There are different reasons we overeat.

Each has its own unique resolution and today I want to talk about one very common cause of overeating: Mindlessness.

⚠️ Mindless overeating happens when we’re distracted while eating.

For example:

• Watching television 📺
• Driving 🚗
• At a party 🥳
• Staring at our phone 📱
• Working or web-surfing on our computer 💻

👉 The underlying cause of mindless eating is lack of awareness.

You may think you are overeating because of a lack of willpower, but it’s not about willpower at all.

It’s about slowing down and paying attention. 👀

Pay attention to your eating when you eat and notice what happens.

You engage your brain and your senses in what you’re doing. This makes it possible to tune in to your body and decide when you’ve had enough.

Paying attention enables you to experience the satisfaction that eating brings. If you’re doing other things, you’re not fully registering that you’re actually eating– and this leads many people to over-consume.

👉 Mindful eating basically means “Eating when you eat.”

This concept can help you lose weight and improve your health. 💗

Mindful Eating Tips:

PAUSE. Check in to see if you are hungry before automatically eating. 

You can do this by taking a couple of deep breaths to relax first. Take a moment to ask yourself if you are experiencing true hunger or if you want to eat for other reasons (boredom? stress?) If you are not truly hungry, ask yourself what you are feeling and what you can do to make yourself feel better. If you determine that you are hungry…

CHOOSE CONSCIOUSLY. Take a mindful minute to figure out what would satisfy you right now.

Something warm? cold? salty? chewy? sweet? creamy? crunchy? hydrating? carb-rich? protein-rich? fat-rich? Eat for the way that you want to feel– satisfied, nourished, content, etc.

APPRECIATE. Be grateful and thankful for your food.

Most of us take for granted how much we have available to us when this was not always the case and for some people still isn’t. Think about food as nourishment and how it is giving your body energy and nutrients to thrive.

CREATE an atmosphere. 

Eat sitting down, by a window, outside, with candles or with a friend– whatever you like to make eating more enjoyable.  If you do watch television, read or use the computer while eating– stay mindful of your food in addition to the distraction.  Focus on the experience and be present to fully enjoy your food. If you consistently find yourself overeating, you may want to turn off the TV and put away your phone.

SLOW DOWN. Put your fork (or spoon or sandwich, etc) down between bites.

Wait until you are done chewing and have swallowed before picking it up again. This can be hard! Most of us already have out next bite loaded on our utensil or in our hand before we’re done chewing our current mouthful. What’s the rush, LOL? Also, remember that there can be a 20 minute delay between when you have had enough and when your brain realizes this. It is easy to overeat and not recognize it until it is too late. Discover the point at which you feel satisfied but not stuffed.

👍 The cure for mindlessness is mindfulness. Simple, yes. Easy– not at first. Like anything new, it takes practice.

There will be times when you eat too fast, too much or make poor food choices…. it’s OK! Eating is not about perfection and every day will be different. But by reminding yourself to pause, you’re bringing yourself into the present moment and giving yourself the space and the freedom to choose your actions. 🙏

The way to resolve binge eating isn’t to focus on stopping the binge.  

It’s about getting curious about the underlying reason there is for binging.

  Once you understand why it’s happening, you can learn from it and change it. 

💫 As with any symptom, there is a valuable message present. 💫

Binges can be physiological or emotional. 

The first question to ask is:  Which is causing the binge? 

• Physiological:  This is when binge eating is a direct effect of dieting or restricting food.  You under-eat during the day and your body’s natural response is to demand food by the end of the day, resulting in a binge.  The message with this type of binge is clear:  You need to eat more during the day and/or improve the quality and balance of food you are eating.  I definitely see a lot of binge eaters who fall into this category.  The solution is to create an eating routine designed to nourish you throughout your day so that you can stop binging. 

