indulge in a second piece of cake on our birthday – but the thought that a little extra will do no harm goes a long way and does the most damage. You don’t realize and the little extra gradually becomes too much and a big burden on you.

      Yes, you’re right – overeating is an unhealthy habit, like all other bad habits. We become a slave to our mind, while the body suffers. There are two major reasons to avoid overeating – obesity and indigestion, and both lead to a host of diseases.

      Thank you for sharing your views and contributing to the post. 🙂

  20. That’s an excellent topic, Harleeena!

    I think that’s interesting that people will condemn many other behaviors while they are OK with over eating. There are even some religious people who condemn just about every other indulgence, but you see them eating like pigs with no problem. I’m not just saying, I know of such people and see them on a regular basis.

    Over eating is, indeed, very unhealthy like any other type of excess and just like over drinking can kill you, well, over eating can kill you too.

    I understand that for those with a natural big appetite it might be hard to control yourself, but there are ways to shrink your stomach naturally in order to eat less rather than having to have your stomach cut in half by a surgeon.

    Thank you for sharing this, Harleena.

    1. Hi Sylviane,

      I’m glad you like the post. I agree that overeating is a bad habit and a behavior that comes in the category of being unhealthy. Overeating is an indulgence that is creating problem in the form of an epidemic and indirectly it is costing a lot to the people suffering from it and the governments as well.

      I’ll tell you that when I researched about the topic before writing it, I was shocked to know that many people have really died due to overeating. That fact really motivated me to write a post on this seemingly harmless behavior.

      I understand some people feel helpless as they’ve continued with the habit of overeating for a long time and find it difficult to get rid of it. Quitting any habit is not easy, but also not impossible. I agree that surgical option as a solution should only be in critical conditions or cases of exceptions.

      Thanks for throwing more light on the subject and sharing your voluble thoughts. 🙂

  21. Hi Harleena,

    I stopped over eating 3 months back and currently I am on an experiment – Raw food diet.

    You will be happy to know that I have crossed 3 days successfully and my aim is to complete 21 days.

    What you said makes absolute sense, that it is the major cause of many ailments..

    If you see the Indian Yogis the basic secret behind their health is their food habits, I believe. And one question out of curiosity..How much do you weigh at this point of time?

    And thank you very much for reading Ammar Ali’s interview and also your valuable comment.

    Sincerely,
    Rafi

    1. Hi Rafi,

      It’s interesting to know that you’re experimenting on eating raw food diet. I do hope you’ve researched well about its pros and cons, and if you’ve found that being on such a diet for 21 successive days is not harmful, I wish you all the best. I’d be interested to know the result that you feel and experience.

      You’re right about the Yogis – they probably fellow the Ayurveda philosophy according to which indigestion is the root cause of most of the diseases. Regarding your question, I’d say you should never ask the age and weight of a lady! 😉

      Your post had been splendid and interesting. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. 🙂

  22. I don’t over eat but I don’t exactly starve myself either. I actually heard somewhere that you will live longer and be healthier if you don’t eat until your full.
    I’m a firm beliver in fasting every once in a while to give your body a break and heal. 2 years ago i would have laughed at you if you told me to fast but after experiencing a fast first hand( 3 to be exact) I don’t doubt that over eating is the cause of many ailments in western society.

    1. Hi Annie,

      You’re right when you say that the food you eat should never fill your stomach to the brim – one should stop eating as one gets the signal that the stomach is going to be full and not wait for it to get full. As this will save you from overeating, so you do take care of health. Also, the ancient Indian medicine system and way of life called ‘Ayurveda’ suggests that all diseases originate from the stomach due to indigestion. Since diseases shorten your life span, then definitely careful and mindful eating helps in living your life as long it should be.

      Fasting is believed to give some rest to the digestive system and get the deposited toxins out of it and the concerned body organs. May be you’ve read my article on fasting where I discuss in detail about benefits of fasting.

      It’s good to know that you keep your eating habits healthy and eat in moderation. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts. 🙂

  23. Harleena, you are right about us eating too much, because as I sit here I am full, pretty much stuffed.

    It is sad that someone has to tell us to “stop over-eating”. I appreciate you for bringing this topic to us in an eye-opening method.

