Eating on Autopilot: Five Steps to Take Back Control

It usually feels like something out of control and leaves us feeling like a failure… And also (most importantly for me) when we eat unconsciously, we cannot enjoy the taste of the food. This is a big waste of time, energy and calories.

And this is an important reason for overeating and weight gain. It can be difficult to figure out when to stop if something happens automatically, out of focus, but switching from unconscious to conscious eating can lead to huge changes in weight and health.

Five steps to stop mindless overeating

1. Start with self-compassion

Unconscious overeating is extremely frustrating, and you will most likely become very angry with yourself. And that will make it worse for you. Self-blame and frustration will dampen your ability to really pay attention to what is happening. You will achieve success much faster if you use this energy to develop new skills.

When you catch yourself mindlessly overeating, stop, take a deep breath and pay attention to what is happening. Realize that you caught the moment of overeating (even after the event itself) and are working to change something.

2. Target one situation

We like the idea of ​​big changes, don’t we? The problem is that the process of preparing these changes seems insurmountable to us. Take one situation, one time during the day, one meal that you want to focus on in order to change unconscious overeating.

3. Consider unconscious overeating in this situation.

Maybe you eat at your desk and focus on the work you’re doing, or watch TV while you’re having dinner. Maybe that’s why you overeat? Or there are some hidden needs that make you eat non-stop: for example, you use food as an opportunity to switch off or postpone something difficult for later. Or maybe it’s just nice not to think about what you put in your mouth.

If you can’t find the reasons yet and write them down, don’t worry. Keep thinking about what is happening to you.

4. Write a list of things that help you

Pick something that helps you be a little more mindful of your eating. I am not suggesting that you stop completely or change completely. It is important to set a goal to become a little more efficient than you were yesterday. Maybe you decide to have lunch by turning off your computer, phone, book… Or stop in the middle of a portion and ask yourself if you are hungry. These are just a few strategies. Experiment and try what works for you.

• Take a break before eating and decide for yourself: “Yes, today I will be more conscious in food.”
• Divide food into portions beforehand, instead of serving yourself at the table from a common dish.
• Whenever possible, give food your full attention. Focus on what you are doing and let yourself enjoy your food to the fullest.
• If you have a meeting in the evening, prepare in advance: decide how much you want to eat. For example, you can decide to forego bread or choose only two starters from the buffet, or you can put down your fork and pause after every two bites. This way you can avoid autopilot and drift towards mindless overeating.

5. Take breaks

Unconscious binge eating is so insidious because it is…unconscious! Pause and remind yourself of your plan.

Come up with a ritual to stop. It can be simple: wash your hands before eating, renew your lipstick, or say thank you.

Even if you catch yourself in the middle or at the end of an episode of binge eating, that’s fine. Gaining control over mindless overeating is a process. Repeat these steps every day. Gradually, you will begin to understand what exactly triggers unconscious overeating, and more and more strategies will appear to stop.