Challenge Diet Rules
how to stop overeating So the first step is to challenge these preconditioned food rules. Even if you do nothing else – do this step. We need to challenge these voices. The eating disorder voices or ‘food rule voices’ need to be quietened. Of course, if you have actual allergies or intolerances, then yes- keep some rules. But, if your body is OK with gluten, have a little bit of bread. Sometimes the strict rules create so much emotional pain and discomfort, that it causes more damage than just having 1 piece of bread per week.
An Entire Jar of Peanut Butter
So, what food do you have strict ideas about? What food do you avoid without specific reasons other than being scared you will gain weight or eat it uncontrollably? For me, it used to be peanut butter. I used to have this feeling, that if I ate peanut butter I would eat the entire jar in 3 days (as I used to eat it with a spoon). So, because of that experience I started believing that I can not keep peanut butter at home. I would avoid it at all costs and I would even ask my partner to hide it! But when I started working on my relationship with food, I started introducing the forbidden peanut butter. Ultimately, this is my first suggestion for you!
Forbidden Foods
I recommend introducing your forbidden food on a regular basis. Your mind might be thinking, ‘No! I will not be able to stop!”or “I will eat it all!”. If your thing is peanut butter, start having one teaspoon every day for 3 weeks and see what happens. Yes, I am really suggesting 3 weeks. And you HAVE to eat it. Your natural response might even be you don’t want to eat it some days. Many of my clients come back and say they did not even feel like eating it. Ultimately, if we face the fear around the forbidden foods, they will lose their power. Then, you will feel more in charge over food in general.
how to stop overeating at night Now, don’t get me wrong, food is one option, but there are other ways. One technique that works for me to stop overeating is, if I feel sad, connecting to that feeling. ‘Where in my body do I feel sad?” Close your eyes and feel the feeling …where can I feel it in my body? Take a deep breath. For me, sometimes it is in my heart. Other times in my belly. And if I feel sad, I gently ask myself, ‘What do I desire? What do I need? ‘. Perhaps it is ….
- Some slowing down time
- Chilling out in a blanket
- Watching something light and funny on Netflix – because that is what relaxes me.
- Chatting to a friend
- A hug
Really connect and acknowledge those emotions and needs. Connect to the inner child, and become the inner-loving mother; ‘What do you need. I’ve got you, I am here for you. I will be looking after you’. Self-soothing is very powerful and sometimes we need to re-teach ourselves these techniques as we were perhaps not taught during childhood.
Address the underlying reasons for binge eating
When we don’t know what’s causing our food cravings, overeating and binge eating in the first place, we can’t target the very specific issue. We end up trying anything that we come across and often nothing seems to work. It’s like shooting with a shot gun. It might work, it might not.
Therefore, I always suggest to indetify the drivers of your overeating and kick those urges once and for all.
To help you understand your hidden reasons for food cravings, overeating and binge eating, I have developed a FREE workbook you can download which will help you identify which of the 6 reasons are responsible for your overeating urges and what exactly you can do to eliminate them.
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