How to Stop Overeating: 12 Effective Strategies

It happens to the best of us. You sit down to a meal and eat far more than you planned. Your pants feel too tight, your stomach is upset, and your energy tanks.

Occasional overeating happens, and it’s not a big deal if you can get back on track for the next meal. But if this happens to you all the time, it’s worth examining why you are overeating and what steps you can take to minimize it. 

Overeating is associated with health risks and makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight.¹ Plus, eating doesn’t feel good—emotionally or physically—to eat until you feel sick!

Unfortunately, our culture of super-sized meals and accessibility to calorically dense foods can make it easy to overeat without even realizing it.

Overeating looks different for everyone. We all have different calorie and nutrient needs depending on activity levels, gender, age, muscle mass, and more. Plus, your reasons for overeating may be different than your family or friends. Some triggers are related to actual hunger, while others have more of a psychological basis. 

If you struggle with overeating, the trick is to examine your own patterns and address potentially unhealthy habits. 

Let’s look at some of the science behind overeating—why we do it, why it’s not so great for us, and what you can do to make changes to help you feel better.

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What Is Overeating? 

Overeating simply means consuming more calories than your body needs, whether during a single meal or over an entire day. This eating behavior often involves eating past true physical hunger and is typically driven by factors such as stress levels, emotional states, social influence, or eating habits like fast eating.

Chronic overeating can contribute to various health concerns, including weight gain, digestive issues, and an increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Addressing excessive food intake usually requires a multi-faceted approach that includes understanding potential triggers, making healthier food choices, and adopting mindful eating practices.

It’s also important to note that we are not discussing eating disorders like binge eating disorder, which is characterized by eating large quantities in a short amount of time coupled with significant feelings of shame and a loss of control.² This is a serious diagnosis that should be supported under the medical advice of a healthcare team.

What Are the Signs of Overeating?

If overeating often happens for you, it may not be evident that you are eating more than your body needs. Feeling overly full may just feel normal. 

Here are some clues that you may have overeaten:

• Bloating
• Abdominal discomfort or pain
• Gas
• Excessive reflux (especially if you don’t usually have reflux)
• Feeling exhausted 

Still, it’s important to remember that no two bodies are the same, and eating patterns vary between individuals. Meet with a registered dietitian nutritionist to assess your nutritional intake and lifestyle habits.

What Causes Overeating?

There is a lot of research that examines why we overeat. What drives us to eat food until we feel ill or in a way that negatively impacts our health? The answers vary, and we all have different reasons for why we may be overeating.

Food Accessibility 

The ease of access to not-so-healthy foods can contribute to overeating patterns. Palatable, ultra-processed foods bombard us at all corners of the grocery store. There is a whole science behind food marketing, from the words and images on the packages to the perfect combination of flavors that stimulate your brain to want more.³

These processed foods are also associated with blood sugar dysregulation, where you swing between highs and lows, leading to even more cravings for sweets.⁴ While we have the power to override food cravings and make healthy decisions, some of these foods may make you crave more than you need.⁵

Meal Patterns

Overeating can also be related to your daily eating patterns. For example, skipping meals early in the day can lead to overeating later at night as your body overcompensates for the missing calories.⁶

When blood sugar drops, hunger hormones kick in to ensure you get enough food to bring it back up and give you energy. This can lead to a vicious cycle where you eat too much later in the day and into the night, then wake up still full and begin the process again as the day goes on.

Emotional Eating Habits

Overeating can also have absolutely no connection to true physiological hunger. Loneliness, boredom, stress, or sadness can trigger some people to overeat. Even not sleeping well the night before can cause overeating, as the body looks for quick energy bursts to help wake you up.⁷ Consider meeting with a credentialed mental health expert if you believe your eating patterns are connected to emotional or cognitive concerns.

Distracted Eating

Distracted eating can also lead to overeating. This includes eating at your desk for lunch or binge-watching your favorite show while enjoying dinner. You are much more likely to overeat if you aren’t paying attention to your food and how it really tastes. In fact, some studies suggest that your brain processes the taste of food completely differently if you are distracted.⁸

Distracted eating can also cause us to eat our food too fast. Eating slowly gives the body time to respond and send out hormonal signals to regulate your body’s response to food.⁹ But eating too fast doesn’t give the gut hormones a chance to catch up, so by the time you notice you are full, it’s too late.

We do so many things out of habit. Think about it. Do you eat lunch because the clock says it’s time? Or do you do it because you recognize hunger? Do you ever feel like you need something else to eat, even if you’ve just eaten an entire meal?  

Most overeating happens because we aren’t connected to our bodies while we eat. The trick is finding your individual trigger(s) or reason(s) for overeating.

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn More: </strong><a href=how-to-relieve-stomach-pain-from-overeating>Find Yourself Overeating? Here's How To Relieve Stomach Pain</a>.</div>

What Are the Adverse Effects of Overeating?

Aside from not feeling well, continuously overeating can add up to more concerning health problems. The primary adverse health effect related to overeating is weight gain. While weight loss is more complicated than cutting high-calorie foods, eating more food than your body needs will eventually increase weight gain, especially with sedentary lifestyles.¹⁰

When we eat, food is broken down to provide energy for our cells to perform their many functions. If we take in more than we need, our body stores it.¹¹ Small amounts go to the liver and muscles for quick energy, and the rest will be stored as fat.

Overeating is often (but not always) related to eating foods that may not be the best choices. Research suggests that highly palatable meals are often larger than the average meal.¹² For example, it’s more likely you’ll eat one too many pieces of pizza than salad, no matter how much you like salad.

