Boredom eating is a tough eating habit to overcome.
It often happens that we consume more food than we need during the day simply because we can’t find something better to do.
Your day can become routine, and you seek to provide fullness through food.
When eating out of boredom, the main problem is that we eat without paying attention. Thus, when we eat without thinking, we do not consider how much we have eaten, why we have eaten it, or what we have eaten.
Think about the following: when asked about your meal intake from the day before, you generally remember the meals you planned, but you don’t remember the block of chocolate you ate while using the computer or the bag of chips you ate while watching TV.
Thus, one of the keys to developing and maintaining good eating habits is good eating awareness.
If you want to change your eating habits and stay healthier, but you have difficulties with good eating awareness, keep reading.
In this article, you will find eight strategies that will help you overcome boredom eating.
1. Keep a Food Diary
Boredom eating usually happens due to poor awareness of what we are eating.
Thus, keeping a food diary for a few weeks can help you be more aware of what you eat, when, and why.
In this sense, the first step to combat the problem is to be aware of what the problem is in the first place.
2. Plan Your Meals
Planning meals is another critical aspect of good food awareness.
This is so because if you make sure to plan all your meals and snacks, this will help you control your appetite.
So, if you feel a little hungry or if you are bored and you are at the right time, you can try your next scheduled meal or snack.
However, if it is not time for your next scheduled meal, you should wait and find something else to do.
3. Brush Your Teeth
It is also recommended to brush your teeth well after each meal.
The mint flavor that remains in your mouth helps suppress your appetite. Thus, you reduce the need to consume a snack.
4. Set Yourself Daily Achievable Tasks
You should know that eating out of boredom is a way to give us satisfaction and fulfillment.
In other words, we need to do satisfying things, and one of the things that provide satisfaction the most quickly is food.
Thus, if you have set activities every day, you can satisfy your need for fulfillment without eating.
For example, you can write a “to do” list that you will follow throughout the day at the beginning of the day. The next day you will do the same and so on.
5. Chew gum
It often happens that we eat because we urge to chew something.
In that case, it is advisable to opt for sugar-free gum.
In addition, the mint flavor that it leaves in your mouth reduces the need to eat other foods.
6. Give Your Hands Something To Do
Another option may be to choose an activity that you like, which involves using your hands.
When you have your hands complete, you don’t want to use them to do something else; that is, you can’t use them to eat.
But keep in mind that watching TV, surfing the web, or reading are not activities that keep your hands fully occupied, and that is why it is easier to listen to cravings.
For example, you can play an instrument, draw, cook, run a crossword, clean, among others.
7. Carry a Drink Bottle With You
If you need hand-to-mouth action, you can bring a bottle of water and sip regularly during the day.
This helps combat the need for a snack while promoting hydration, which is related to greater appetite control.
Dehydration is known to cause more hunger and thirst, which leads you to consume more food, even if you don’t need it.
8. Go For a Walk
Finally, if you are bored and tempted to eat something, the best thing to do is go for a walk.
This will help you avoid boredom eating while helping you stay in shape.
Go Easy on Yourself
Keep in mind that habit changes are often difficult.
So if you have a relapse, don’t get frustrated and learn from it.
Learning to eat well and developing healthy habits are necessary for life, so don’t give up on the road.
