Changing bad eating habits may sound difficult, but it's actually easier to do in practice. Here are six methods that can help you develop good eating habits:
1. You can eat whatever you want, but do so in a restaurant, sitting at a dining table. Don't change your food, just change where you eat, and this will break the bad habits you've formed before, preventing you from overeating.
2. Change the way you eat. If you always use your right hand to eat ice cream, try using your left. If you always eat with your hands, put the food on a plate. In short, don't let it become a habit.
3. Avoid associating eating with certain sounds. If you crave candy every time you pass a vending machine, take a different route next time. The same logic applies to the television; it might trigger your appetite. Don't eat while watching TV, or don't watch the same show while you're eating.
4. Set a 15-minute rule. Whenever you feel like eating, force yourself to wait 15 minutes before you do. This way, a conditioned reflex won't form in your brain.
5. Don't try to change all your bad habits at once. If you do, your level of discomfort will become very high, and your brain will revert to the state that makes you more comfortable. However, correcting just one or two habits at a time makes it easier for your brain to accept.
6. Focus on your food while eating. Put down your phone, leave your computer desk, hang up the phone, and savor your meal. Don't associate food with other activities, so you know how much you've eaten and won't overeat.