    I do not know why eat as much as I do, but I need to get a handle on it. thanks

    1. Hi Michael,

      It’s not about any specific community or country but in fact the problem of overeating is definitely posing a threat in the affluent nations and communities. Overeating is really a big factor in the rising epidemic of obesity all over the world. As conscious citizens of the world we need to understand our responsibility and take action. I’m sorry if you felt I was too direct, but I appreciate that you acknowledge and accept the problem, and feel the need to do something about it.

      Thanks for stopping by and presenting your views. 🙂

  24. Hi Harleena – I was overweight for a while, many years ago. I’ve had no trouble with my weight since getting a dog – I now have two dogs, which both need regular exercise, so I get to walk or jog with them every day, come rain or shine, and I don’t even have to think about my weight.

    I think having an occupation that you enjoy helps, too – when I did used to over-eat, it was often out of boredom. I’m never bored these days – too much to do. Hardly enough time to eat and sleep, so not much chance to put on weight!

    You’ve got some great advice in this article, Harleena – I’m sure it will be a big help to anyone who’s struggling with a weight problem.

    Sue

    1. Hi Sue,

      You’ve shared one good way of keeping fit – have a pet, and especially a dog so it can take you for a walk! My husband and I also do that on a daily basis, and I think I’m thankful to my dog for giving us a reason to move.

      Being active and busy is not only good for the body, but healthy for the mind as well. But I hope you do sleep well as lack of sleep is another factor that is linked to gaining of weight.

      Thanks for sharing your experiences and helping thoughts. I hope the readers benefit from them. 🙂

  25. I used to overeat when I was alone, Harleena. Now I’ve become more conscious of my eating and avoid it. Great article as usual!

    1. Hi Corinne,

      Yes, I agree that boredom and loneliness get the better of us and we lose control over eating. I’m glad you’re now able to exercise better control over your eating habits.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. 🙂

  26. Hi Harleena Ma’am

    Great tips! I eat too much every day 😛 I will follow your tips for overeating.. and yes, thanks for this healthy article 🙂

    Mosam

    1. Hi Mosam,

      Welcome to the blog! I’m glad you like the tips on controlling the habit of overeating. I hope they help you too.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  27. I always enjoy overeating and I love doing it, but I didn’t know that It’s a harmless behavior.

    Thankfully, I’m a fit guy because I always do different exercises to keep myself fit.

    I’ll surely follow your tips to overcome overeating.

    Thanks,
    Ehsan

    1. Hi Ehsan,

      I think you mean to say that you didn’t know overeating is a harmful behavior.

      Well, overeating is not always bad if it is not a regular habit and you adopt certain mechanism to counter it. You do exercise regularly, so that is good.

      However, as the saying goes that prevention is better than cure, so having control on overeating is always good.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  28. Hi Harleena,

    Great topic.Overeating and over weight is a problem faced by all age group.I feel so bad that young guys and girls with overweight, as they have the great time, energy ,strength to overcome this.But i think they dont want to.

    I am a person who always look for diet and exercises to keep me fit so when i see people are me i feel so bad.One of my friend who was 105 kg of height 5.6 that means somewhere around 45 kg overweight at age of 23.I helped him out in some things which i want to share here may be can help to add little bit in the article.

    First thing, i brainwash his mind all the time saying its bad its bad its bad,told him that it is not difficult to come out of this over eating and you can do it very easily but you just have to concentrate on control your self.
    I just repeatedly tell him this thing every now and then.So when ever he eat my words are always in his mind. So started controling a bit.

    Second thing i told him to just divide your meals into five times a day.That means Morning ,afternoon and dinner divide these meals into small meals of 5 and try to take in intervals.

    I told him that diet is 70 percent that matters to loose or gain weight.So he started doing that.One more thing i told him stop carsbs instead i told him to add salads and juices in his diet.
    I told him to see after 1 month .You wont believe with diet and normal half an hr jogging he was loosing weight with great speed ,he then started building confidence that yes i can loose weight and overeating was almost left behind.And slowly slowly he came to a normal life.

