It is so easy to overeat. Just a little bite here and a little more there, and before you know it, you have started to put on some pounds. Your clothes may feel a little bit tight. Or maybe you just don’t have the same energy level you used to. This extra weight may be affecting your self-image and self-esteem. I hear clients and friends making stinging comments about their bodies pretty regularly. They may disguise the pain and body shame by using humor, but you can tell, the negative body feelings are front and center on their minds.

Image of a woman on the sofa who is feeling upset about gaining weight. Disordered eating counseling in Houston help you learn to have a better relationship with food and your body. If you are obsessing about weight, eating disorder counseling helps

Eating Mindfully Will Help You Eat Less and Enjoy Your Food More

At Wilson Counseling, we work with people who are struggling in their relationship with food or with their body image. One of the skills we teach them is to be more mindful when they eat. Awareness is key to making good choices. I talk about mindful eating in this video. You can learn to slow down your eating and enjoy your food. Food can be a way to care for yourself and give your body pleasure if you do it mindfully.

Tips To Avoid Overeating

Besides mindful eating, there are other tips that will help you avoid overeating. Here are a handful of tips.

Put away your screens
So many of us seem to live with our phones, computers, and Ipads permanently attached to our hands. It’s a hazard of our age. But when we eat while looking at our devices, we do so in a mindless way. This tends to cause us to miss our fullness cues. We eat long past the time that our bodies are satiated. Turn off your screens and focus instead on how your food tastes and feels in your body without distractions. If feeling the food in your body causes you to feel panic, you may want to talk to a Houston eating disorder therapist.

Image of a person taking a picture of their food showing how distracted we get from our food when we use our phones. An disordered eating therapist in Texas can help you learn to eat more mindfully. Eat less and enjoy food more.

Slow down when you eat
Take time to really sit down, slow down, and taste your food. You will enjoy your food more and generally will eat less.
Don’t skip meals
Skipping meals is a bad habit. It’s easy to do when you are busy, but it can make you more ravenous which can lead to overeating.

Image of pasta salad showing that it is important not to skip meals. Our binge eating therapists in Houston know how hard it is to control your eating and want to help you manage your food and weight.

Don’t eat on the run
This is another one of those habits that often makes you eat more mindlessly, and therefore you are more prone to overeating and often eating processed foods that are not as good for you.

Image of a sandwich showing that you should not eat on the run. Learning to sit down and eat will help you eat less. If you need help with overeating, our disordered eating therapists in Houston can help you change your eating behaviors.

Eat fiber-rich foods (legumes, fruit, vegetables, oats)
Fiber-rich foods will fill you up and make you feel satisfied longer thereby reducing the desire to overeat. They are also great for your body.

Image of beans showing that high fiber foods help you stay full longer so you don't overeat. Eating disorder therapists near me can help you stick to your meal plan and stop obsessing about food and weight.

Eat a lot of protein
The protein helps you feel full and thereby stretches the time between meals and decreases cravings. A breakfast with protein is a great way to start your day.

Planning your meals can help you eat less and eat healthier
When you plan your meals, you are more likely to eat foods that feel good in your body, are nutritious, and are an appropriate portion for your needs. Otherwise, you may end up grabbing whatever is quickest which is often processed or fast foods.
No foods are forbidden
Nothing is more attractive than the forbidden fruit. The moment you tell me not to eat ice cream, all I want to do is grab a pint and dig in. If you allow yourself to eat all foods, but in moderation, you will be more likely to stave off those cravings for the “forbidden” or “bad” foods.

Image of ice cream showing that no foods are bad. Our eating disorder therapists can help you make peace with food and eat in moderation. If you are struggling with overeating or bingeing, disordered eating therapy can help you gain control.

Avoid eating out of containers
If I eat foods out of a container, I am far less likely to notice how much I am eating. I recommend you put the amount of food you think you may want in a bowl or on a plate. If you want to eat more, you can always get up and get more. Just don’t make it too easy for yourself to mindlessly eat out of the container.

Bag of chips indicates that people often overeat when they eat out of the food container. Our disordered eating therapists can help you manage your eating and your weight. Learn to eat more mindfully in Houston, TX.

Reduce your alcohol consumption
Drinking alcohol can decrease your inhibitions and awareness and increase your appetite which can lead to overeating. I know it’s easy to use alcohol to cope after a long day, but it will usually lead to more problems than it solves. It also just delays you getting your real needs met by temporarily numbing away your concerns.

Cups of beer to indicate that alcohol may lead you to overeat. Our disordered eating therapists in Texas know how hard it is to eat well and to manage your weight, we can help. If you are drinking too much, substance abuse therapy near me can help.

Work on Reducing your stress level
People are often surprised to hear this, but stress can directly lead to overeating. This is because our bodies produce the hormone cortisol which can cause you to feel more hungry. Working with a therapist to decrease your stress level can help you feel less anxious and decrease your appetite in turn.

Image of a woman holding her head in her hands shows how stressed out she is. If you need help with managing your eating, our eating disorder therapists in Houston, TX can help you cope and eat better.

Drink more water
Our bodies need water to operate optimally. Water is good for pretty much everything from your digestion to your complexion. It can also help you to feel more full and less likely to overeat. Most people tend to overestimate the amount of water they drink.
I recommend that you track how much water you are drinking for a week. This inventory can help you determine how much more water you need. Health experts recommend drinking 8 - 8oz glasses or half a gallon of water daily.

Image of a glass of water to show how drinking enough water helps keep you from overeating. If you are struggling with overeating, eating disorder treatment can help. Need help with binge eating or a bad body image? Disordered eating therapists near

Food is a common coping mechanism, but it can’t meet all of your real needs

We all overeat sometimes. Be patient with yourself if this is something you are struggling with. Life is hard and sometimes it feels good to use food as a way to cope. Unfortunately, food alone rarely makes you feel better for long, and very often it instead leads to feelings of shame. You may feel out of control with your eating even now. I hope this post points you in the right direction to stop overeating.

A Houston Disordered Eating Therapist can help you eat less and feel better about your body

If you are struggling with overeating and would like to talk to a professional disordered eating therapist, we have therapists who can help you work through this and feel better. You can contact us online to schedule an appointment or call 713-565-0922 to ask any questions you have about how we can be of help to you.