Eat Small Meals to Reduce Overeating

“Moderation in all things” is a motto given to us early on in life, to tell us that while it is enjoyable to have a bit of fun from time to time, we should beware the perils of over-indulgence. If we do over-indulge, we usually find out about those perils the hard way, and we keep on learning throughout our development. We learn about the dangers of eating too much  ice cream before we learn about the perils of too much beer, for example. But we still, occasionally, overindulge for various reasons. This can apply to overeating.

You have probably been in a situation in the past where you were looking forward to a big meal in the evening, and have spent much of the day thinking about it and eating lightly, if at all so that there is room for the large and delicious platter of food that awaits you. And although this is understandable, and at times not a problem, it is important to bear in mind that this has its perils too. “Little and often” is a very good piece of advice to remember when it comes to food, and it could be the best advice when you are looking to lose weight.

If you leave a long time between meals, and even occasionally skip one, then you may feel that you are doing what should be done in order to get the most enjoyment and the best use of the food that you are eating. The truth is that this is a false economy.  Leaving substantial time between meals will result in pangs of hunger and, inevitably, this will lead to overeating. It may be that you have too much at mealtimes, or with the long gap between meals you may snack excessively in order to keep the pangs at bay. Either way you are doing yourself no good, and risk a situation where you will put on weight.

Many people skip breakfast because they feel that they cannot eat in the mornings. Either they don’t feel hungry or they actually feel slightly ill at the start of the day and cannot face eating. Even if this is the case, it is to be encouraged that you at least try to eat something in the morning, as this gets your metabolism running and allows you to approach the day with some momentum and strength. It means that you are unlikely to run to the vending machine at 10 am to grab something – anything – to forestall the hunger pangs until lunchtime.

You don’t need to have a big breakfast. Indeed, it might be most advisable just to have some toast, or cereal, along with a bit of fruit simply in order to get the body going at the right pace. A larger breakfast as a treat every once in a while is fine, but habitually eating large breakfasts results in you becoming sluggish in mid-morning as the body struggles to digest everything you have eaten. The key is to eat regularly and eat well. If you do this, then you will be hungry less often, and less hungry when you are.

Some toast and cereal at breakfast, and a salad at lunchtime are a good foundation for a day. A light sandwich in mid-afternoon can then tide you over until the evening, when you can have a full meal and eat more than you have eaten at the other meals. If you eat this way and show common sense, you will have a balanced diet and a better chance of losing weight.

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