Overeating is easy to do — especially on the weekends or when you're out with friends.
However, if you have a habit of overeating, it's a good idea to form healthy habits now. This can stop you from packing on unwanted pounds and help support your long-term health. Regular overeating is associated with an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.1
Tips to Stop Overeating
1. Use smaller plates and bowls
Using smaller plates, bowls and taller glasses is an easy strategy that may help reduce portion sizes. Large plates can make servings appear smaller, increasing the likelihood of serving yourself more food than you need.2
For example, research has shown that people served themselves and consumed significantly more food from larger bowls than from smaller bowls.3
Similarly, studies suggest that people tend to pour and consume less liquid from tall, narrow glasses than from short, wide glasses due to visual perception biases.4
Summary: Using smaller plates and bowls may help you feel satisfied with smaller portions.
2. Make it harder to overeat
If you find yourself mindlessly overeating certain foods, try making them less accessible.
Simply placing tempting foods further away or out of immediate sight can reduce impulsive eating by creating a small barrier that encourages more mindful decisions.5
One well-known study found that participants ate significantly fewer chocolates when the candy bowl was placed approximately 6 feet (1.8 metres) away instead of directly on their desk.5
Summary: Keeping tempting foods out of easy reach may reduce mindless snacking.
3. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly
Eating more slowly and chewing thoroughly can help reduce food intake while increasing feelings of fullness.6
Taking your time also allows appetite-regulating hormones more time to signal to your brain that you've had enough to eat, potentially reducing the likelihood of overeating.7
Summary: Eating slowly gives your body's natural appetite signals time to work, helping you recognise when you're comfortably full.
More Tips to Help You Stop Overeating
Here are a few more evidence-based tips:
- Keep trigger foods out of the house: reducing exposure to foods you commonly overeat can make it easier to avoid impulsive eating.8
- Limit variety in energy-dense foods: while eating a variety of nutritious foods is important, offering many varieties of highly palatable foods at the same meal may encourage greater food intake through what's known as sensory-specific satiety.9
- Add more fibre: fibre-rich foods such as legumes, oats, vegetables and fruit increase fullness and may help reduce overall energy intake.10
- Prioritise protein: protein-rich foods help increase satiety and reduce hunger, making it easier to avoid overeating.11 12
- Limit alcohol with meals: alcohol can reduce inhibitions and stimulate appetite, increasing food intake during meals.13 14
Summary: Practical strategies such as reducing exposure to tempting foods, increasing fibre and protein intake, eating more slowly and moderating alcohol consumption may all help reduce overeating.
