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Thwart Impulsive Eating
By Cindy | October 10, 2007
8 PM–I’m not hungry, but I still find myself opening the pantry door, rummaging through the refrigerator and checking the freezer. Why?! What’s to be gained by my search? Extra calories and fat, that’s what!! How often have you found yourself searching for a snack between meals? Here are five questions to ask yourself when the urge strikes to raid the fridge or pantry.
- Am I really hungry? Pay attention to the physical needs of your stomach. Is it really empty?
- Am I bored, upset or angry? Intense emotions cloud our judgment. Comfort foods beacon even when we know we’re not hungry. Take stalk of your emotions. Try another activity such as breathing or exercise to overcome your current state of mind. This way you’re burning calories rather than consuming them!
- Can I wait an hour? Walk away for a set time. You might find yourself engrossed in your next activity that you forget all about food.
- When is my next scheduled meal or snack time? We often lose track of time. Most people eat at the time they had scheduled or planned regardless of the snacking they’ve done. Make an effort to wait to the next planned meal or snack time.
- Is this the healthiest option to satisfy my craving? When you’re bound and determined to grab a snack, pick the option that will satisfy that sweet tooth or salty craving with less calories or fat. Focus on the actual serving size and don’t return for another handful! For example, I try to grab popcorn instead of chips or a Popsicle instead of ice cream.
With these simple questions, I reflect on my actual needs versus wants. It helps me recognize my food triggers and thwart my impulsive eating habits. Next time you’re staring into the cupboards, recall these questions.
What steps do you take to overcome impulsive eating habits?
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Topics: Nutritional Knowledge |
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- Fit and healthy links | workoutmommy.com on October 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm:
I don’t try to overcome impulsive eating habits; if I am impulsively eating, it means that I need more calories. My problem is the opposite; if I am not working out for an extended period of time, I will not be hungry and will forget to eat.
It probably helps that I have better eating habits than most of my peers, and that I do not like sweet foods so most of my snacks are slightly healthier.
Hi Blaine–You sound just like my husband. If he get’s rapped up in something, then he’ll forget to eat. He stays skinny and doesn’t like snack foods either. Definitely not me! I wish!
Don’t take that to mean that I forget to eat very often…In general, I probably eat more than anybody you know. I am constantly snacking throughout the day.
I just happen to workout year round with defined in-season and off-season activities that keep me hungry all day.
It is only when I’m not working out for extended periods that I forget to eat, and that does not happen more than once every couple of years or so.
These are excellent questions as actually I did have two of the five written down to ask myself when eating late. We eat for so many different reasons that hopefully we begin to understand why we eat when we do.