Disclaimer: the term “over-eating” refers to eating past the point of fullness, to the point of reaching physical discomfort, or even pain. There are many possible reasons why you could be over-eating. It could be one, many, or none of the reasons listed in this article. For a more accurate and complete evaluation, please reach out to a Registered Dietitian.

Everyone's experience is different when it comes to eating past fullness, and it is not always a bad thing.

Sometimes, overeating happens more often when we finally let go of restriction from dieting. Sometimes, overeating happens when we're trying to cope with external stressors and are on survival mode. Sometimes, overeating happens during happy social events. Sometimes, overeating JUST HAPPENS.

Here are some reasons why you could possibly be over-eating:

1. You haven’t slept enough

   This is just about quantity, either. When we don’t get enough quality sleep, our body tends to try to compensate by eating more for energy (reminder: calories are the unit of measurement of energy). Sometimes focusing on improving our quality of sleep can also help us with our eating habits.

2. You’re distracted during meals/snacks

   Not eating mindfully leads to being disconnected with our fullness queues, which in turn can cause us to eat past them. Though it takes practice, eating mindfully can have many other benefits as well, such as better mood and self-esteem, more general satisfaction regarding our meals and gratitude.

   To eat more mindfully, try putting away technology (phone, laptop, Netflix, TV, etc.) and work, take a moment to disconnect from what you were doing before meal time (some deep breaths before meals can help), observe and feel the colours, textures, and flavours of your food.

3. You’re using food to cope with emotions

   Eating your feelings isn’t bad either, it is actually a very effective way to deal with difficult emotions. However, if we’re doing so all the time because it is our only coping mechanism with loss of control, this can become problematic. You can either try developing different coping strategies (ideally with the help of a licensed therapist), so that when you do choose to eat your feelings, it is a choice you made with awareness.

4. You’re eating out of habit

   When we ignore our hunger/fullness queues for too long, our body might stop sending them altogether. Try reconnecting with what comfortable fullness feels like for you, by checking in with yourself regularly during meals and snacks. This is an exercise that can take a while to master, so be patient.

5. You’re restricting

   When we tell ourselves that we cannot or are not allowed to have a certain food/food group, we tend to think about it 24/7. This behaviour can lead to binges.

   One method will be too allow yourself to eat all foods, unconditionally. Yes, unconditionally. Try freeing yourself from mental or physical restriction with the help of a therapist or a dietitian, and see how that affects your eating habits.

6. You’re not eating enough during the day

   If you’re not giving your body enough energy in the day (AKA calories), your body might tend to compensate for it in the evening, leading to a bigger evening meal/snack that can cause you to eat past your fullness. Instead, try eating meals with approximately similar portions, more regularly during the day, and see how that affects your evening cravings.
   

When over-eating does happen (and trust me, it happens to pretty much everyone), what isn't helpful is to dive immediately into feelings of guilt and shame. You are not a worse person for overeating, even if it does feel physically uncomfortable.

A more helpful strategy would be to observe. Observe objectively the thoughts that cross your mind when you overeat. Observe and feel the emotions that run through you. What are they trying to tell you? Use this information as data: a way to get to know yourself more deeply and intimately. Use this data to fuel your future actions.

This may be overwhelming if you've never stopped to question why this tends to happen before. And that's okay too. The first step to any sort of change is awareness, and that can feel messy.

If this is something you're struggling with, or need help with navigating, work with a Registered Dietitian who's values align with yours.

Click here to schedule a FREE 15-minute discovery call (CANADA-WIDE except ON, AB, PEI) to see if we would be a right fit.

Some interesting studies:

1. Rihm JS, Menz MM, Schultz H, Bruder L, Schilbach L, Schmid SM, Peters J. Sleep Deprivation Selectively Upregulates an Amygdala-Hypothalamic Circuit Involved in Food Reward. J Neurosci. 2019 Jan 30;39(5):888-899. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0250-18.2018. Epub 2018 Dec 17. PMID: 30559151; PMCID: PMC6382977.

2. Satterfield BC, Killgore WDS. Habitual sleep duration predicts caloric and macronutrient intake during sleep deprivation. Sleep Health. 2020 Feb;6(1):88-91. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2019.08.012. Epub 2019 Oct 31. PMID: 31680050.

3. Salvo V, Kristeller J, Montero Marin J, Sanudo A, Lourenço BH, Schveitzer MC, D'Almeida V, Morillo H, Gimeno SGA, Garcia-Campayo J, Demarzo M. Mindfulness as a complementary intervention in the treatment of overweight and obesity in primary health care: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2018 May 11;19(1):277. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2639-y. PMID: 29751819; PMCID: PMC5948727.

4. Willem C, Gandolphe MC, Doba K, Roussel M, Verkindt H, Pattou F, Nandrino JL. Eating in case of emotion dys-regulation, depression and anxiety: Different pathways to emotional eating in moderate and severe obesity. Clin Obes. 2020 Oct;10(5):e12388. doi: 10.1111/cob.12388. Epub 2020 Jul 6. PMID: 32633060.

5. Verzijl CL, Ahlich E, Schlauch RC, Rancourt D. The role of craving in emotional and uncontrolled eating. Appetite. 2018 Apr 1;123:146-151. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.12.014. Epub 2017 Dec 15. PMID: 29253669; PMCID: PMC5817024