Eating Until Too Full? 2 Reasons Why We Do It Again and Again

Let’s be real... after overeating the only thing worse than the guilt is how terribly uncomfortable and stuffed you feel.

You never want to get to a place where moving from your couch seems physically impossible, but it happens to the best of us.

[Been there - done that]

Or having to sleep upright because the fullness has created intense heartburn and reflux. 

[Been there - done that too] 

We eat past the point of fullness for a bunch of different reasons, but one you might be familiar with if you’ve ever yo-yo dieted is not eating enough throughout the day.

Yep it's true! 

Not eating enough during the daytime can cause you to overeat at night.

This happened to me last month when I arrived at a restaurant for a birthday celebration sooo hungry after a crazy busy day where I ended up skipping lunch to get more work done.

( i know better but I did it anyway)

I left that dinner feeling way too full and I knew the culprit wasn't that I had no willpower -- I arrived too famished to make rational decisions or to eat slow enough to notice how my body was reacting to the food...

You see...

The more restricted you feel, the more likely you are to go on auto-pilot and eat until you’re uncomfortably full.

Your body is trying to make up for a deficit by eating a little extra and if you’re out of touch with your hunger signals, forget it!

Another important reason we eat until we’re too full, is if we have been depriving ourselves of foods we love for too long.

Think about what you last binged on.

It probably wasn’t the same brown rice and steamed veggies you eat for lunch every day, was it?

Nope.

You reached for the hidden bag of chocolate chip cookies in your pantry or that leftover slice of pizza from the weekend that you put restrictions on.

You know the forbidden foods.

So how can we stop this maddening cycle?

Do this first:

Before you eat, ask yourself:

•Is this going to fully satisfy me in all aspects?

•Is it going to fuel my body and make me feel better after I eat it?

•Am I honoring any health issues I have (Do you have food allergies, food sensitivities, do you have doctor's recommendations about what to eat and what to avoid)?

•Is it going to fulfill a craving I have and actually taste delicious?

Next, while you’re eating, be mindful of how the food feels in your mouth, how it smells, and how it feels in your stomach.

If you have the urge to fill your plate back up once you’re done, pause for a minute and notice your fullness level.

Fullness Fact: It takes approximately 20 - 40 minutes for your stomach to send signals to your brain to tell it that you are full.

I hear from my clients a lot that they struggle with eating past the point of fullness over and over again.

It’s not something you’ll be able to fix immediately, but with practice and patience, you CAN become more in tune with your true hunger and fullness.

There might be some trial and error you have to go through to learn more about your body’s signals first.

Eventually, you’ll be able to confidently eat according to your hunger.

And THAT will totally transform how you feel after eating.

Lots of Love,
Kaylee