How to Help a Friend or Family Member Stop Overeating

Some people will overeat just because the food looks appealing.

Two key points shape the discussion of overeating. First, people overeat for a reason. It might have its roots in emotion, physiology, or environment. Second, the definition of "overeat" encompasses more than the notion of "too much." It means to consume more than necessary for a particular body to support life and health. What constitutes overeating for one person, therefore, may not for another. To help someone stop overeating, begin by working with the person to pinpoint the source of the need for excess food---emotion, physiology, or environment---and then meet that need with something other than food, or with different foods.

Instructions

1. 

   When the need for six dinner rolls seems familiar, talk about a possible physical problem.

   If the person never seems to feel full, or has a delayed response to feeling full, give the person reasons to contact a physician. Offer this message: Your body may need help that self-help books and articles cannot provide. Alert the person that something could be going on in the body that treatment might correct relatively quickly. Help your friend or family member make the appointment and keep it. A good piece of bait could be exposure to "doctor talk" about reasons why some people eat uncontrollably, as in an article in Obesity Surgery Journal about the connection between someone's saliva and the tendency toward obesity.

2. 

   Some foods give instant gratification, but fail in delivering the energy needed.

   Watch for exhaustion that triggers overeating. Make suggestions on eating more fruits and nuts to the mom, dad, high school kid, CEO, or anyone else facing huge demands who seems to eat uncontrollably when given the chance. They may recognize the physical need for calories, but not do a good job of choosing the right source of those calories. Sugary foods deliver an energy boost, but the effect lasts less than an hour, when the need for more energy resurfaces. Starchy foods, like mashed potatoes or pizza, take time to digest and, in the meantime, the person may overeat in the hope of getting a much-needed surge of energy. Foods that give an energy boost, but don't lead to craving more too soon, include a combination of fruits and nuts. An ounce of dark chocolate added to the snack will make it even better for many people from both a nutritional and a taste point of view. Another simple "upper": Green tea with honey.

3. 

   Walk while having a meeting whenever possible.

   Take walks or play games or sports with a stressed-out overeater. People in a regular state of stress have elevated levels of cortisol, the hormone behind a strong desire for so-called comfort foods. To help the anxious person stay away from the potato chips, find an alternate activity that has drops the stress level--preferably a physical activity. The American Council on Exercise offers a dozen, specific tips on how to integrate movement into the workplace, and those tips suggest many ways to do the same at home.

4. 

   For some people, an alternative to human interaction is eating.

   Use personal or professional interaction to aid a needy overeater. A low sense of self-worth or lack of confidence about relationships can drive a person to seek solace in food. Express appreciation to the person for contributions, whether that means folding your laundry at home or doing a slide presentation at a meeting. Invite the person to come along on a shopping trip instead of staying at home eating in front of the TV, or to join the gang for coffee in a spot where no donuts lurk behind plexiglass.

5. 

   Bored eaters don't generally get addicted to peas and carrots the way they do to chips and salsa.

   Don't offer "bad" foods to a chronic overeater. Whether at home or at a social or office event, just don't serve snack foods that lure overeaters with their fat, salt, and crunch. If the person is a family member, throw out the chips and buttered popcorn and replace them with mixed nuts, dried and fresh fruit, and bags of small carrots that serve energy needs, but don't have the same kind of addictive appeal. Some people eat just because they're bored or because the food is there and it tastes good. Remove the biggest offenders from the overeater's environment and that person might find some other source of "entertainment."

6. 

   A buffet invites overeaters to keep up the bad habit.

   Limit portions and then move on to a non-eating activity. People who grew up in a household in which a "clean plate" signaled virtue, and having seconds honored the cook may overeat because it's a family tradition. Avoid using the family-style model of serving food to them; put each person's meal on a plate as a restaurant would do. And when it comes to desert, don't serve a mound of cookies or anything else that invites endless gobbling. And when going to a restaurant with an overeat, avoid buffets and the establishments that advertise a "heapin' helpin'" of anything.

References

• Obesity Surgery Journal
• ACE Fit Facts

Resources

• Dr. Sears Zone Diet
• American Council on Exercise