4 Habits That Could Be Causing You to Overeat (Why and How to Stop)

In this blog post, we’ll explore four habits that might be causing you to overeat without you even realising it. Habits form unconsciously over time. They are influenced by our environment, upbringing, and daily routines. Our brains are wired to create habits as a way to save energy on tasks that we anticipate to do again. For example, brushing your teeth every morning or driving on the same route to work are habits that let you operate on autopilot. Similarly, eating patterns can turn into habits, especially when they’re reinforced by certain cues.

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The Consequences of Overeating

Over time, these unconscious eating habits can lead to overeating. Overeating is harmful not because food is the enemy, but because it can lead to physical discomfort, disrupt the natural signals our bodies send about hunger and fullness, and impact our overall well-being. When we regularly consume more food than our bodies need, it can contribute to weight gain and certain health issues. However, it’s important to approach this topic without demonising food. Because food is not just fuel. It’s also a source of joy, culture, and connection. Healing your relationship with food means learning to enjoy it mindfully and non-judgmentally, whilst honouring your body’s needs without guilt or restriction.

The First Step to Stop Overeating

The first step to making any positive change in your eating habits is to recognise and become more self-aware of the unconscious behaviours that may be causing you to overeat. By identifying these habits, you can begin to understand the triggers behind them and develop strategies to address them. This process is not about perfection, but about progress and self-compassion. There will always be days when we fall back to our old habits–the thing that makes a difference is how we choose to respond each time. Awareness is a powerful tool because it allows you to pause and make more intentional choices rather than acting on autopilot. 

Let’s get into the four habits that might be causing you to overeat. For each habit, I will explain the reason behind why it happens as well as the solution to change it, including practical tips.

Habit #1: Skipping Breakfast

Skipping breakfast is a habit many people adopt, thinking it will help reduce calorie intake and lead to weight loss. For the longest time, I would intentionally skip breakfast in an attempt to lose weight. But I found that when lunch time came around, I would be so hungry that I’d end up overeating, and I found myself having more cravings in the evenings. And there is research to explain why this happens.

Why Skipping Breakfast Leads to Overeating:

1. Increased Appetite: Our bodies are smart and know when it’s not getting enough energy. Skipping breakfast can lead to increased appetite and cravings throughout the day as your body’s way of compensating for the lack of nutrients in the morning. This could lead us to snacking on quick (and often unhealthy) foods if we don’t have any healthy foods available.
2. More cravings: Without breakfast, you might find yourself snacking more often to compensate for the missed meal [1].

Solution:

Start your day with a balanced breakfast with slow releasing carbs, a protein source, and a small amount of healthy fats. One perfect example of this is overnight oats made with chia seeds, greek yoghurt, and fruit for added fibre. This is currently my favourite thing to bring with me to work every morning. Doing this keeps my hunger levels stable throughout the morning and prevents extreme hunger by lunch time. Research also shows that including protein in your breakfast can further reduce cravings and appetite, helping you avoid overeating later on in the day [2].

Habit #2: Eating Something Sweet Immediately After Meals

Another habit that leads to overeating is eating something immediately after finishing a meal. Many of us like to do this after dinner. This behaviour is driven by the desire to prolong the eating experience, even when you’re no longer physically hungry.

Why We Do This:

1. We don’t want the experience of eating to end: Eating is an enjoyable experience for a lot of people, myself included. Food can be a source of comfort for many of us, so it makes sense that when we finish eating, that feeling of comfort goes away too. It’s normal to turn to food with the subconscious intention to hold onto that comfort, but we have to find things outside of food to bring joy into our lives if we want to make healthy eating sustainable.
2. Out of habit: You’ve trained your brain to expect more food after finishing a meal.
3. Psychological reward: Eating provides a pleasurable experience, and our brains naturally seek things that release dopamine because dopamine lights up the reward centre in our brains, further enforcing it to repeat this behaviour again.

Solution:

Give yourself a break after meals. Set a timer for 15 minutes before deciding if you need more food. By doing this, you will be giving yourself enough time to allow the feeling of fullness to set in. I find it helpful to change my environment by stepping away from the kitchen. This switches gears in my brain and tells it to stop searching for food. 

If you often crave something sweet after meals, try to break this automatic behaviour by implementing this 15 minute trick. If, 15 minutes later, you still want to have a sweet treat, by all means go for it! You are absolutely allowed to enjoy a treat, but let it be a conscious choice rather than a mindless habit. After implementing this 15 minute trick for some time, you’ll eventually break this dessert habit and may find that you don’t need any more food and can feel satisfied without an extra snack. Tip: use my free Craving Tool to help you identify whether you’re truly hungry or just eating out of habit.

Habit #3: Always Finishing Your Plate

Many of us were taught from a young age not to waste food and to always finish everything on our plate. While it’s important not to waste food, this habit can cause you to overeat.

What Causes This Habit to Develop:

1. Cultural Conditioning: Growing up, you may have been told to finish your plate because of starving children in other parts of the world.
2. Mindset: Feeling guilty about wasting food leads to overeating, treating your body like a trash can for excess food.

Solution:

Practice mindful eating and pay attention to your fullness signals. Aim to stop eating when you’re about 80% full. This approach, known as “hara hachi bu” in Japan, helps prevent overeating and promotes better health. If you struggle to recognize when you’re 80% full, try stopping after eating 80% of your usual portion and checking in with yourself. Often, you’ll find that you’re satisfied without needing to finish everything on your plate.

Habit #4: Eating Because It’s Free

The final habit that may be causing you to overeat is if you eat something just because it’s free. Whether at work, social events, or gatherings, free food can be tempting. This can make us feel obliged to eat or feel the need to take advantage of the free food.

Why We Do This:

1. Scarcity Mindset: The fear of missing out on free food drives this behaviour.
2. Excitement: The idea of getting something for free feels like an opportunity not to be wasted.

Solution:

Ask yourself if you would still want the food if you had to pay for it. This question can help you differentiate between genuine hunger and the urge to eat due to the perceived value of free food. Adopt an abundance mindset. Remind yourself that food is always available, and you don’t need to eat it just because it’s free. If you’re truly curious about the taste or are a bit hungry, it’s fine to indulge occasionally. However, be intentional about your choices.

Conclusion

By recognizing and addressing these four habits, you can significantly reduce overeating and improve your relationship with food.

• Stop skipping breakfast just because you think it will help you lose weight.
• Stop automatically eating something right after you’ve just had your meal or snack.
• Stop always finishing everything on your plate.
• Stop eating things just because they’re free.

Changing these habits takes time and awareness. If you need help with this, check out my free Craving Tool to recognize your triggers and identify unhealthy eating habits. Also, sign up for the waiting list for my free Mindful Eating Guide. By making these changes, you can create a healthier, more sustainable approach to eating and enjoy a better relationship with food. Remember, your health is the priority, and mindful eating is a journey.

References

1. Gwin JA, Leidy HJ. Breakfast Consumption Augments Appetite, Eating Behavior, and Exploratory Markers of Sleep Quality Compared with Skipping Breakfast in Healthy Young Adults. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2018 Aug 28;2(11).
2. Leidy HJ, Racki EM. The addition of a protein-rich breakfast and its effects on acute appetite control and food intake in “breakfast-skipping” adolescents. International Journal of Obesity [Internet]. 2010 Feb 2;34(7):1125–33.