17 Best Tips on How to Stop Obsessively Thinking About Food
“Obsession: the control of one’s thoughts by a continuous, powerful idea or feeling, or the idea or feeling itself”
How to stop thinking about food and lose weight
If you suffer from food obsession, you could find that it is starting to rule your life. You might constantly question how to stop obsessively thinking about food or be constantly on the lookout for the best diets or ways in which to change your life so you are no longer ruled by food.
An unhealthy preoccupation with food can start to have consequences in all areas of your life, from your job, and health to your relationships. You can find yourself thinking about meals that you are going to be eating instead of concentrating on work, spending too much time planning meals instead of being with family and you can discover that it takes up too much space in your mind, leaving you with little room to think about anything else.
There is, of course, the major issue of health. An unhealthy obsession with food can leave you either overweight with health issues or underweight with health issues, which in both instances can be mental problems as well as physical problems.
Taking back control of the situation is therefore something that should be a priority for you but do you know how or where to begin and how to go about getting your food obsession under control?
Why do I keep thinking about food when I’m not hungry?
Food obsession can be an addiction, from eating too much unhealthy food to being too restrictive in your diet and eating only healthy food. It can also be for some people about cutting out certain types of food groups when eating or avoiding eating in social situations because of obsessive behaviour.
We all need food to survive and for many, eating is a pleasure that they enjoy. Other people though have such an obsession that it controls every area of their lives and consumes their waking hours.
If you think about food all of the time, not just in a “what shall I have for dinner?” way but in an all-consuming never off your mind kind of way then you know that you have an unhealthy obsession with food.
This is no doubt caused because of emotional issues and an imbalanced relationship with food.
You are substituting food for something that is either missing in your life or as a way of avoiding something, either way, it is your thinking and therefore emotions that are causing the issues that you have with food and this is what needs to be addressed for you to change.
Why do I eat all of the time?
Do you really understand when you are hungry? Are you fully aware of the sensations that you have in your body when it is saying you need food?
These seem like simple questions and yet, many are totally unaware of what hunger actually feels like for them. This is when overeating can take place.
There are various reasons why you can overeat, even when you aren’t hungry such as;
tiredness
stress
anxiety
sadness
thirst
boredom
habit
depression
grief
cravings
Understanding why you are eating when you aren’t hungry can be the key to controlling this issue.
Once you have begun to understand the psychology that you have towards food, you can then start to put new practices in place to address obsessively thinking about food and overeating.
This isn’t going to happen overnight, as with all habits, they take time to be replaced with new positive thinking, but with time it can be done.
Is constantly thinking about food a disorder?
Thinking about food at various times of the day is normal behaviour but constantly thinking about food or chastising yourself for food that you have eaten could be classed as a sign that you either aren’t eating enough or you have an eating disorder.
If you feel that you have or are starting to have food issues, then you must start to address your issues as soon as possible. This is not something that is going to just go away, there are usually underlying reasons as to why you have a preoccupation with food.
It could be a situation that you can deal with by yourself or with the help of a coach. You can learn to understand the thoughts and emotions that you have around food and put into place new learnings to help you change your mindset.
It may be that you need to consult your doctor or qualified dietician to help you deal with the way that you are thinking about food.
Whichever way you need to go, you must deal with your thinking concerning food so that you can learn to enjoy food for all of the right reasons.
How can I stop being obsessed with food? 17 tips
1. Make sure you are drinking enough water
Often thirst can so often be mistaken for hunger. If you find yourself reaching for food as soon as you feel hungry, swap it for a glass of water and wait a little while. If you find that you are no longer hungry, then you now know that you were thirsty.
Drinking enough water throughout the day is important for your body and will stop you from reaching for food and overeating.
2. Ask yourself if are you actually hungry
Are you really hungry? Are you eating because you are bored, stressed, tired, or thirsty? Often the last reason someone will overeat is hunger. Getting to know how your body really feels when you are hungry is crucial to getting a grip on your overeating.
There are usually so many other reasons that you could be overeating. Getting to understand your emotional triggers and how your body works will give you greater control of your eating habits.
3. Make sure your meals are nutritious
A healthy balanced diet is what you should be aiming for. You need foods that are tasty and nutritious.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables, whole foods, and good fats with carbohydrates and proteins will mean that you feel full, are getting all of the nutrients that your body needs and are more likely to stay at a healthy weight.
4. Recognise your psychological food triggers
What are the triggers that can leave you reaching for the chocolate? When you understand your emotional triggers you are one step closer to ending your overeating.
A vast majority of people will overeat because of emotional triggers. Understanding the psychology of your thinking is of real importance to combating unhelpful eating habits.
5. Distract yourself when the feelings for food arise
When you find that you are constantly thinking about food aim to distract yourself in a more productive way to take your mind off it. Read a book, clean, do some exercise, whatever it is that works for you.
This distraction should help you start controlling your thoughts around food and can begin to introduce more productive habits into your life.