But I also meet a lot of binge eaters who eat nutritious, balanced meals with sufficient calories throughout the day… and still find themselves eating out of control after work or at night. Which leads to the second and more complex reason for binge eating:

• Emotional:  Binges are often coping mechanisms for dealing with uncomfortable feelings.  Eating is an easy, effective distraction to make yourself feel better.  It’s a way to temporarily alleviate boredom, anxiety, depression, anger or stress.  If you find yourself binging on food when you’re not physically hungry, look at this behavior as a wake-up call with an important message– which is likely not as straightforward as if you binge for physiological reasons.  What is your body trying to say?

Something is going on here that needs your attention.  An emotional binge is about feelings.  Or more accurately, it’s about avoiding feelings.  Pushing them down.  Not feeling them.  Think about what happens when you binge– you distract yourself from your life.  You check-out of reality while you’re eating.  You numb your feelings.  You use eating to feel better in the moment, only you wind up consumed with guilt and self-hatred after it’s over.  But you do it again– because it works.  Meaning, it works as a brief escape but it doesn’t work for your long-term well-being.

The solution comes down to mindfulness.

I know, I know… Mindfulness has become so annoyingly trendy. 

But if you want to break your emotional binges you have to practice being present. 

The next time you feel a binge coming on, try this: 

🧘🏼Relax.  Inhale slowly and fully. 

Hold it a few seconds.  Exhale slowly and fully. 

Do it a few times. 

This will help you shift into a more relaxed state and bring you into the moment. 

You’re taking a mindful pause.

Ask yourself what you are feeling.  Identify it.

The first step towards dealing with it is naming it. 

What is triggering your urge to binge? 

Next, ask yourself what you can do to feel better when you experience this feeling. 

What is it that you need? 

This is where a toolbox of  “things to do instead of binge” can come in handy. 

Have a go-to list of some things you can do to feel better when you feel that emotion. 

Ex) Work on a jigsaw puzzle when you’re bored, head up to read in bed because you are tired or write in your journal to express and vent anger related to your job.

Give it 15-20 minutes and then check in with yourself to see how you’re feeling.  Often, the urge to binge will have dissipated.  This is because you’ve tuned in to what you’re feeling and have given it an outlet. 

Eventually you’ll learn that you can be with that feeling and not need to binge. 

Keep practicing this and you’ll rewire your brain to more naturally choose alternatives to eating.  The message with this type of binging will be individual for everyone. 

📷 Maybe you need some fun hobbies or projects in your life if you’re feeling boredom. 

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Loneliness could be a sign that you need to reach out and connect with other people. 

😴 Tiredness is usually telling you that you need rest or sleep. 

Fill yourself with what it is you really need.

Is it ever okay to eat to feel better emotionally?

Yes!… There are times when you’re not hungry but you may really just want to eat to soothe yourself or give yourself a little boost.  It’s okay!  In this case, own it!  Make it an empowered decision.  Acknowledge that you’re using food to feel better and be okay with that instead of fighting it.  If it’s not your primary coping mechanism, it’s perfectly normal to do this.  It’s totally different from a binge, which involves feeling out of control and feeling shame.

Here’s how this will differ from a binge: 

You’re mindful and present while eating instead of zoning out.  

You’re allowing yourself to slow down and enjoy the food instead of eating it frantically. 

You’re making a conscious choice; eating whatever food you want and deciding how much of it you want in order to feel good. 

And you feel no shame whatsoever.

One of the best ways to practice mindfulness while eating is to ask yourself:                           

This brings you into the moment and can give you the signal to stop eating if you notice you aren’t really enjoying the taste anymore and have had what you need.  That’s what mindfulness is about– paying attention.

Breaking free from binge eating IS possible.

See the behavior as a doorway to personal growth. 

It may be telling you to boost your food intake earlier in the day.  Or maybe you need to reevaluate some of your food rules.  Or it might involve some soul-searching and doing the work necessary to feel your feelings and learn to respond in new ways. 

There is a message there for you. 💖