How many trips are you making to your cupboard throughout the day? It is good to have four to five small meals and snacks throughout the day but that should be plenty for the average exerciser. One main reason many people are gaining weight over lockdowns is due to over eating, and poor choices. Being at home more often makes it easy to eat more food then you need, and leads to choosing less nutritious foods. If you were normally out working, then going out in the evening with your kids, grandkids or friends, this takes up a lot of time away from the comfort of your home and away from easily accessible food. It is very easy to eat out of boredom and stress. Being at home more often is not helping these situations.
Let’s discuss a few ways to avoid overeating and grabbing unnecessary snacks throughout the day.
1) Eating often. It is important to eat consistently to keep our metabolism elevated and blood sugar steady. We just want to make sure these meals and snacks are nutritious.
If you plan ahead of time this should not be a problem. The area we notice makes the biggest difference is mid-morning or mid afternoon snack. For most people if we miss this snack it causes bad habits before dinner such as snacking on poor foods or overeating at dinner. The easiest way to avoid this is to have that mid-afternoon snack to avoid any cravings before your dinner.
2) The apple test. When you find yourself aimlessly in the cupboards ask yourself this question. “Would I eat an apple right now?” If you answer yes, then you are most likely hungry. If you answered “No” then chances are you are not hungry and are just bored or stressed.
3) After the apple test if you find yourself going to the cupboard out of boredom or stress then this is the time to do something else, build a new habit. If your bored, then go do a job around the house. Go on social media if you have to. If your stressed, then relive your stress with working out, with a walk, listening to music or a podcast that calms you.
4) Out of sight, out of mind. If you have unhealthy snack foods around the house that maybe your kids or your spouse eat but you find yourself getting into them, then put them somewhere you do not see them. Try on the top shelf where you may need a stool to get to them, or in the basement. Keep them far away so that it is not worth the extra effort to get to them.
It all comes down to setting up your environment for success. Being prepared with meals and snacks and putting the unhealthy options out of site and healthy options available in your fridge. Remember willpower is just the tip of the iceberg of success not at the foundation. Build a solid foundation and you will thrive.
Book a free call here for more coaching.
Recent Comments