6. Practice eating slowly and mindfully
Eating slowly and mindfully are very helpful practices to adopt to help with overeating and obsessing about food. When you eat slowly, you fully taste and appreciate your food.
You are more likely to enjoy your food and get greater sustenance from it.
Eating mindfully can make you more aware of when you are full and can also help you deal with emotional eating.
7. Keep a food journal of everything you eat
Writing down in a food journal everything that you consume is the simplest and easiest way to get to grips with what you are eating and when. You may not even be aware of the amount of food that you are eating or the times that you are eating it.
A food journal can help you spot triggers that can send your eating habits spiralling and can aid you in gaining control over your diet.
A journal is a great way to confront any negative thoughts and emotions and start to make sense of them so you can begin to live a life free from the control of food.
8. Don’t completely banish foods you love from your diet
Never be tempted to banish foods that you love from your diet. This will never serve you and will only make you crave them more and more.
Punishing yourself is never going to make you change your eating habits, it is only ever going to make a situation worse.
You need to address why you are eating in the way that you are and then when you start to change your eating pattern you can reward yourself with your favourite food…in moderation.
9. Eat a greater amount of protein and fibre between meals
Protein and fibre are going to be more beneficial to your diet than processed foods and sugary snacks. If you suffer from a dip in blood sugar between meals or find that you start to feel hungry, eating protein or fibre-based food will fill you up for longer and will be more beneficial for your body, than the wasted calories of sugar or high-fat foods.
10. Don’t attach shame and guilt to your eating habits
Often anyone who binge eats or overeats does so because of the shame that they are feeling. Shame is a powerful negative emotion that can overtake a person. It is a painful experience that can make you feel unloveable or unworthy therefore stirring distorted eating habits.
To not feel shame, you could find yourself overeating to mask the feelings that you have of yourself. This can become a vicious circle as you can then feel more shame because of your eating habits and so it can go on and on.
This is an emotion that you need to get hold of, and coaching can help here. Coaching can help you to deal with the inner critic who is always telling you your flaws and faults.
11. Cut out fad dieting
If something sounds too good to be true then guess what…it is! This is true with dieting. The only way you are going to lose weight is by approaching what you eat from a psychological point of view.
Fad diets are never going to work and are never going to be healthy or good for you in the long run.
Losing weight permanently will only be achieved slowly and by addressing the issues that you have around food.
12. Plan your meals meticulously
If you plan your meals you are going to have greater success with your eating habits. Start each week with a meticulous food diary, this way you will have the right food in the house and will have everything prepared so you are less likely to indulge in unhealthy snacks.
Meal planning will always give you the greatest chance of achieving your goals and will help you emotionally to get a handle on your overeating habits.
13. Avoid the temptation of emotional eating
Are you someone who reaches for the chocolate when you feel highly emotional? Does eating bring you immediate comfort only to be replaced by shame later on? If this sounds familiar to you then you need to break the emotional eating habit.
People often overeat because they are uncomfortable facing their emotions so eat instead. Learning to sit and experience and be comfortable with your emotions is the first step in breaking the emotional eating habit. This is something that a coach can help you with.
14. Do more physical exercise
Often if you are bored, stressed or emotional you could find yourself reaching for the biscuit tin for some support. Drop the tin and start exercising instead. Exercise is a fantastic substitute for emotional overeating. It gives your mind something else to focus on and helps the feel-good endorphins flood your body, making you feel happier.
As you begin to get physically fitter and your body starts to change you will begin to feel better about yourself thus helping you to kick the overeating habit.
15. Use the power of meditation
Meditation is a very powerful tool to use when you are trying to change your thinking about food.
Meditation helps the mind to observe the emotions that are happening in the body instead of reaching out for food as emotional comfort.
Meditation lowers stress levels which can often be triggers for overeating. It can also make you more compassionate towards yourself thus helping you to be kinder and more caring when looking after yourself, therefore helping you to stop overeating.
16. Don’t make food your primary pleasure in life
If food is something that could be an obsession then try not to make it central to your life. Yes, we all need to eat a healthy balanced diet to be fit and healthy but make sure that you have other pleasures in your life to stop food from becoming your sole focus.
Have hobbies and interests that play a greater part in your life or focus on your job or family and friends as a way of distracting your mind from food.
17. Use a life coach to change your thinking
If you need help rebalancing your thoughts on food then a life coach could be just what you need. They are equipped to help you deal with the way that you think about food and can give you tools and tips to use.
They are also there as support for you, offer you accountability and they want you to achieve your goals so will be with you 100% on your journey.
Many people find that having a coach who supports them and who is there to listen to them is the best help that they could have.
Final Thoughts
If you constantly question how to stop obsessively thinking about food then the tips above should give you some pointers into the direction that you need to take.
Dealing with overeating is so much more than just cutting down on eating too much food.
You need to understand the psychological reasons why you are eating too much, what are your thoughts about food and what emotions come into play around your eating habits.
You won’t change your relationship with food overnight, this is something that will take time and effort but when you put the correct procedures in place and reach out for help and advice, it is achievable and you will be able to get long-lasting results.
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