Food For Thought – 5 Strategies to STOP Mindless Eating

Put mindless eating to a stop with these simple tips!

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Have you ever sat down with your kids or your girlfriends to watch an exciting new movie and before it’s over, you realize you just ate an entire tub of popcorn, a bowl of ice cream, and a slurpy? This is called mindless eating…. Skinny Ms. has 5 strategies to help you STOP mindless eating and here they are:

First of all, don’t eat while watching TV. When watching the six o’clock news or your favorite chick flick, it’s easy to consume more food than usual than if you were at the kitchen table. Make a rule that you won’t be entertained by watching movies or your favorite TV series while eating. Go to the kitchen, sit down, and eat. Odds are, you will eat less if you’re in a hurry to catch that new premiere episode.

Secondly, Make a conscious decision to eat only when you are sitting down. This will help when offered free samples of food while walking passed the deli or when cooking dinner for the family. Grabbing whatever is close by and popping it in your mouth is easy to do when preparing meals. If you just have to have a bite, make yourself sit down to have it, odds are you won’t have time and you will pass on that pinch of cheese or bite of potatoes.

The third strategy to control mindless or unconscious eating is DO NOT  accept food from friends or family members who didn’t finish their meals. It’s easy to accept those last few fries or that last scoop of ice cream that your kids or best girlfriend didn’t want or couldn’t hold. Don’t do it! If they couldn’t finish it, you shouldn’t either.

The fourth helpful trick is try brushing your teeth when you feel a craving coming on and you know you’re not hungry. When you have a clean minty sensation, you probably won’t want to grab a handful of peanuts or popcorn. We tend to stray from eating to keep the fresh breath feeling! Who wants to dirty up a perfectly clean mouth?

Last, but not least, drink a full glass of water before you give into a craving or into mindless eating. When you feel the need coming on to eat because you’re bored or you’re craving a bowl of ice cream, drink a glass of water; wait 30 minutes; if you still want something to eat, odds are you truly are hungry. Go ahead and eat! But make healthy choices when giving into that ice cream or candy craving. Have low-fat frozen yogurt instead of that chocolate chunky pecan or have a piece of fruit instead of a bag of skittles!

 

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SkinnyMs.

The SkinnyMs. team believes that all people, regardless of age, size, and fitness level, have the power to transform their lives — they just need the resources to do so. The SkinnyMs. method promotes healthy living through a combination of clean eating and regular exercise. We offer everything you need to be successful.

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