What Drives You to the Fridge?
Do you often find yourself saying, “I don’t know why I’m overweight, I don’t overeat at meals and I don’t snack that often?” You’re not alone. Most people don’t overeat at every meal. But that doesn’t mean they’re not overweight. For example, some people eat sensibly and consciously all day, until it comes to bedtime snacks, when no one is looking.
The key to controlling your food intake is to discover your weak times for food. The times when you stop eating consciously. Once you make that discovery, you can start taking the necessary steps to eliminate. Eating Cues
Are any of the following eating cues an issue for you?
| Eating Cue: | Late
at Night You’ve worked hard all day. You drag yourself home through bad traffic. The kids are acting up and your partner isn’t helping around the house. Once the kids are off to bed, you decide that you deserve a treat and you go directly to food. |
| Solution: | Rest
and Relaxation Some people eat late at night because it’s their only opportunity to sit down and pamper themselves, without any interruptions. If this is your pattern, you may need to change some daily routines. Listen to your body. Rest, have a bath or listen to one of your favorite weight loss tapes. |
| Eating Cue: | Stress
(this could also be late at night) You’ve had a particularly stressful day. Maybe you are just angry at the driver who cut you off on the highway, or perhaps you’ve just found out that your beloved cat tore the report you worked on all weekend, to shreds. |
| Solution: | Calm
Down If you are keyed up and wish to unwind, food may seem like a natural solution. When your body is digesting food, the system slows down. The by-product is that you feel less keyed up. As a result, your subconscious has formed a dangerous food association between food and reduced tension. When you continue the behavior pattern, the result is gained weight, especially if you constantly experience stressful circumstances. Instead of reaching for food, try deep breathing or calling a friend. Any calming activity will help. |
| Eating Cue: | When
You’re Alone or Bored You are all alone one night and have no plans, and the television has nothing but re-runs on. Or, you constantly try to sneak food when no one is looking. Maybe you say you’re going for a walk, but instead you make a beeline to the nearest fast food outlet or corner store. |
| Solution: | Reprogram
the Diet Mentality When eating becomes secretive, it’s more exciting and more difficult to give up. You are not on a diet! That is old programming. Tell yourself that it’s no longer necessary to hide when or what you eat because ‘you are a naturally slim person’. The first major step you can make to overcome this form of food indulgence is to "go public", so that is loses its furtive quality. Remember, the act of eating is not bad, nor is enjoying it. |
| Eating Cue: | Others
are Eating Do you find yourself eating just to be social or just because others are eating? Have you often nibbled so much during meal preparation that by the time your spouse comes home for dinner you are not hungry anymore, but feel compelled to sit down and eat anyway? |
| Solution: | Come
Clean Simply state that you have already eaten and that you don’t wish to eat again. Then let it go. Talk about your day or listen to your spouse tell you about his I her day. |
Tips on Improving Your Eating Awareness
- If you have a baby, eat while the baby is napping.
- Get in the habit of taking the phone off the hook any time you eat so that you may enjoy your meal.
- Make eating a pleasure. Try lighting candles, playing soft music or having pretty flowers on the table.
