Many of us overeat very often, if not then occasionally, especially when we have our favorite food in front of us. As a result, eventually end up feeling bloated, tired, and drowsy.
In case, if overeating is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for you then you don’t have to worry about it much. However, if you experience these unpleasant symptoms after a typical meal frequently, you might have been a habitual overeater.
How will you know that you have overeaten?
To be sure about overeating, look for the following indicators:
- As your body strives to burn off the extra calories consumed, your metabolism may expedite. Because of which it’s possible that you’ll feel hot, dizzy, or perhaps sweaty for a short period.
- It forces the stomach to enlarge beyond its typical size to accommodate the large portion of food consumed. As a result, your abdomen expands and pushes against the other organs, causing discomfort. This uneasiness can manifest as tiredness, sluggishness, or drowsiness. It’s also possible that your garments may also feel too tight.
- Gas may also be produced in your stomach, leaving you with an uneasy feeling of being full.
- The stomach secretes hydrochloric acid in order to digest food. If you consume too much, then this acid can back up going in your esophagus, causing heartburn. In addition, overeating high-fat foods, such as cheeseburgers, can increase the vulnerability to heartburn.
How to deal if you have overeaten?
Do all the above-discussed indicators sound familiar to you? No worries! We have compiled some ways to get you out of this situation:
1. Stop being Guilty and Relax:
First of all! Don’t be too hard on yourself. One extravagant lunch will not harm your health. Furthermore, too much regret and guilt concerning your eating patterns might lead to self-denial. This might leave you feeling deprived, leading to another binge, creating an unhealthy life cycle.
Instead, think about your future, how you will avoid overeating in the future. Think about the days ahead instead of stressing over today.
2. Drink Water in Intervals:
After a heavy meal, drink a cup of water and keep drinking water in gaps. Doing this can assist your body in eliminating excess salt that you have taken in with your meal. Moreover, it can also help you avoid constipation. But please don’t just gallop liters of water just until you’re sick of it, as it may cause bloating.
Our only aim is to stay hydrated throughout the remaining day. However, avoid drinking water right after the meal; wait for at least 30 mins after you have your meal.
3. Take a Walk:
A short walk will help to accelerate digestion and balance insulin levels in your body. Alternatively, if you don’t feel like going for a walk, you can go for a casual bike ride.
Remember not to go overboard. Vigorous activity may cause blood to go to your limbs rather than your stomach, which will result in slow digestion.
4. No Lying down:
No lying down means no post-eating naps for you unless you have spent a little time, even if standing for a while. Although the aim is not to miss out on the opportunity to melt off a few calories you have just consumed, to avoid going to bed, cleaning the dishes, or taking a stroll would help.
If you lie down right after your meal on a full stomach, your food might also push backward, up to your throat. This can cause acid reflux, also impede digestion (GERD). Hence, your couch will have to wait till your meal is halfway through.
5. Skip Sodas:
Fizzy drinks or alcoholic beverages may not be the best choice. However, if you already have had too much drink, you have swallowed enough gas, which might clog your digestive tract. You’ll feel much more bloated as a result of this. Much of it is burped away, while the rest passes through your gut system and released out of the body as gas.
6. Get up and Shake your body:
A good sweat is always good for your health. But since you just have had a meal, avoid intensive workout; you can lift light weights, go for a run or play hoops. However, it’s preferable to wait for a minimum of 3 to 4 hrs after the meal.
Working out will help you burn off a few of the additional calories you’ve gained. Moreover, it may aid in the acceleration of your metabolism and also in preventing constipation. Despite this, regular exercise also appears to help regulate mood and appetite, making it less likely that you may overeat in the coming days.
How to Avoid Overeating?
Although there are plenty of ways to avoid overeating, few very useful measures are as follows:
1. Plan Your Next Meal:
You can’t “uneat” what you have already stuffed in your stomach. However, you can plan ahead so that you don’t repeat it in the future. Choose low-calorie recipes and schedule your week’s meals. Switch to healthier options like replacing white pasta and rice with whole grains as they include more fiber and protein, which will make you feel fuller for longer, allowing you to eat less.
It would be great if you take out time and prepare meals as much as possible ahead of time and freeze them. So in case, if you don’t feel like making anything, you can defrost it and eat. This will help you avoid snacking on unhealthy stuff.
2. Don’t keep the Leftovers:
In case you have leftover food after means yet another meal. Looking at the leftovers, you may believe you’ve eaten a sufficient dose when you have overeaten, so don’t be fooled.
According to some studies, this may lead to you eating more and exercising less in the future. If you have leftovers, split them into individual servings so that you don’t overeat the following time. Whenever you realize you can’t resist staying away and you know you’ll end up exploding your stomach with calorie bombs, then keep them out of the kitchen.
3. Concentrate on what you are Eating:
Consider eating to be a form of meditation. Pay close attention to how your meal tastes, feels and looks. Consider the source of the food: where has it been grown or bought? What method did the chef use to prepare it? Take tiny portions and chew thoroughly. Stop every now and then and question yourself if you’re satisfied. This can assist you in eating less calories and feeling more fulfilled.
4. Be patient while Eating:
It may take up to 20 mins for your gut to send a signal to your brain that you’re full. Thus, if you are rushing to finish the meal, you have not really given enough time to your brain to sort it out whether you’ve already consumed too much in these 10 mins. After a half-hour, you’ll undoubtedly feel bloated from eating too much. Slowing down while eating, you might notice that you consume fewer calories while simultaneously feeling more satisfied.
