My Happiness Coach

Yikes! Its the middle of the night and you are having a snack food craving. What do you do?

It’s 5pm and you are just getting home from work. You still need to make dinner, but you are dealing with the munchies. What do you do?

These are just two of many times where you might be facing your snack food monster.

Dealing with your snack food monster early…

Don’t ignore the fact that you are hungry! You need to listen to your body in order to get snacking under control. Here are a few ways that you can deal with your snack food cravings:

1. Plan ahead for cravings & eat something before they hit. When you are extremely hungry you are more likely to grab something quick & full of sugar, fat, & sodium. So, by having a healthier snack ready, one that you have planned ahead of time, you can get ahead of those cravings & give your body what it needs.
2. Eat on a schedule. When you schedule your meals & snacks, your body will get used to that schedule & you can work those meals & snack times out to reflect your own schedule.
3. Drink water, first. Many times we feel thirst, but mistake it for hunger. It won’t hurt to drink some water before reaching for a snack. It will keep you hydrated & then you can figure out if it was hunger or thirst that you were feeling.

When its too late…

There are going to be times that you want to dive into a pile of donuts, cake, or cookies. This isn’t the end of the world! In fact, this is okay!!! Having a snack, even one full of sugar, fat, or sodium, is okay. Just remember to set limits on these types of snack foods.

Don’t beat yourself up...

When it comes to emotional eating, we all have fallen prey to the snack food monster. Everyone’s monster looks different. Maybe your monster is ice cream, donuts, cake or cookies. There are so many forms a snack monster can take. But the key to beating the snack monster is not to beat yourself up.

By making sure that you are taking care of your daily food needs (protein, vitamins, water, etc) you will find it easier to say no. But the best part is that (for most people) you don’t have to say no 100% of the time. It is okay to indulge from time to time.

Make sure to follow the nutrition plan that was made for you by your doctor, nutritionist, or other health professional.

Identifying your monster…

Your nutrition plan should include a plan of attack for your snack monster. But, before you can say no to your monster, you need to know what it looks like. This is the best way to beat the monster!!! By identifying the snack foods that cause you to lose control (eating a whole bag of chips, box of cookies, or tub of ice cream). I have a couple snack monsters, myself, ice cream & donuts are my big two.

So, here is what I do…

First, I listen to my own advice & plan ahead! I have a meal schedule, healthier snacks on hand, & I do my best to keep up with my protein & water intake. (Did you know that food higher in protein will keep you full longer?)

Second, I listen to my body! If there are snacks around, I make sure that I am not really hungry or worse. I pick my snack very carefully, making sure that the portion is right for me. I also have a little secret saying that I tell myself.

If its not an amazing [insert SNACK name] then it isn’t worth the calories.

I guess it’s not so much of a secret anymore. But if you take a bite & are not amazed by the snack that you’ve chosen, then don’t finish it. You are not doing anyone service by stuffing a gross deserts into your mouth. We’ve all been somewhere around this issue. Polite eating. When you eat because you don’t want to hurt the host or cooks feelings. That’s a topic for another blog, though.

Polite Eating is crap…

There is an abundant ways to excuse yourself from eating something that might trigger your food monster. The best is a simple, polite, “no, thank you.” I know that you are thinking that this won’t work for my mom (grandma, mother-in-law, etc.) but it will get easier each time. If it doesn’t, then know that it’s a toxic food environment. Try to stay away from those.

Do your best…

No one can be a perfect snacker all that time, so indulge when you feel up to it. Stay away from hunger & thirst. If you are satisfied with your planned meals & snacks, it will be easier to vanquish your food monster! Do your best & it will get easier.