    Sorry i was totally got into the story.But yes the point you have mentioned are great and efficient and can really any person suffering from this.

    Thank You
    Shorya Bist

    1. Hi Shorya,

      Thanks for telling us how you helped your friend get over the bad habit of overeating. Awareness and acceptance of the problem and then conscious control over your self is how you can overcome overeating.

      Dividing the meal and having it at different intervals in a day is a good strategy. Salads and juices are indeed very helpful to our body, and consuming a little extra of these do not harm the body as well as much as the carbs do.

      Yes, you cannot avoid regular exercising – that always remains a part of the plan to lose weight.

      Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts on how to curb overacting and lose weight. 🙂

  29. Harleena, I like your tips on overcoming overeating especially eating meals slowly and eating small meals or snacks more frequently. Eating triggers the satiation center in our brains and you’re right about likelihood of factors such as anxiety or depression causing a person to be more inclined to overeat. Your tip on exercising can also help because we release hormones called endorphins which make us feel good during and after working out. If we slow down and listen to our bodies, it’s very possible to prevent overeating.

    1. Hi Ashley,

      Nice to see you back on my blog. I’m glad you like the tips to stop overeating. Thanks for providing the extended and in-depth information about how and why those tips help us. I feel developing the skill of listening to your body can help you solve many problems including overeating.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts and contributing to the post. 🙂

    1. Hi Rudraksh,

      Welcome to the blog! You ask a question that would require me to write a post on it to answer. 🙂 There could be many factors and I think it’d be best to ask a health care professional.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  30. Since I started going to the gym, I have stopped over eating. Not because I have stopped loving food but it takes so much effort to burn them away on the treadmill! LOL!

    There are many reasons one over eats and you have put them here quite nicely. It isn’t always about the food, sometimes (many a times) it is about emotions!

    1. Hi Hajra,

      Nice to see you back on my blog! That’s a good enough excuse not to overeat, really. Anything that stops you from overeating, works.

      Oh yes, there are a mixture of reasons, but frequent overeating isn’t because of food – you don’t get so good food to eat frequently that you overeat, do you? I shouldn’t be saying that because I’m the one who cooks at my home! LOL! I’d rather blame it on the emotions. 🙂

      Glad you stopped by. 🙂

  31. HI Harleena

    Great post!

    I eat a lot but at regular intervals but at times overeat when the food is really delicious so unable to resist the temptation. I compensate that by walking a lot and drinking a lot of water on daily basis. But still believe I’m slightly overweight as per BMI.
    I’m making my husband to read your post to make him realize the importance of doing regular exercise and drinking lot of water.

    Thanks for sharing this.

    Sapna

    1. Hi Sapna,

      I’m glad you like the post. You do take good measures to counter overeating by eating at regular intervals, walking, and drinking lots of water. But if you overeat on a regular basis, the damage is done. It’s simple to observe – if you do not feel hungry at all, and even then you’re eating – that’s overeating. But we often ignore the body’s alarm and realize what we’ve done only when our stomach is full and tight.

      I hope this post helps you think and be aware. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  32. Overeating is one of those things where all have done it and engage in it. I wonder what the causes are, perhaps something related to mental health or even our hormones. You have pointed out very good reason why we over eat. I have heard a theory that one can programme their mind in not eating too much. I am not sure how effective something like this is but its worth a try. Thanks for this amazing topic, something that concerns everyone.

    1. Hi Shalu,

      Yes, you’re right in that overacting is so common and almost everybody engages in it. There are plenty of mind, brain, and body related causes of overeating but it is something that we can control by making efforts.

      Mind is a powerful tool if we use it in the right way, and yes you can program it to help us in any of our tasks.

      Thanks for stopping by and showing interest in the topic. 🙂

  33. Overeating is a big problem for me because I come from a family of overeaters. The first word on my Dad’s medical chart was “obese.” I learned patterns of eating that have been hard to break, and that is partly why I am such a huge proponent of taking care of ourselves. I am far from obese but could lose 15 pounds and still not be skinny. Thank you, Harleena, for this well-written article and the assistance contained within.

