5 ways to avoid overeating

How often do you overeat? If you're like most Americans, the answer is daily.

Many people don't realize they are overeating until they step on a scale. We equate eating too much with the "unbutton your pants" feeling at the holidays.

However, feeling "full" after a meal translates into too much food and too many calories being consumed. In fact, the Japanese adhere to the concept of eating only until their stomach is 80 percent filled.

Here are five ways to slim down your food intake.

1. Eat enough during the day. Whether you skip breakfast or skinny down at lunch, skimping on balanced meals early in the day leads to overeating in the evening.

Studies show that meal skippers end up consuming more calories by day's end than people who eat meals regularly throughout the day. This is because your body requires a certain amount of calories and nutrients to function well. Increasing your appetite is your body's way of getting the fuel it needs.

Pay attention to the quality of your meals too. A balance of protein, healthy fat and fiber (produce and whole grains) keeps your blood sugar steady so you don't feel hungry and you don't have the urge to eat again a few hours later.


2. Delay second helpings. It takes your brain 20 minutes to receive the message from your stomach that you've had enough to eat. Since most Americans eat in under 20 minutes, it's possible to wolf down too much food before you realize that your body is satisfied.

Before going back for seconds, give it at least 20 minutes and re-evaluate whether you are actually still physically hungry.


3. Kick temptation out of the kitchen. Does the ice cream in your freezer call your name each night? Then don't buy it.

When junk food is conveniently located in your kitchen, it's very tough to overcome the lure of it by sheer willpower alone. If it's not there, then you can't eat it. Being forced to drive to the store to buy these goodies when the craving strikes decreases the likelihood and frequency of eating them.


4. Recover from slip-ups immediately. Often I hear people say, "I really blew my diet at lunch. I'll get back to it tomorrow." Wrong. Do it at the next meal.

Everyone splurges or overeats from time to time, but people who successfully lose weight and keep it off go right back to normal eating at the next meal. Waiting a day, or an entire weekend, makes it tougher to get back on track -- not to mention the extra calories you eat in the meantime.


5. Eat off smaller plates. Petite plates lead to petite portions. Just a few decades ago, the average size dinner plate was 9 inches in diameter. Today, it's a whopping 11-14 inches.

It's interesting to note that our slimmer European counterparts haven't supersized their dinnerware. As a general rule, half of your plate should contain fruits and vegetables, one quarter of it should hold meat or other sources of protein, and the remaining one quarter is for whole grains. There are also portion-control plates available with markings indicating how much food you can pile on.

Eating only what your body needs, instead of what you want, begins with tuning in to your body's internal cues. Slowing down the rate at which you eat and noticing how your stomach feels will ensure you eat less.
