Are you home all day, thinking about food 24/7? You are not
alone. Not only do we want to eat to break up the monotony of
staying at home, but we also eat because we’re frightened and stressed by the
news that comes at us constantly. What can you do to avoid mindless munching?
Here are the strategies that work for me:
- Get up at a regular time every day and get dressed. Eat a healthy breakfast. I typically enjoy a whole wheat English muffin with 2 TB of natural peanut butter, topped with a ½ of a sliced banana.
- Pack all your snacks for the week as if you were leaving the house. On Sundays, I make 5 containers of washed and dried fruit, 5 containers of almonds and 5 containers of cashews. Now I have a protein and a healthy fat to enjoy with each container of fruit for my a.m. and p.m. snacks.
- Try to eat around the same time every day. For example, have breakfast at 7:30 a.m. I have my morning snack around 10:30 a.m. Lunch is at 1:00 p.m., and my p.m. snack is at 4:00 p.m.
- When you take a break from work, don’t snack if it is not your regular snack time. Instead, walk out to the mailbox, start a load of laundry, clean out your junk drawer, scroll through your phone, walk around the block. When in doubt, move away from the food.
- If you have college kids, roommates, or spouses who have brought junk food into your home, label it for what it is, “dog treats!” Yep, I am talking about Pringles, Combos, Oreos, etc. Food products that are not truly food are “dog treats.” Now, you don’t want to eat them, am I right?
- Practice the 4 D's when you feel like munching, but you're not really hungry:
- Delay for 10 mins.
- Distract yourself by flipping through a magazine, listen to a podcast, read a book, straighten a closet, etc.
- Decide with the 4 “really test”, i.e., Do I really, really, really, really want those Girl Scout cookies, donuts, ice cream, or whatever the food or food product is?
- Determine how much you will eat, e.g. 3 Thin Mints, or 2 Oreos - no more.
- Thank the food itself for nourishing your body and think about all the people who helped bring that food to your plate.
- Eat slowly and with appreciation for the wonderful gift of food.
- If possible, eat with your spouse, roommate, or pet and try and share a moment of laughter or camaraderie.
- Create a lovely ambiance with a candle, a nice table setting, perhaps some soft background music.
- Allow yourself to truly relax and enjoy your meal.
- After you have finished eating, pause for a moment to let the meal digest and settle.
