5 Easy Tricks to Stop Mindless Eating
Nothing undermines progress toward healthy living like giving in to mindless eating. You’re not really hungry, you just sort of want a little something to nibble on. Soon you’re surrounded by empty potato chip bags, torn candy wrappers, and cupcake liners smeared with dried frosting.
Then you’ve got something else to deal with: guilt. As perverse as it may seem, guilt is likely to make you eat more, not less. What you need is a defense strategy, so the next time the munchies strike, you’ll know how to fight back.
Trick 1: Eat a Full Meal
Sometimes the munchies are a result of being genuinely hungry. Maybe you’ve been making great strides this week and you’re trying to up the ante; maybe you haven’t been doing so well and you’re trying to make up for it. Either way, you aren’t eating enough.
Remember this: starving your body is never the right way to lose weight. Your body needs fuel of the highest quality to run at maximum capacity. You don’t own a Porsche just to run it dry and park it, do you?
Only you know if your desire to graze has anything to do with your diet. If it does, do yourself a favor and nourish your body properly. The munchies should go away.
Trick 2: Keep Your Mouth Busy
Often, just the tactile sensation of having something in your mouth is enough to satisfy what seems like a desire to snack. Luckily, there are ways of doing this without piling on the calories. Chew on a piece of sugarless gum or sip on seltzer water. Brands such as Perrier and San Pellegrino make seltzer waters that are flavored but not sweetened. You also could make yourself a cup of coffee or hot tea; the simple comfort of something hot can be satisfying. If you need sweetness in your cup, try a sugar substitute such as erythritol, a sugar alcohol that doesn’t have calories, doesn’t cause tooth decay, and doesn’t make your blood sugar spike.
One piece of advice: experts agree that munching on ice isn’t a good alternative to snacking, as it can be damaging to your teeth.
Trick 3: Drink
No, this isn’t a repetition of the second trick. Sometimes signals get crossed and what feels like hunger is actually thirst, especially if you’re tired. If you’re hungry but you know you shouldn’t be, do a quick mental review of your day. Have you been keeping yourself hydrated? If not, your body may be looking to food as a source of water. Grab a bottle of water and rinse your parched insides. You may be surprised to discover that your feeling of hunger disappears.
Trick 4: Get Busy
The No. 1 enemy of healthy eating is boredom, the mother of mindless eating. You’re stuck in the house. You’re stuck at work. You’re stuck at the laundromat and the dryer has another hour to go and the vending machine is breathing down on you. What are you supposed to do?
First, remind yourself that eating isn’t going to end the boredom; it’s only going to give you something to regret in the near future. Then, get busy. If you’re stuck at home, get moving. Go for a walk; jump into an impromptu workout; call up a friend and go out for coffee. If you’re stuck at work, turn on the radio, if you’re allowed to. Get up and move around, trade responsibilities with someone else for a little while or head to the water cooler for a breather. If it won’t attract unwanted attention, do 10 jumping jacks, burpees, or squats. If you’ve got a boring task scheduled, like that trip to the laundromat, bring something to keep boredom at bay, like an absorbing book or your tablet.
Trick 5: See Your Doctor
When you’re not just fantasizing about food but obsessing about it, especially when it’s one food in particular, there may be underlying health reasons. You could be experiencing an iron deficiency, for example, or if you’re repeatedly turning to food for comfort, you may be dealing with undiagnosed symptoms of depression. Talk to your doctor about what you’re experiencing, and don’t be embarrassed to be frank.
Food is a source of delicious, enjoyable energy. It isn’t supposed to take over our thoughts or babysit us when we have nothing else to do. By following these tricks, you can put food back in its rightful place and continue on your journey toward full body wellness.