    1. Hi Susan,

      Nice to see you here. Yes, overeating is a wolf in sheep’s disguise. It seems pretty harmless but it does the damage internally and we don’t even come to know of it. You know best as you’ve observed and talked about in the family.

      You’re right about the patterns of eating that lead to overeating, and since we fail to spot them early, they become hard habits. I’d be happy if this post could bring awareness and help somebody.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  34. Yes, I am guilty Harleena. Either when I’m bored or stressed. Geez, that’s about all the time now that I think about it. I’m usually not bored but the stress factor contributes to my eating – especially carbohydrates. And since my arm situation I haven’t exercised. I hope once the warm weather comes I can make some changes in this area. Seeing to write everything done just stressed me out. I guess I must find a way to avoid the temptations all around.

    1. Hi Lisa,

      It’s good that you acknowledge there’s a problem and you can zero in to identify it. Maybe you only need a few simple ways to cope with the stress, and then you’ll never be guilty of overeating again. I’m sure once you get to exercising again, you’ll feel a lot better in this aspect. As far as temptations are concerned, it’s a matter of mind control and you can use positive affirmations to help you in achieving that among other alternatives.

      Thanks for sharing you experiences which might help us all. 🙂

  35. I had no idea burning eyes could be a result of obesity. I do have Asthma and it didn’t occur until my later 30’s after I started working as a server in an old fashion “greasy spoon” and I typically ate at least one if not two meals a day there as I worked long shifts. Stress, which I have now overcome, a love for things that taste good plus ADHD that makes it even harder to say no, and finding myself disabled a few years back, leg injury, have all had their toll and I am now morbidly obese and looking to lose the weight, I have done it in the past I have lost a lot of weight, but life happened, so I know I can do it.

    In the past when I have lost weight, exercise was a key factor (walking or dancing for exercise) but one thing that caused me to lose really quick was eliminating High Fructose Corn syrup from my diet (lost 50 lbs that year because I wanted less and moved around more since I wasn’t eating so much HFC. (have to get back to doing that) I researched it and found that yes it is like sugar except in obese people it often gets sucked straight into the fat cells bypassing all other areas where it might be used for fuel. You would be surprised at how much food we eat that has it in it. Just try to find a pancake mix without it or even bbq sauce. Even some so called “diet” products have it. HFC also stimulates the body’s desire to eat more sweets too.

    Health wise, asthma has caused me to need excessive amounts of steriods which packed on the pounds and made me more immobile which then caused diabetes and so on and so forth

    After reading this my desire to get these pounds off is renewed and I am going to make more life changes to ensure I get these pounds off.

    Two other tricks I used in the past when I lost weight that I’d like to hear your thoughts on –
    1. leaving a small amount of food on the plate, reconditions you to not “cleaning your plate” like Mama said
    2. If I have a dessert offered, i would eat a few bites of it first, then eat my meal, because I did that I wouldn’t be tempted to shove it in after I “cleaned my plate” yes I ate less of what was on the plate but not enough less to cause a crisis in health and often did not go and finish the dessert because the temptation/craving was sated.

    1. Hi Kathleen,

      Welcome to the blog! I mentioned about burning eyes as I found that information while doing my research for the topic. Stress is really a big factor that makes people overeat, and I’m glad that you’ve overcome that now. I admire your spirit to take up the challenge and have the belief that you can do it again – I’m sure you’ll lose the weight if you get to it.

      Thanks for sharing your personal experience with losing weight. HFC (High Fructose Corn) syrup is that big a culprit you mean in stopping you from losing weight. That’s some useful info on how it can contribute to increasing the fat cells – good facts about HFC and we need to be careful of it.

      I’m glad this post could help you renew your desire to get back to losing weight. I wish you all the best for that.

      You’ve provided some pretty cool tricks to avoid overeating. Though I never leave anything on the plate as I make sure that I fill less than what I feel I can eat, even if the food is scrumptious. My granny always reminded us that the poor do not get to eat even this much so you should never waste food. But I agree that we shouldn’t make our stomach the dustbin either, so controlling the amount of your serving is the way out.

