Stay mindless on the beach. Not in your kitchen.
Sitting on the beach. Listening to tunes. Sometimes it’s good to go mindless. But when your hand is in the chip bag? Not so much. One of the top weight loss tips is to get a handle on mindless munching. Learn how to stop mindless eating in 5 steps.
As you incorporate these weight loss tips into your day, remember to be patient with yourself. It took years to develop bad eating habits, so don’t expect they’ll all disappear overnight. Chances are good you’ll slip up here and there. When you do, don’t give up or feel guilty. Shake it off and resume the healthy eating habits that will help you achieve lasting weight loss success. Find out how Skinny Ms. founder Gale Compton lost 30 pounds and kept it off.
1. Eat 3 small meals and 2 healthy snacks each day.
One of the top weight loss tips is to stick to three small meals and two snacks daily, which translates into eating about every three hours. Consuming foods throughout the day helps blood sugar stay stable, making you less likely to experience those monster snack attacks that leave you with nothing but an empty bag of crumbs.
- Plan the week’s meal and snack menu before each grocery trip so you can buy what you need and have it ready to go. Make planning easier with Skinny Ms. Meal Planning Resources.
- Refresh yourself on what a healthy portion size looks like to avoid overeating. Check out 6 Easy Ways to Reduce Portion Sizes and 5-Day Menu Plan with Perfect Portions.
2. Set approximate times each day to eat.
Life may be crazy, but you deserve time to eat. When you want to learn how to stop mindless eating, schedule regular meals and snacks to reduce random grazing.
- Busy day coming up? If you know you won’t be able to eat at a regular mealtime, look for another spot in the schedule when you can stop to eat—and then stick to that time.
- Carrying healthy to-go snacks, like a bag of 12-14 unsalted almonds, is a smart strategy for busy days too; it will help you stave off cravings for unhealthy snacks until your next meal. Stock these 12 Clean-Eating Snacks for Weight Loss.
3. Don’t keep snack foods on the counter.
Outta-sight, outta-mind is one of the simplest tricks when you want to learn how to stop mindless eating. You’re less likely to munch when you’re not hungry if food is tucked away in the pantry, drawer, or cabinet.
- Learn how to Organize Your Kitchen for Weight Loss.
4. Focus on chewing.
Research suggests people who chewed a bite 40 times instead of 15 (which is the average) consumed 12% fewer calories, which translates into almost 25 pounds of weight loss per year [1]. The extra chewing was linked to lower levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.
- Take small bites, chewing each slowly.
- Finish chewing completely before taking another bite.
- Don’t drink anything until you’ve fully swallowed the bite.
5. Avoid eating when watching TV.
Yes, Outlander and Empire may be making you heavier! Research shows that television distracts people, making them less aware of how much they’re consuming [2].
- Get up and move during commercials. Strike a yoga pose, pump out a few perfect push-ups, or crank the core with sit-ups.
- Drink water while you’re watching TV to keep your stomach feeling full. Need a touch of flavor? Try these delish, homemade Flavored Water recipes.
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Is it time for a lifestyle redo? Check out Skinny Ms. Clean Overhaul 30-Day Weight Loss Program ebook.
Resources
[1] Reuters Health
[2] Harvard Health
