Stop Overeating by Identifying Triggers

Do you know your eating triggers? Do you eat out of boredom or when you are frustrated or angry? Does eating comfort you when you are depressed? Once you have identified your triggers you will be on your way to overcoming them and gaining control over your eating, and then you will be ready to lose weight in Ypsilanti or Saginaw. Here are a few tips to help you detect your triggers and stop overeating.

Social Eating

Many people cite social eating as an eating trigger. Holidays, weddings, birthdays — any of these can be an excuse to overload on food. Even small celebrations often revolve around food. How many times have you been to a party to celebrate the fact that it’s Friday?

Think about why you eat when you go out with others. Do you have a “just this one time” mentality? Giving into this every time can sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Situational Eating

Do you always take your break at the same time every day? Do you eat lunch because you’re hungry or because it’s lunch time? Do you grab fast food on the way home because you drove past a restaurant and it smelled good? People who overeat have trained their brains to override their bodies’ natural cues to eat.

The next time you notice that it’s almost break time, stop and listen to your body. Are you actually hungry, or do you feel obligated to eat? Try mixing up your schedule to gain a better understanding of your body’s signals.

Emotional Eating

This is often the hardest part for many people who overeat. Many of us have learned that the solution to heartbreak can be found at the bottom of a pint of ice cream.

Keep a journal for the next week. If you find yourself eating food you know isn’t healthy or if you binge, note the incident in your journal and also what was happening in your life at the time. Hopefully in the future you will be able to identify your triggers easier so that you can deal with them before you begin to eat.