Here’s how to know that you’re (still) overeating

You probably know that overeating is one of the most common reasons that people gain weight. If we eat more than our body needs, then we store that extra food on our bodies (and booties). How do you know if you’ve overeaten? Well, it takes time to get to know your natural hunger and fullness cues, (especially if you have been ignoring those cues due to longterm dieting).

Keep reading if you want to know some signs that you might be overeating by practicing the subtle art of tuning in and listening to your body.

Feeling Uncomfortably Stuffed?

One of the most obvious signs of overeating is that uncomfortable, stuffed feeling after a meal. You know the one – where you're contemplating unbuttoning your pants or reaching for those trusty stretchy pants. But here's the thing: it's not just about feeling uncomfortably full; it's about recognizing when you've gone beyond satisfaction and into excess. If you are ending most of your meals feeling uncomfortably stuffed, there’s a good chance that you’re overeating.

There was a time in my life where I thought ending the meal meant eating all of the food on my plate, even if that meant feeling full. Feeling full and feeling satisfed are two different things. You can feel satisfed from a meal without getting to the point of fullness.

One helpful way to think about it is if you eat to about 80% fullness. We don’t need to be filling up to 100% at every meal.

Let Your Body Be Your Guide

Listening to your body is key. It might feel weird at first! Many of us are surrounded by distractions when we eat! You don’t have to be 100% locked into your body the entire meal. Start with paying attention to how you feel at the end of the meal. After a meal, take a moment to stand up and assess how you feel. Do you sense any heaviness or stretching in your stomach? Sometimes, it takes a little while for your body to communicate its fullness, so pay attention 20 minutes after the meal and see how you feel then. If you feel overly full or heavy, it might be a sign that you've eaten more than your body needs.

The Brisk Walk Test

Sometimes when we’ve had too much to eat, we feel the need to lay down or sit for a minute and we aren’t up to doing much. One other way to experiment with knowing if you’ve overeaten is asking yourself: are you up for going on a brisk 10-minute walk or doing 10 jumping jacks after your meal? If the idea feels daunting or unappealing, then that might mean you’ve had too much to eat at your meal.

Striving for Neutrality

Ideally, we want to end our meals feeling neutral – neither hungry nor overly full. We don’t want to feel a heaviness in our stomach, but we also don’t want to end the meal still feeling hungry and unsatisfied. This can take practice! Also remember that your definition of "neutral" may evolve over time depending on various factors like activity level, sleep quality, and hormonal fluctuations.

Tuning into Hunger Cues

Another way you can learn that you are overeating is by paying attention to your hunger cues throughout the day. If you find yourself going long stretches without feeling genuinely hungry before a meal, it might be a sign that you're eating more than your body requires. (Of course there are exceptions to this! If you are taking any kind of medication that suppresses your appetite, then hunger cues are less reliable in this case. Check with your doctor and current medications to see for yourself) If you aren’t on any kind of appetite suppressing medication, then you can aim to feel a slight hunger before each meal as a sign that you're not overeating.

Trusting Yourself Again

For those who've relied on external rules or diets for most of your life to tell you how much to eat, then learning to trust your body's signals can feel unfamiliar, even too risky! Learning to trust your body to give you the right signals can take time. Your relationship with yourself is important and it’s worth giving yourself a chance to build that trust again. It's okay to second-guess yourself as you navigate this journey, but know that this is a skill that you can develop with practice and it will become easier to tune in and honor your body's needs with time.

Portion Sizes and Awareness

Let’s talk about portion sizes for a moment. Many of us have become accustomed to larger portion sizes than our bodies actually need. Restaurants, in particular, often serve portions that exceed our energy needs. Have you noticed this? It can be easy to overeat food at restaurants for a number of reasons: “It’s delicious!” or “I paid good money for it!” or “"I don’t want it to go to waste!” But eating in a restaurant doesn’t have to be all about the food. It’s also about the people you are with, the experience , etc. You might try taking some of the food home as leftovers or sharing a meal with someone else to help with this. The important thing is, if you are trying to avoid overeating, practicing tuning in and just bringing awareness to the portion sizes that you may have gotten accustomed to can help you on your way to treating your body well. By tuning in, you may discover that you feel satisfied with smaller amounts of food than you previously thought.

Be Kind to Yourself

Remember, overeating doesn't make you a bad person! It's simply a sign that you're still learning to listen to your body. When you get really good at tuning into your physical needs, you might still notice some urges to eat that are not hunger-related. Then you have a good opportunity to meet your emotional needs. I want to encourage you to approach this journey with kindness and patience, knowing that every meal is an opportunity to practice mindful eating.

And guess what? There will probably be meals where you will still overeat (even intentionally overeat). Don’t beat yourself up! Reflect on what was going on and think about what (if anything) you might try differently the next time. The idea is not to be “perfect” but to practice ending most of our meals without overeating at them. Not overeating is not about restriction, it’s about learning to treat your body with respect, developing trust in yourself, and learning to be more present in life.

If you could use some support learning how to practice this in real life, send me a message! I’d love to help.