“I feel like I can’t control myself around food! Every time I go to eat, I feel like I can’t stop, and I always feel like I ate more than I should have.”
If you’ve ever said anything like that to yourself, I want you to keep on reading! I’ve been through episodes myself where I have felt like I’m constantly overeating, and trying to figure out how much to eat is a big topic of discussion with my clients. Overeating is also a big symptom of chronic dieting! It’s just like a pendulum – swing so far one way and you’re bound to swing just as far the other way.
So, I’m sharing three reasons I think you’re overeating. Let’s get into it.
1. You’re too hungry.
You might not think you are allowed to eat until you’re hungry enough. Maybe it’s a certain amount of time that’s passed, or the fact that you need to feel your stomach actively growling to feel like you deserve food. A lot of the time, we push off eating as long as possible and by the time we get to our food we are too hungry (remember the pendulum from a second ago?) and we swing the other way, overcompensating for that excess hunger by taking in excess food.
2. You’re not eating anything that’s satisfying.
Have you ever wanted something but told yourself you didn’t deserve it, or that it wasn’t healthy enough? So you tried to fill that need with something a little healthier, lighter or less filling? But the problem you created was that you still wanted the other thing, so you ate multiple different things thinking it would squash the craving? It never worked, did it? Satisfied eaters rarely overeat because they are content and feel they have their needs met. If you don’t feel this way, you will keep eating to try and achieve this feeling.
3. You’re participating in reward eating.
“I did such a hard workout today, I deserve this!” Maybe it’s, “I haven’t eaten all day, I’m going to make up for it!”
Either way, when you give yourself the green light to go all in on something, you will likely take it too far. When we feel like we deserve or have earned something (and remember, you don’t have to earn food), we tend to double down and overdo it. This can lead us to feel guilty (you already know it – remember the pendulum?!) and restrict yourself later.
What can I do if I’m constantly overeating?
If anything in those three scenarios sounded like you, start to work on eating more often, eating more satisfying foods and not falling into the reward cycle of eating. Getting more in touch with your body when it comes to nutrition, and sometimes less with your mind, can guide you to a more fulfilling path since you’re actually addressing your needs and not letting your emotions lead the way!