How To Quit Behavioural Overeating
& Why It’s Important
Published on 16 January, 2025 By: Meera
What Is Behavioural Overeating?
Behavioural overeating happens when we eat because of things like emotions or outside triggers, rather than being actually hungry. It’s often linked to habits, past experiences, or how we’re feeling at the moment, instead of our body’s natural hunger cues. Basically, it’s when we eat for reasons other than just needing food!
My Experience With Behavioural Overeating
For majority of my teenage life, I engaged in behavioural overeating without knowing it. I just thought I had a huge and abnormal appetite, which was partially true. I did have a huge appetite. But, it was mostly emotional hunger, with the rest being physical hunger.
My emotions made a bottomless pit in my stomach which food could never fill. And, although my stomach would ache after eating copious amounts of food, I lacked energy, and still hungered.
There seemed to be no barrier between my physical hunger and emotional hunger. So naturally, I mistook one for the other.
Food noise would spill over conversations and fun activities, like watching a movie or a nice outing.
So, when did I realise the difference between the two?
The short answer: Self-acceptance, no longer restricting certain foods, recognising the triggers, and mindful eating.
It happened one night when I came across a 25-year-old guy on Instagram who was diagnosed with cancer. His determination to live a full life was visible and so was his strong willpower. I thought it was unfair for people to be robbed of life for no reason. None at all.
It was especially heartbreaking when his bubbly personality and optimism were dimmed because of the chemotherapy. He could barely walk and talk.
It was a wake-up call for me as I reflected on my own life that was bombarded with diet culture and smothered in grey. Here, I was the thief of my own life. Sure, it was society telling me that I had to be thin to be enough, but I actively permitted it to break me down.
A switch flipped in me and I decided that enough was enough! I pursued a different route from that moment forward. I decided that the skin that clothes me will have to be enough and that I have to love it regardless if it’s hard to do so.
Thus, a journey of self-acceptance began, although it wasn’t smooth (but, hey, I’ve seen rougher days).
The Triggers Of Behavioural Overeating
Some common triggers for behavioural overeating include:
- Emotional triggers: Eating in response to stress, anxiety, boredom, tiredness, sadness, happiness, or food restriction.
- Environmental cues: Eating when food is readily available, such as at social events, or when advertisements or smells trigger cravings.
- Portion size and availability: Consuming larger portions or eating mindlessly, especially when food is in front of you or in large quantities.
- Reward-based eating: Using food as a form of reward or comfort.
- Habitual eating: Eating at certain times of day out of routine, regardless of hunger.
Why It’s Important To Quit Beavioural Overeating
Quitting behavioural overeating is important because it helps us take better care of both our body and mind. When we eat for reasons like stress or emotions instead of actual hunger, it can lead to weight gain, stomach issues, and unhealthy habits. Over time, this could increase the risk of things like diabetes or heart disease.
It also affects how we feel about ourselves. We might end up feeling guilty or frustrated if we can’t stop overeating. By breaking the cycle, we can build a healthier relationship with food, feel safe around it, and learn to eat more mindfully. Plus, it helps us listen to what our body really needs and gives us more control over our choices.
Disclaimer: I’m not a dietician, nutritionist, or therapist. I’m just a girl who once had a messy relationship with food and has overcome that hurdle. The information in this post is based on my past experiences and knowledge (which I researched from credible sources to make sure that I’m not providing any misinformation).
How To Quit Behavioural Overeating
Quitting behavioural overeating is a journey. It may be a path of valleys and hills, stumbles and falls, but it’s an important journey toward safety around food and a life full of laughter, joy, and fulfillment.
Here’s how you can stop behavioural eating with the practice of mindfulness:
1. Recognise your triggers
Awareness is the key to stopping beavioural overeating. When you feel like eating, ask yourself these questions? Am I tired?/ Am I thirsty?/ Am I bored?/ Am I stressed?
If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, the next step would be to substitute these feelings with a response that directly satisfies it. For example, if you’re tired, take a nap. Thirsty? Drink some water. Bored? Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your pets, or do some chores. Stressed? Watch some comedy, breathe in for 6 seconds, and breathe out for 6 until you feel calm, or do a guided meditation.
But, what if you’re both hungry and tired, or hungry and bored?
Then, it’s important to separate the two by gaining awareness. Eat to satisfy the hunger, and rest to satisfy the tiredness. Don’t eat for both hunger and other reasons. But how?
