Overeating usually involves meals with too many items, portions that are too big, and negative behaviors that are repeated too often. This is called the frequency pattern. How often do you have a cup of coffee during the day? How often do you eat a salad in a restaurant because it came with the meal? How often do you have drinks with friends because that’s what you always do?
There are good habits like washing the dishes or brushing your teeth, where repetition and mindlessness are helpful. But when it comes to eating, you have to know that one overeating episode will turn into two and then three and then four until you’re overeating at every meal every day. What items do you find you’re repeating all the time?
—Caryl