Are you finding lately that you are eating more often than when things were "normal"? You're not alone; we tend to look to food as one way to cope with boredom, and of course we have spoken before about food being a comfort for when you're stressed out. So, what can we do to help manage these times?
- Plan your days. It sounds so simple, but if you know what you'll be eating that day, you'll tend to stick to the plan more often than not.
- Record what you eat. It may surprise you to learn just how many nibbles, bites, licks, and other mindless snacking that you do in the day! Plus, simply writing down what you've eaten will help you eat less overall. Use the MyVision app.
- Make it hard to eat your treat foods. Why is it always the biscuits, or chips, or chocolate that we snack on, and never a salad, or savoury wrap, or piece of fruit? Probably because the treats are more appealing and also easier to get to quickly and eat. Put them a little out of reach or out of sight (out of mind), or better yet don't have them in the house! Try cutting up some fruit ahead of time and keeping in the fridge ready to go, or separate salads into single servings ready to go in tupperware. i find having fruit already chopped up is the easiest way for me to eat well! especially watermelon
- Drink more water. Maybe you're not actually hungry, but thirsty! Fill up on water and wait ten minutes before eating, you may not feel so hungry anymore. remember to get 2-3L per day.
- Do something to keep your mind occupied. Go for a walk, clean the house, read a book, do a workout - you'll quickly forget about wanting to eat anything.
- Consider your goals. Will this snack help you get there, or hinder you? Sometimes that second to think is all we need to choose something healthy. •
- Save it for a reward. Don't just eat something for the sake of it - make it a treat for the end of the week, or doing that extra workout, or finishing off that work project.
- Enjoy it! If you really can't stop yourself, there's no real harm done. As long as you can fit it inside your macros for the day, you'll be ok. And if you do go overboard a little bit, just get back on track for the next meal or the next day.