That brings us to the next point…
2. Eat mindfully and with intention
Mindful eating is such a saving grace. It has been the key to feeling satisfied, grateful, comfortable, and safe around food.
Of all the tips I’m giving you, this is the most important one to stop behavioural overeating.
Mindful eating is all about narrowing your focus to your meal, using all of your senses to remain present, savouring each bite, and listening your body’s signals of hunger and fullness. So, instead of eating on autopilot or eating for emotional reasons, mindful eating helps you connect with your food and enjoy it without distractions.
I highly recommend you read this awesome post which contains the full breakdown of how you can eat more mindfully: Mindful Eating: Why It’s Great & How To Do It.
3. Eat what you *really* want to eat
Sometimes, you really need to speak to yourself like you’re a child. It’s okay to have toast with jam over your typical oatmeal if that’s what you fancy.
Oftentimes, restriction bears the opposite results of what we intend. For example, let’s say I’m craving a cookie but I tell myself that I should have a protein bar instead because of its high protein and lower sugar content.
I have the protein bar but feel unsatisfied because it’s not what I really wanted. To cope with this sense of dissatisfaction, my emotional response to food is triggered. I end up eating a bowl of cereal, two more protein bars, and 3 cookies.
This could’ve been avoided if I just ate that one cookie I craved.
If you want pasta, have pasta. Want pizza? Have pizza. You can always add salads and nutrient-dense sides to your meal if you want. Add to your meals, don’t restrict.
4. Drink water first before eating when you’re extremely hungry
Have you ever come home from a day of work and feel so hungry you could eat a zebra? Yep, that’s how it is sometimes.
To prevent overeating, and increase satisfaction, and stomach comfort, drink some water before your meal or while preparing it. This helps to tame that ravenous feeling which allows you to slow down before you wipe out your plate in minutes. This habit also lets you be more in tune with your fullness levels, as it switches you from autopilot mode to being more observant.
After the water, fill up with a meal, and then perhaps dessert if you fancy (not the other way around). This is the key to optimise satisfaction.
5. Serve yourself smaller portions
You can always go for seconds if you feel like it.
Sometimes (especially when we’re really hungry) we tend to load up our plates thinking that we’re hungry enough for that much. Then, we can feel full before finishing everything, which we may continue to eat because (1) it’s on our plate and we feel obligated to finish everything, and (2) we feel guilty for throwing away food.
Serving ourselves smaller portions eliminates those things.
6. Find meaning and joy in non food- related things
Life’s joys and brilliance are endless and extend beyond food. Write down a list of things you enjoy that do not involve food and pursue them more often. Hunger for other treasures of life.
Explore things and places you haven’t before. Be adventurous! Go for quiet morning walks, take up pottery, drawing, or gardening. Indulge in spending time with pets, loved ones, and yourself. Take long warm baths, watch movies, and enjoy reading books.
Food adds sweetness to life, but life shouldn’t revolve around it.
Top Takeway Tips For Slowing Down
When you feel it’s impossible to take your time with your meal, here are a few things you can do:
- Drink water before starting your meal when you feel extremely hungry.
- Do a quick meditation before eating. Breathe in deeply for 6 seconds, breathe out for 6. Set an intention for what you’d like to feel by the end of the meal: Satisfied, comfortable, or energetic, and ready to take on the rest of the day?
- Set a timer. When eating a meal, set a timer like 15 minutes, for example. Focus on making your food last until the timer goes off versus finishing your plate in 3 minutes. This gives you enough time to focus on your food and eat mindfully.
- Focus on making your food last, rather than finishing it. Eating is basically transferring what’s on your plate to your stomach. By the end, you will have eaten everything, anyway. So, do so at a pace that allows you comfort and satisfaction. Take smaller bites, chew until your food’s completely broken down, and savour the flavour.
- Envision your food as you chew. Describe the taste and textures as you do this.
- Take a break. It’s okay to put the fork down to gain clarity on how you’re feeling. You can put your plate off to the side, get up, and walk around to see how you feel. This one really helps, especially if you’re unable to determine your fullness levels.
In Conclusion
Quitting behavioural overeating is all about building healthier habits, being mindful of our emotions, and listening to our body’s true hunger cues. By taking small steps, like practicing mindful eating and managing triggers, you can create a more balanced and positive relationship with food.
Remember, it’s not about perfection, but progress. You’ve got this—take it one day at a time and be kind to yourself along the way!
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