1. Keep a routine
- Stick to a schedule. If you used to have a lunch break at 12:30, try to do the same. Factor in snack and tea breaks as well!
- And don’t forget to drink
- Position yourself somewhere that’s hard to get to the kitchen!
2. Check in with yourself.
- There are so many reasons we eat beyond hunger and nutrients
- Why are you heading to the cupboard or fridge? Bored, procrastinating, stressed, emotions. Suss this out.
- Won't happen every time. But doing it sometimes might help reveal with honesty some patterns around your eating behaviours.
Strategies:
- Hunger fullness scale
- 10 minute challenge
- Put a wedge in
- During the meal - put your knife and fork down.
- Speed bump
3. Eat mindfully
- We can often find ourselves eating on autopilot, munching into a meal while our attention is on our screens,to-do lists, multi-tasking or wandering around the kitchen or house.
- Give yourself an opportunity to eat without distraction
- Serve your food for yourself how you would serve it to a special someone.
- Serve how much you want - rather than eating vita weats or crackers fresh out the packet, serve the 4, 10, however many you want on a plate! Prepare it.
- Sit down. Not at your desk. Grab a knife and fork or a drink.
- Switch off your devices, sit down uninterrupted.
- Give yourself the time and space to savour your eating experience and feel truly satisfied.
- Respect your food and yourself.
4. Just don’t buy it!
- If you struggle to stop at 1 or 2 tim tams and just end up feeling crap about it, don’t buy them!
- If you were trying to quit smoking would you have packets of cigarettes in the cupboard and fridge, in your desk drawer?
- Don’t dangle the carrot, it’s just cruel to yourself
- Nice vs kind
- Mindful eating starts well before you eat.
- Don’t shop hungry
- Review your goals - what you really want vs the quick high
- Check in at the shelves too!
- Research has shown that visual exposure to high calorie foods stimulates the striatum, a part of your brain that modulates impulse control, which may lead to increased cravings and overeating.
- Deprivation is not the answer. It is ineffective for long term weight loss and incredibly damaging to our relationship with food and our bodies.
5. Creative cooking!
- If you were fortunate enough to bulk purchase tinned tomatoes, now's your time to shine
- Home cooking vs take away = 20% fewer calories for the exact same meal
- Study of over 11000 ppl found that those who ate home cooked meals more than 5 x per week and better body comp (25% less likely to have excess body fat) and ate more veg and fruit.
6. Combat boredom
- Put a wedge in first: Walk to the letterbox, paint your nails, pat the dog, do 10 pushups...BEFORE you head to the kitchen.
- Consider why you’re bored on a larger scale.
- Online course, puzzle, book, create something (number paintings, ikea furniture), plants or home garden
- Our next episode we’ll be talking all about using your time to fuel your fire
40 meaningful things to do when stuck at home in a pandemic