As a result, overeating processed, highly palatable foods can increase your intake of ingredients like inflammatory fats, sugar, and white flour. In addition to weight gain, these foods are associated with chronic disease and an overall increased mortality risk.¹³ High-carb, high-fat diets are also associated with increases in body fat.¹⁴

Overeating can also interfere with the normal balance of ghrelin and leptin, hormones that help regulate your hunger cues. Increases in ghrelin signal hunger, while leptin sends the message that you are full. 

But chronic overeating, especially foods high in fat or sugar that stimulate pleasure signals in the brain (the same signs that the food marketers are trying to target as mentioned above), can override these satiety hormones.¹² In other words, your brain will continue seeking these foods, even if your satiety hormones tell you you’re full.

How Can Overeating Affect Blood Glucose Levels?

Overeating can also negatively impact your blood glucose levels. Even if you are a healthy person without blood sugar dysregulation, overeating foods high in refined carbohydrates can lead to blood sugar variability. This means you swing between highs and lows, which disrupts your metabolic equilibrium.

Think of the scenario mentioned earlier. You skip breakfast because you aren’t hungry, have a light lunch, and then show up starving for dinner. Your blood sugar is likely low since you haven’t eaten, which will make you naturally crave higher-carb foods to bring your glucose up quickly. 

When high-carb foods spike your blood sugar, insulin is released from your pancreas to compensate and bring it back down quickly, and suddenly, you are hungry and tired again.

One study found that a single day of high-fat, high-calorie overeating in otherwise healthy adults significantly decreased insulin sensitivity (how well your cells respond to insulin’s signal to move glucose out of the blood) by 28 percent.¹⁵

12 Effective Strategies to Stop Overeating

Despite knowing the risks, it can be challenging to break the habit if you are used to overeating. It takes time to create a new pattern, but you can do it. Here are 12 ways to get started:

1. Pay Attention to Hunger Cues

It’s important to get familiar with and honor your body’s hunger cues, as they signal when the body needs nourishment. They may be physical cues like your stomach growling or feelings of nausea, or they may be mental cues like difficulty concentrating. You can practice mindful eating and make appropriate food choices by paying attention to those signals.

2. Eat Regularly Spaced Meals Throughout the Day

As mentioned above, skipping mealtimes can backfire. You should be hungry before eating, but not so starving that you want to eat everything and anything. Consider designing a meal plan that fits your schedule and dietary needs.

In a perfect world, you’d listen to your hunger and satiety cues. Still, many who overeat aren’t connected to their body’s signals. As silly as it may sound, it takes time to relearn how to eat. If this sounds like you, try eating at the same time each day to set new patterns.

3. Stabilize Your Blood Sugar Levels

Maintaining steady energy levels can help prevent overeating, emphasizing the importance of stable blood sugar levels. Blood glucose fluctuations can lead to intense feelings of hunger and the consumption of an excessive amount of food in one sitting. Well-balanced meals and healthy snacks consisting of fiber-rich carbs, lean protein, and healthy fats support stable blood sugar levels, helping to control appetite.

4. Fiber Is Your Friend

Fiber, especially vegetable fiber, fills you up and helps with blood sugar regulation. Fill at least half your plate with non-starchy, fiber-filled veggies like leafy greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, or broccoli.

Aim to include a balance of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. This combination supports satiety and blood sugar balance

5. Avoid Family-Style Eating

Avoid placing large portions of food on the table. Plate your food away from the table, and just bring what you plan to eat to the table with you. Sometimes, just having the food in front of you can lead to mindless eating, even if you aren’t hungry anymore.

6. Moderate Portion Sizes

Portion sizes are key to preventing overeating. Be mindful of your portion sizes at meals and snacks. Consider using smaller plates to help regulate the amount of food you eat during mealtimes.

7. Rethink a Second Serving

There are times when a second serving is appropriate. However, assessing hunger cues and satiety is important when considering a second helping. Give yourself some time to digest your first serving and allow your hunger cues to catch up.

8. Try Stopping When You Are About 80 Percent Full

This may be tricky at first. Known as hara hachi bu in Japanese culture, this practice is associated with eating until you’re approximately 80 percent full.¹⁶ It’s linked to healthy eating habits and helps avoid overeating before your brain has a chance to catch up.

9. Remove Distractions

It’s easy to fall into the habit of eating around various distractions, but dining experiences should be enjoyed. Remove distractions like the television, computer, or any screens from your eating area. If you eat with others, enjoy your support group and your food!

10. Be Present With Your Food

It can feel strange at first, but take a second to think through each bite. How does it taste? What is the texture? Put down your fork and chew your food in between bites. Being present and enjoying the overall dining experience can help prevent overeating.

11. Keep a Food Journal

Keeping a food journal can provide you with insight into your eating habits and highlight potential triggers for overeating. A food journal is also an excellent tool for your healthcare provider. For example, your registered dietitian nutritionist can gain insight into your dietary habits and provide individualized guidance for your wellness journey.

12. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is essential to overall health. However, for some, hydration levels may influence hunger and food preferences.¹⁷ Prioritize water intake over other beverages and make sure water is accessible throughout your day.

Learn More About Healthy Nutrition With Signos’ Expert Advice

Tracking your blood glucose levels provides valuable insight into how your eating habits affect your body and overall health. Continuous glucose monitoring can help you identify how specific meals impact your energy, giving you the tools to make informed food choices and maximize your healthy lifestyle.

Monitoring your blood sugar trends also helps prevent overeating by fostering a deeper understanding of your individualized nutrition needs. Using a glucose monitor and relying on expert guidance from credentialed healthcare professionals can support your long-term health goals and enhance your overall well-being.

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href=keeping-a-food-diary-can-help-you-lose-weight>Food Journal: How to Keep One for Weight Loss</a>.</div>