If you are like me and find it easy to slip into a mindless eating pattern with a bit of a graze here, bit of a nibble there then it does take a few mindful eating tricks to pull us back into line.
The easiest way to drop the last few kilos or start dropping few is to stop the unconscious putting the hand to thy mouth. Questions like ‘does my body need this’ or ‘am I really hungry or just plain bored’ can help us hone into the real feelings.
Sure, the old adages creep in, and you can make your weight loss harder by giving in to them during the process, but why bother?
By tapping in, really tapping into what your body is telling you – i.e., is it thirst and not hunger, craving sugar in the form of fruit, not sweets, you can easily modify your behaviour. The more you give your body something, the more it craves it. So if you find that the temptations in the house are too much…don’t buy them…Just walk on by the aisle in the supermarket that sells the lollies, chips, soft drink so you are not testing your wills at home.
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Keep some carrots, celery sticks, and hummus or cut up fruit at eye level in the fridge so this is what you will grab first. Make it hard to access the cookie jar by placing it out of sight and keep some dried fruits in containers nearby. The easier it is to access something, the more you will eat it, so make sure it is a healthy option!
If all else fails, keep a reminder close by or stuck on the fridge so you have a reason to remember. Words or photos of your goal weight could be enough to break the habit of opening the fridge door.
Focus on what you are eating, take note, slow down and enjoy your food. I find sometimes when I am worried about feeding a toddler; have a baby on my lap and trying to eat my own dinner that I scoff without giving it a second thought. Think about the meal, what you are experiencing and what you are tasting.
Give your meal time to digest before you go back for seconds. Or not……did you know that it takes up to 20 minutes before the nerves in your stomach registers it is full? Try sipping on some water or brushing your teeth is usually enough to create a roadblock or ‘hassle’ and stop after dinner munching.
So hopefully with the help of these few handy tips, you might become a little more conscious of what you are eating and aware of some of the habits that may be stopping you from reaching that target weight.
Do you have any creative ways of pulling yourself up when it comes to mindless eating?
