It can be challenging to stop overeating savory foods. In fact, the food industry works really hard to make it as difficult as possible to stop eating. There is even a famous tag line, “Bet you can’t eat just one.”
Well, food manufactures study food in labs to reach the sweet spot which is the perfect combination of sugar, salt and fat. They spend a lot of time to make the food as irresistible as possible. The more we eat the more they sell.
If we know it is going to be challenging to stop overeating savory foods, what can we do about it? If you struggle to “just eat one” then I encourage you to try one of the tips below to stop overeating savory foods.
#1 Stop Overeating: Measure a Serving
A great strategy to stop overeating savory foods is to measure out a serving. This is helpful for two reasons.
First, when we eat out of a bag or box, we don’t pay attention to how much we are eating. By putting a serving in a bowl, when it is gone, we know exactly how much we have eaten. Then we can decide if we are still hungry and want another serving or if we are satisfied with one.
Second, serving sizes are often much smaller than we think. For example, the serving size of my favorite blue corn chips is only eight chips. By knowing the serving size, we are being honest with ourselves about how many calories, fat, sugar etc we are actually eating. This can help decrease the desire to eat more.
#2 Stop Overeating: Eat Sitting Down
I used to eat lunch in front of the TV, munch on snacks while I was driving or grab handfuls of pretzels or crackers every time I went into the kitchen throughout the day. This is called mindless eating because we are more focused on something else rather than on eating.
If we are not paying attention, we often eat quickly and end up eating too much. In order to stop overeating, a great strategy is to eat all food while sitting down without any distractions. This helps us to stop treating eating as something we have to squeeze into our day. Instead, we take the time to sit down and savor and enjoy our food. This allows our body to relax and digest our food properly which help us feel more satisfied with less.
Also, if we really pay attention to what we are eating, we will notice our body’s signals that we had enough. If we are walking around snacking or zoning out on a screen, we most likely miss those signals. Then we eat more than we need.
These two strategies will help us stop overeating savory foods, but they don’t actually do anything to reduce the cravings. If we are overeating because of a craving, they aren’t enough on their own.
#3 Stop Overeating: Tap to Reduce Cravings
I use tapping or The Emotional Freedom Technique to get to the root of cravings. When we give in to a craving, it’s not that we have no self-control, it’s that we have some underlying root that causes us to soothe ourselves with food.
When we can uncover the root of our craving, then we can release it and be in control of our choices even when surrounded by temptations.
At the beginning of a tapping session, our craving can feel so intense that we don’t even believe it is possible to not eat what we are craving. After several rounds of tapping, we are indifferent to that same food.
We might still want the food from time to time, but we feel in control of our decision and eat a sensible amount.
If the food we crave is highly processed, the appeal of the food might disappear completely. A great example of this is diet coke. I used to crave it and drink it constantly. Now when I take a sip it tastes like I am drinking chemicals. Whereas jellybeans still taste good to me. That’s why I need to tap on my craving for jellybeans from time to time.
If cravings continually cause you to overeat your favorite foods and derail your weight loss goals, then I invite you to watch the Crush Cravings Masterclass. You’ll learn how to use tapping to stop overeating savory foods and stick with a healthy eating plan.
Hey, before you go, join the Stress-Free Eating Community. It is an awesome ‘private’ Facebook Group for women who struggle to stick to a healthy eating plan and want exclusive tips, trainings and strategies so they can tap into their brainpower versus willpower and easily choose the healthiest options for them.
Each week there is a mini-challenge to help you build smart habits, strategies to make staying on track to reaching your feel-good weight easier, #healthyfoodtastesgood recipes, accountability check-ins, and opportunities to connect and have fun.
We’re a supportive group of women who motivate and encourage each other to stick with a healthy eating plan …. and best of all it’s completely FREE!
