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Do your ever smell your favorite meal cooking in the kitchen and instantly start salivating? Or, family has planned an outing to your favorite buffet and you can not wait to pig out? You know you shouldn’t go back for seconds or even thirds because you are already full. This post will discuss 10 ways to habitually eat less which can inevitably help you avoid over indulging, gaining weight and feeling guilty and miserable.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead for your meals is one of the most important factors in what and how much you eat. Whether you prepare all of your meals, tend to eat out or eat frequently with social groups, you have control of what you consume.

Preparing your own meals

When you are planning your own meals, you control the ingredients and how much is prepared. Adding more nutrient rich ingredients is a good way to make sure your options are healthier while also preparing foods that are filling and less calorie dense. For example, adding a salad with lite dressing to go with the pasta instead of just bread.

You can also plan ahead by preparing a menu a few days in advance so you make sure you have ingredients you will need. This will prevent substitution of sides with unhealthier options.

Eating out

Americans tend to eat out or eat together socially somewhat frequently. You can plan ahead in these scenerios by researching the menu for options that are nutrient dense and calorie specific to keep you on track.

Keep reading for more tips on eating less when you eat out.

Our body goes through a cycle about every 3 hours where the food we eat is broken down and the sugar used or stored by the insulin our pancreas produces. By refueling our body every 3 hours we can keep our sugar levels constant as well as the insulin levels consistent which will help us not store the sugar into our fat cells as much and allow us to use the energy as we consume it. This also helps us have more control over our intake because we don’t allow ourselves to get to the “hangry” state where we raid the pantry and eat anything we come across. Oh, is that just me?

By keeping our hunger under control, we also have less desire to stop at a fast food or convenience store on a whim to get a “snack” that is usually full of fat and gives us minimal nutrients.

Water not only provides hydration to every cell in our body, but it helps us feel full as well. You may think of water helping your feel less thirsty, but it also helps you feel full as well. When our brain senses dehydration, it also then can make us feel hungry to try to bring fluids via the foods we eat and vice versa.

You should drink 1/2 of your body weight (pounds) in ounces every day. Try drinking 8-16 oz of water before every meal and/or water only with meals and snacks throughout the day.

Average portion sizes (volume of food served at a sitting) in the US have grown by 23-60% (depending on substance) over the last 20 years. Americans want More Bang for Your Buck and this doesn’t exclude our food portions. I know I have frowned when a meal is delivered and the size of the portion is not what I was expecting, whether I could finish it or not.

Knowing what healthy portion sizes are for things like each food group, snacks, drinks etc. is important to prevent overeating. Learning to read nutrition labels and understand serving size (volume a food package bases their nutrition facts on) is a great way to help battle over indulgence.

Did your parents make you “clean your plate” when you were younger? This is being found to have promoted unhealthy eating as this habit has stuck with many of us. We feel the need to “clean our plate” even when we are full.

Fixing your own plate, instead of being served a plate of food, will help you take only what you will eat. Say for instance, you love your mom’s pasta salad and know you want a large scoop but don’t love your sister’s broccoli salad. Don’t take a large portion of the broccoli salad, or any at all.

Resist the urge for seconds. Filling a plate will most likely give you enough nourishment and then some, but, going back for seconds will likely be overindulgence.

When eating out, ask the server to spit the meal in half and package the second half before bringing it to the table. Or, ask for a “to-go” plate and automatically put some away for your lunch or dinner the following day. (Decrease calories and save money on tomorrow’s meals all with one step!)

While standing or moving around while eating may increase calorie burning slightly, you often will eat faster and ultimately eat more. This happens because the feeling of fullness does not get stimulated immediately and by the time it does, you will likely have eaten even more than was needed.

Sitting down while eating also has social benefits as sitting is often done in groups where conversations take place. This adds a mental health benefit as well!

Grazing is when you have food or a snack nearby or easily accessible and tend to grab some frequently. People often consume large amounts of calories while never getting the “feeling full” sensation and thus continue to snack. Eating should be purposeful and scheduled when feasible. Eating 3 meals and 2-3 small, healthy snacks each day is one of the best ways to optimally nourish your body while not taking in excessive calories.

Slowing down your consumption is one of the best ways to get that satiety or feeling of fullness while subsequently eating less. We often eat to feel full. This triggers a feeling of satisfaction which helps us to know when to stop eating. This trigger does not happen immediately. The stretch of our stomach has to send signals to the brain that we are full. The stomach may not get to that level of fullness until you have already eaten more than it comfortably tolerates. By the time this happens, and you stop eating, you will feel overly full and uncomfortable.

Putting your utensil down between bites gives you extra time to chew your food and allows it to start the digestion process faster. You will find that the feeling of fullness happens when you have eaten less food than normal because you have given your body time to adjust and communicate.

As with the example above, chewing your food more not only helps give you time to allow satiety triggers to kick in, it also kickstarts the digestion process. When food is more readily chopped and chewed into smaller particles, the enzymes in the digestive track have to work less to break it up and take out the nutrients your body needs. The digestive process is an amazing thing!

Sources vary on how many times we should chew each bite but ultimately, chewing until the food is soft and easily swallowed is best.

Putting food away not only prevents it from going bad, but helps you to not pick at it after you are done eating. I know I personally will keep nibbling on my food when I am absolutely full! Don’t judge, I am weak when it comes to my favorite foods. I have found that if I store it away and clean the kitchen or table off, I am less likely to keep picking at the leftovers. This also helps me save food for the following meal or day so again, I can save money and prep time while doing myself a healthy deed habitually!

As you can see, there a many ways to help you conquer overeating. We all have done it! No judgment! But, knowledge is power.

What ways you have found that help you eat less?

Comment below…..