      I’ve never tried the desert trick, so I’ll have to do that and see if that makes a difference. It’s all about dealing with the food craving and any which way you trick your mind into believing it.

      Thanks for stopping by, and I wish I could have your photo instead of the graphic besides your name, which I guessed by looking at your Twitter handle – forgive me if I’m wrong. See you around, 🙂

  36. Oh, that’s a really good one, Harleena. Overeating is something I am guilty of on occasion as well. I’m a good cooker and when I cook some of my favorite dishes I just can’t help it. My husband is guilty as well. The other day he had way to much of a new casserole dish I had made. Thank goodness it was low calorie.

    If overeating happens occasionally we can get away with it, although we still “pay” the price. But if it happens all the time then it’s really a problem. More than that, it becomes a health issue. We really need to watch it!

    Your post above has a lot of great advice and also serves as a reminder. It’s much better that we stop eating when our brain signals that we are full and then maybe have leftovers the next day.

    Ilka

    1. Hi Ilka,

      We all are guilty of overeating at some or the other time. But that’s okay – we don’t need to punish ourselves for that or skip meals to compensate for it. And, it’s normal to eat what you like, and even splurge when it’s your favorite dish, especially if it’s low calorie. But yes, its okay as far as it is occasional. Eat such that your stomach doesn’t pain and get full, you’re able to walk normally, and your digestive system doesn’t get out of order – you can burn the extra calories to pay the price that way.

      You’ve a very good suggestion that everybody needs to follow – stop eating when our brain signals and have the leftovers for the next day.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post. 🙂

  37. Hello Harleena,

    I am actually a skinny guy and I eat normally. But there’s a friend of mine who eat too much of his personality. Time doesn’t matter for him, he can eat at any time.

    Thanks for sharing this. I’ll make him read this one. At least then, he’ll stop overeating.

    ~Koundeenya

    1. Hi Koundeenya,

      I feel we all need to be aware of the causes and consequences of overeating. It even gets triggered by stress and emotional problems, so it can happen to anybody. I also feel that eating at frequent intervals is not bad; at least it is what any dietitian suggests. They say eating small portions at regular intervals saves you from food binging.

      It isn’t overeating if the person feels perfectly fine in terms of physical health and the food quantity is just right for the person. If you think your friend is really overeating, then you can go ahead and help him.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  38. Harleena!
    You have a good point here!I totally agree with what you have said!!Thanks for sharing your views…hope more people will read this article!!!

    1. Hi Srimanta,

      Welcome to the blog!

      Thanks for the appreciation and I’m glad you like the post.
      Also, if possible, I’d very much like to see your face instead of the graphic.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  39. Thank you Harleena for bringing this into light.

    Although I am not an over-eater nor have ever been, there sure are lots of people I know that do over eat.

    I notice them eating fast. That is one of the problems. It does take our brain 20 minutes to register what we ate. Eating slower does help.

    Over eating is a big problem lately and your advice will surely help others. It is good to see that you have addressed this issue. I thank you,
    Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      I’m glad that you find the post useful.

      I came across this topic while researching for my articles and decided that this aspect needs more awareness. It relates to everybody and it’s not only a problem of a person who overeats.

      You’ve mentioned a fact that I didn’t in the post about why we need to eat slowly. Experts say that it takes time for the hormones to detect and send message to the brain, the brain to assess and process the information and finally alarm us about fulfillment of the body food needs – it all takes about 20 minutes. If you eat slow you’ll realize that after the passage of a certain duration you won’t feel like eating the food, and definitely not with the same fervor you started with. That means you should stop eating there. If you continue, then it’s overeating.

      I hope I’m able to help make somebody aware through this post and stop them from taking the path to obesity.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post. 🙂

  40. Hi Harleena! Interesting post!

    At times, I overeat. Mainly because I LOVE what I’m eating. I’ll fess up. I’m a tad overweight and probably because I will eat more than I should. Another issue I have that I’m aware of is portion control. If I’m serving up dinner for my hubs and I, I’ll do his plate then mine. I’ll put a lil bit on mine, look, and think there isn’t enough. So I add more. Next thing you know, it’s really too much. Will I eat all that is on the plate? Most of the time. The hubs will say “Oh just one more bite.” ACK! And a lot of the time I do it. I am trying to get better at portion control but it’s tough. Mine isn’t stress related though. It just I LOVE LOVE food and oh yeah, diet coke. 🙂

    1. Hi Bren,

      Congratulations on your new site, it looks good.

