We’ve opted for countless diet plans and restricted calorie intakes. Unfortunately, for some, willpower is a game of averaging out the good days with the bad days and hoping one cancels the other out. The frustration of depriving yourself of food means that once in a while, you could splurge, and then start the cycle all over again. When trying to keep weight from creeping back on, it’s safe to say you need a better strategy than slapping your hand away or associating food with negative thoughts. Here are seven steps weight loss expert Dr. Mark Hyman suggests will help you oust those overeating tendencies: Eating real food – Hyman suggests that the most important tactic in stopping yourself from overeating and keeping weight off is eating real, whole, unprocessed foods in your diet. Although we can all grab a quick bite on the go, try to plan meals ahead, or pack your fridge and cupboards with handy staples. Add vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, organic, range, or grass-fed animal products (poultry, lamb, beef, pork, eggs), and wild, smaller fish such as salmon to your shopping list. Eat breakfast – we all know it’s the most important meal of the day, and there’s no excuse for skipping this metabolism booster. Always running late? Keep some fruit on your desk and some natural yoghurt in the fridge. Don’t use timekeeping as an excuse. Take your time – it takes 20 minutes for your brain to register your tummy feels full, so try not to eat too quickly as it’ll lead to binging quantities. Also, the more relaxed you are, the easier it is for your gut’s nervous system to digest food properly. Turn off any TVs, put the phone away, and take a look at the meal in front of you. Mindless eating can mean you pack in more calories than if you're attention is fixed elsewhere during your downtime. Put pen to paper – Hyman points to the importance of not only recognising our food intake and calorie choices made, but also looking at what motivates us to pick up that extra plateful of lasagne. Mindless eating, where we eat out of habit rather than hunger, can sabotage any weight loss efforts, while comfort eating could lead to a bigger issue that’s really standing between you and your target weight. By keeping a journal of your food habits, Hyman says you’ll quickly learn how you associate fuelling your body with challenging your emotions – which could need a very different kind of care.