Want to stop overeating? Here are 7 ways to stop today, according to David Kessler, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, and author of The End of Overeating:
Replace chaos with structure. Determine ahead of time what you'll eat for meals and snacks. Block out everything else.
Practice just-right eating. Figure out how much food you need (probably less than you think). Put it on your plate and don't go back for seconds.
Pick foods that will satisfy, not stimulate you. Try foods that occur in nature, like whole-grains, beans, non-starchy veggies, and fruit. Combine this with lean protein and a small amount of fat.
Rehearse. Anticipate your moves like an athlete before a competition. For example, tell yourself, "If I encounter chocolate-covered pretzels, I'll keep walking."
Seize control. Stay alert to emotional stressors or other stimuli that trigger automatic behavior. Recognize emotions that might lead you to overeat.
Stop that thought. Change the channel. Turn off the image of the trigger food before you start to debate whether to eat it.
Think negative. Pair the unhealthy food with a stream of unappealing images. Kessler says that this is precisely the opposite of what ad agencies do when they link a popular athlete to a pair of sneakers or an attractive woman to a new piece of technology.
Be healthy, my friends.
(Source: Nutrition Action Healthletter, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. July/August 2009.)
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