      Eating what you love is a good thing to do as that unites your mind and body to create a good feeling. But if the mind wins over the body, you land in trouble of not being able to control your desires. The brain and the mind in fact together create the cravings and temptations. One controls the hormones and the other controls the desires.

      Maybe you can try some of the tricks that Kathleen uses as she’s described in one of the comments below. You need to find ways not to have extra food on your plate, and if you’ve, you don’t have to finish that. And each time you’re tempted, you can remind yourself of the consequences of overeating and obesity. Your overeating may stop once you develop an understanding that you love yourself more than the food. I’m not going to make any more suggestions but wish that you find the best way suiting you to put a curb on overeating if you think it is a problem area. If you think it is, then you should act soon and in a planned manner.

      Thanks for expressing your thoughts and feelings, and I hope this post helps you in some way. 🙂

  41. Hi Harleena,

    I just had some food beyond my need 😉 It happens sometimes when I can’t resist when something I love is ready for me. I’ve started drinking more and more water and I’m already following some health tips shared by you and Vidya too 🙂

    I’m not guilty of overeating in most parts of my life, instead I may miss some meals though. But there are times, like when I go for parties or so. However as I consider more about my health now, I’m having control over it though my mother loves to see me overeating. I know, she’s just thinking I’m not big enough 😉

    Obesity is something I afraid of as I sit all the day in front of computer unless I have other activity to participate. My father already has some diseases you have mentioned in your post and some has gone beyond the control.

    Though I don’t eat much compared to few years back, I see the change in me dear. The belly. Overeating is not the only reason, right? 🙂 I think I need more physical exercises there and starting slowly. Do you have more tips to add on to my to-do lisr Harleena? 🙂

    Ah… I need to control my overeating habits though it doesn’t happen all the time 🙂 As much as possible, right dear? 🙂

    Cheers…

    1. Hi Mayura,

      Well, overeating happens with all of us. We all indulge in eating more than what we should at times. However, it becomes a problem when the occasional turns into frequent, and you get into a habit or routine of overindulgence on a daily basis. But of course, this doesn’t happen with everybody. Those who’ve better control over their mind and have a healthy and a happy state of mind, remain unaffected.

      Temptations start small – and you never know when you’re trapped into it. But this does not mean that you do not eat anything that tempts you. The key lies in self-control; can you stop yourself from not having a second serving?

      Drinking more water is a wise thing to do, and it is multitude of benefits. And yes, Asian mothers pamper their children too much and make them overeat – that’s their way of showing love and care.

      It is very important for us people, those who spend most of our time sitting in front of the computer, to make exercise a routine. You’d not want to be obese if you’re not one now. Start walking, Mayura.

      Don’t take the post title too seriously, that might sound like a strict command, but you can splurge occasionally… only occasionally! 🙂

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. 🙂

      1. Very true about temptation dear 🙂 It can ’cause a lot of trouble.

        Hmmm… I’ve been taking some steps towards exercising, but couldn’t lately as I was busy. I know, I have no excuses 😉 Gotta do what I can do even with a limited time. Words to action 🙂

        Ha ha… I’m not Harleena 🙂 But I need to remember and sometimes the overeating goes with oily foods, so I need to aware of it more.

        Thanks for your suggestions dear 🙂 I’m on it.

        Cheers…

        1. I understand, Mayura. It’s not that I have been able to stand by my commitments to walking and exercising, and over eating as well. It’s good that you’ve been taking some proactive steps and you need to constantly remind yourself of continuing those. We sometimes falter and fall off the line, but we need to restart whenever we realize we our mistake and build up the momentum.

          Yes, ‘words to action’ is a good principle to adopt in life. Everybody needs to do that. I’m sure you’ll take care of your overeating temptations.

          Thanks for considering my suggestions. 🙂

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